Avishai David, father of hostage survivor Evyatar David, who spent 738 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, strongly opposed the establishment of a state‑appointed commission to investigate the Oct. 7 massacre, accusing the judiciary of political bias going back decades.
In an interview with ynet, David criticized the possibility that Supreme Court Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit would appoint the panel, saying the judicial system has long sought to “defenstrate” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the political right. “Since ’96 (the year Netanyahu was first elected prime minister), the judicial system decided to oust the prime minister and the right wing he represents,” David said, referring to the controversial reform battle over judicial authority and political power in Israel.
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Avishai David, father of hostage survivor Evyatar David, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Shalev Shalom)
David’s comments come amid a broader national debate over how to investigate the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and whether to establish a state‑appointed investigative commission, or instead a political committee whose members would be selected by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a close Netanyahu ally.
“I speak as a citizen, not just as the father of Evyatar, who was released from Hamas captivity,” David said, leveling criticism against the IDF and Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency. He pointed to former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who has not faced legal consequences, as an example of systemic failure.
David called a state commission led by Amit “a political court, not a court that judges according to law and justice,” adding, “Millions here know this. We will not reach the truth.”
He demanded accountability from Israel’s military and intelligence leadership. “I want to know what happened with [former IDF chief] Herzi Halevi, what happened with the military top brass, what happened with the head of the Shin Bet,” he said. “Why is there this approach that their job isn’t to manage their organizations but to look strategically at the world, at the Middle East, which no one asked them to do?”
David also criticized what he described as protective relationships within the legal establishment. “We want real answers, not ones where Amit defends the attorney general and the attorney general defends the prosecution and their allies. We saw the attorney general’s son stole a bulletproof vest and the deputy attorney general defended him. We families want the truth.”
Despite his harsh critique, David appealed for unity among Israelis. “We are a united people; we absorb everything around us, especially from our enemies. But we can overcome our problems here if we unite. We don’t have to all agree, that’s not needed. But to be united and not to divide, not to incite — that’s what kills me, this division and hatred toward a person, what it’s doing to people.”
Dozens of released hostages and their relatives have signed a letter sent early this week to Netanyahu calling for the immediate establishment of a state‑appointed commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 massacre.
The letter, signed by former captives including Yarden Bibas, Arbel Yehoud, Ohad and Raz Ben Ami, Ariel and Sharon Cunio, Luis Har, Gadi Mozes and Amit Soussana, declared: “We demand justice. We demand accountability. If you do not intend to take responsibility and form such a commission as demanded by the majority of the people, step aside and let the people decide.”
In response, David said he was speaking as someone who has witnessed “many absurdities” over decades, criticizing what he described as idealistic calls for peace when, in his view, “my side was shouting there was no partner for peace.”
Referring to Israel’s judiciary, David said, “After ’96, the judicial system decided to bring down the prime minister and the right wing he represents. It saddens me that it’s like this — as if we’re a democratic state going to the ballot box and placing our vote.”
David acknowledged that some signatories come from sincere places, including volunteers and families at Beit Ariela, a community center involved in supporting hostages and their families. But he also accused some of exploiting the hostage issue for political aims. “Some people took advantage of the hostage issue, like so many other issues in the last decade, saying ‘let’s go after Netanyahu’s head.’ It’s so ugly, so wicked,” he said.
David reiterated his long‑held belief that “without force they would not release anything. Yes, Trump came and helped a lot, backing Netanyahu, but the main thing is that all those lives were freed.”
Speaking about his son Evyatar's first Hanukkah as a free man since being abducted from a Nova music festival with his lifelong friend Guy Gilboa‑Dalal, David said, “Everything is completely different after two years of suffering for Evyatar and Guy. We are in a completely different status. It’s great happiness — he’s alive, he came home. It’s still not whole and we can’t fully smile because our Ran Gvili hasn’t been returned. When he is returned, we can rejoice. Evyatar and Guy are coping with the exposure very well, they’re gaining weight.”
David said it is not yet advisable to ask his son many questions unless he initiates the conversation. “We can slip in a question or two, but this is a state he needs to express. In time he will tell, and we will be able to ask him. There’s intensive rehabilitation amid all this joy.”
He praised his son’s resilience, saying, “This kid is just strong, he’s a special person. Even when the video of him digging his own grave was released, we saw in his eyes that he was strong. The main thing is that he’s out and will be okay, it’s all a matter of time.”
Addressing recent comments directed at released hostages returning from Gaza, David said his son conveyed to him that some of his abductors “really wanted them to continue protests here. They were very angry that his father was not one of the major participants in protests against the government. He doesn’t really engage with these things; he isn’t interested in the depths of politics or who is against whom. What interests him is music and succeeding in life.”