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Trapped in the ruins of Gaza, there are at least 20 Israeli hostages who are believed to be still alive, held captive by Hamas.
One of them is Gal Dalal’s younger brother, the now 24-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
„Every bomb, every military operation, everything that’s going on, they’re putting my brother in risk,“ Gal told CBS News.
And the bombing intensified this week. Security camera footage showed the moment an Israeli strike hit outside a hospital in Gaza — killing dozens. The attack came just a day after the release of American hostage Edan Alexander.
„We know his family, we love them. And they deserve nothing more than to be reunited with their son. It’s this complicated thing of joy and also sadness,“ Gal said.
Gal told CBS News his family was „joyful“ and „thankful“ Alexander got to go home. „But we also, it was such a pain to see another hostage returning and it’s not your brother,“ he said.
Gal and Guy were at the Nova music festival when Hamas launched its Oct. 7 terror attack. Gal escaped, but his brother, who he calls his best friend, did not.
„The hardest thing for me is that I really went there to watch over him, watch over my baby brother, and I returned without him,“ Gal said
In February, Hamas put out a propaganda video that showed Guy.
„He was brought out by Hamas to watch other hostages going home,“ Gal said. „I was helpless entirely because I couldn’t do anything to help him so I just, I was there again, watching my baby brother in this inhumane condition looking so much worse.“
While the video was proof of life, Gal knew from freed hostages how bad things were for his brother.
„They were at the same tunnel with two or 10 hostages, a very small tunnel, almost unable to move. Sleeping, eating, breathing next to where they had to dig their own toilet,“ he said.
„My brother is in front of me every time, all day,“ Gal added. „I go to sleep with him. I wake up with him, I cannot feel anything else but guilt on the most simple things.“
Like so many families of hostages, he is pinning his hopes on President Trump to broker a deal to free them.
„Although we break sometimes because we are human, we also keep each other strong with the hope that Guy will return to us,“ Gal said.
„I hope [our love] is what saves him right now,“ he added. „How much he knows that everyone loves him and waits for him.“
Debora Patta is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Johannesburg. Since joining CBS News in 2013, she has reported on major stories across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Edward R. Murrow and Scripps Howard awards are among the many accolades Patta has received for her work.
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