Sister of Gaza hostage: I can’t sing the national anthem, I don’t feel safe in Israel anymore

Ye’ela David, sister of Eviatar David, who was taken hostage from the Supernova Music Festival on October 7, takes the stage at the anti-government rally at Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square.

She talks about the conditions in which young male hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza, saying, “We hear testimonies about the inhumane treatment… the attempt to make these people into empty shells. Including through sexual abuse,” she says.

Referencing the Holocaust, she says, “We say ‘never again’ every year, meaning this catastrophe can never repeat itself; 113 days ago it happened in our home.”

“I can no longer sing the national anthem line ‘to be a free nation in our land,'” she tells the audience, saying she no longer feels safe in her own country. “I can no longer hear the words ‘destroying Hamas’ before I hear ‘returning the hostages.’ If we don’t get them back, it will forever be a moral blemish on this country’s character,” she adds.