Seven years separate 29-year-old Gal Gilboa Dalal and his younger brother 22-year-old Guy. They also have a younger sister, who’s 16 years old. Despite this, as Gal described, they all share a very close bond. "I don't know of siblings with a bond like the three of us have, it's one of the things I'm most proud of in my life." But the trio was separated on October 7 when Guy was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival.
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Gal has been going to music festivals for several years, and a few months ago, Guy started showing interest in them as well: "He joined me and my friends for a small party. He came with his good friend Idan Hermati, and we also met Ron Zarfati and Eviatar David, his childhood friends. They had so much fun, they decided to all go to the Nova Music Festival together."
Although his friend held his bachelor party on the Friday of October 6, Gal decided – like an older and protective brother - not to miss his brother's first big music festival. "I told myself that even if I were to arrive just at sunrise, it’s important that I come to look after my brother. I arrived at the festival at around 5 a.m., and by the time I parked and got the tickets, it was quarter past six.
"Guy was waiting for me inside, shining in the lights. He shouted, 'I waited for you! It’s great you could come!' He pulled me to the dance floor, but I wanted to lay down my things first. I saw everyone dancing, it was amazing. Ten minutes later, the sirens started."
Guy and Eviatar left the dance floor and met Gal, Ron, Idan, and Gal's roommate who joined them. The police officers on-site began to instruct people to take shelter and simultaneously leave the party’s area.
"We decided to leave as soon as possible. I saw they were sober and able to drive, but they were a bit confused and didn't want to drive all the way back home. They were still wanting to party, so I suggested they come to my place, and they were so excited.
I helped them fold their things and asked Guy if he wanted to ride in the car with me, he told me: 'I don't want them to feel I'm leaving them, so we'll meet at your place soon.'"
"I walked toward my car, which was closer to the exit, and they seemed to lag behind a bit. At the exit, there was chaos, many cars tried to leave at once. It still felt like a true festival, people were so happy, dancing next to their cars. We still didn't know there were terrorists in the area. As we approached Route 232, the police directed us into the orchards, it was a mess and we got stuck in traffic," he recounted.
"Suddenly, we heard bursts of gunfire. We got out of the car and started running in the open field. We noticed a descent to a wadi that many didn't notice. We went down there and I tried to call Guy. He didn't answer, but Ron called me a few minutes later. She told me they were still at the festival area, that our forces were there, and they were in a shelter but that there were clashes.
“I told them to stay in the shelter and keep me updated; I needed to start running myself. All this time, I thought this was just about a few idiots with guns and that it would soon be over. We didn't understand what was going on at all, we didn't know we were being massacred.
While staying in one of our hideouts, I received a call from an unknown number telling me they had left and were on their way to central Israel. I was sure it was one of Guy's friends, then I realized it was in fact another friend we met at the festival."
'They hugged me, and I started crying'
Meanwhile, their parents began to worry. Gal received a call from his mother, who said Guy’s phone wasn’t available. He didn't understand what she was talking about, as they had just informed him they were returning. Then he understood.
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The Gilboa Dalal family holding signs calling for Guy's release
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
"I started losing it. They didn't answer, and we couldn't go back because of the shooting. I didn't stop calling; these were the worst moments I experienced. While we were hiding, we already saw reports: 'Head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council murdered,' 'They took over outposts, police stations.' At around 2 p.m., military vehicles arrived and rescued us before taking us to the Ofakim police station.
"In hindsight, I know that Guy's video in the tunnel (in Gaza) was already released at 11:30 a.m., but they preferred not to update me until I got home. I don't really remember anything from when we were rescued; I didn't say anything to them, I didn't care anymore. I only thought about my brother. I went to the festival for him, I only cared about him. I couldn't bear to think about the fact I went there for him and now I’m back without him. I arrived at my parents' home, they hugged me, and I started crying."
Guy was abducted alongside his friend Eviatar David. His friends Idan Hermati and Ron Zarfati were murdered. From that moment, Gal found himself walking what looked like an endless journey: to tell about what happened and to do everything to bring back his little brother.
"No one will be able to understand what happened there; I feel that it's important I explain what I saw and experienced. I went to see Ron and Idan’s parents and told them what happened. Funeral after funeral, one shiva at a time. I feel like I do understand what I’ve been through, I've talked to psychologists and it helps me to talk about it, but I'm still living with the fact that my brother is there.
"It's hard for me to be optimistic. I'm very optimistic that he'll come back, but the more time goes by, I feel like he's further away. At first, I thought he would be home by tomorrow, and now it doesn't feel like that anymore.
“Every talk about a deal breaks me down further, and I struggle with any deal that doesn't include everyone simply because so much time has passed since the previous deal, that we know a deal that won’t bring everyone back will leave the rest behind for a very long time," he said.