Father of released hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal says son endured nightmare under Hamas control

Ilan Dalal told N12 that despite the damage his son suffered while in Hamas captivity, “slowly, with a lot of love and with his family and friends around him, he will be fine.”

During his 739-day captivity, freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal faced a “nightmare” of fierce struggle at the hands of Hamas terrorists, his father, Ilan Gilboa, shared with N12 on Friday.

Gilboa told N12 that the result of “all kinds of difficult things” her son described includes multiple infections, hearing loss in one ear, stomach pain and vomiting, as well as skin problems and vitamin deficiencies.

“I guess these are reversible things,” Girlboa said of her son’s physical health issues. “The psychological team is working with him to process what happened. Slowly, with lots of love and with his family and friends around him, everything will be okay.”

Although Gilboa didn’t talk much about his son’s mental state, he did share some insight into what allowed Guy to survive captivity.

“Guy suddenly saw an interview on television with his brother standing in his shirt,” he told N12.

At that time, Gilboa-Dalal did not know if his brother had survived the October 7 massacre. Realizing his brother was alive and campaigning for his release gave him the courage to continue.

“It made him very happy and gave him a lot of strength,” Gilboa said.

Dreamlike happiness after tragedy

Gilboa recounted another heartwarming moment in which Guy ate one of his favorite desserts, homemade chocolate balls, for the first time since his release.

He said tasting the dessert “brought him back to his senses a little. We saw his reactions, that says it all.”

The N12 report noted that Gilboa-Dalal’s wish to return home before his sister’s 18th birthday, which he had expressed in an August letter the Red Cross delivered to him earlier, had come true.

Ilan Gilboa described Guy’s return as “even happier than the day he was born.”

Despite the harsh conditions and ongoing struggles resulting from Gilboa-Dalal’s captivity, his father shared his positive attitude towards his son and his family, stating that “little by little [they] I will recover and everything will be fine.