Dave Rubin is in Israel this week to talk to locals and hear their stories. Yesterday, he met with 26-year-old Ilay David.

Ilay’s younger brother, Evyatar, was taken hostage by Hamas during the Nova Festival on October 7. When the invasion began, Evyatar texted his brother informing him of the attack, but their connection was soon lost. Shortly after, Evyatar’s sister posted his photo on Instagram asking if anyone had seen him. An unknown number messaged her back with videos of Evyatar. The first showed him being dragged inside Gaza by a terrorist, and the second showed him handcuffed on the floor in a dark room with several other victims, including his childhood best friend.

“The cameraman was making sure that we [would] see their faces and recognize them,” Ilay tells Dave, noting that his brother was staring at the camera with “primal fear.”

“At that moment, I felt mostly anger. … I felt like I failed to protect my younger sibling, and I felt helpless – like there's nothing I can do,” says Ilay.

After a week had passed, Ilay joined a families' forum and has since been doing everything in his power to bring his brother and the other hostages home safely.

Despite released hostages’ reportings of mental and physical abuse and there currently being “no signs of life,” Ilay refuses to give up hope that his brother will come home one day.

“We have to fight evil and bring them back home – all of them – as soon as possible,” he says.

To hear Ilay’s story – a tale of unshakeable hope in the face of tragedy and fear – watch the clip below.

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