Ilan Dalal told N12 that despite the damage his son suffered in Hamas captivity, “slowly, with a lot of love, surrounded by family and friends, he will recover.”
A hostage was released during 739 days of captivity Guy Gilboa-Dalal faced a “nightmare” of merciless struggle from Hamas terroristshis father, Ilan Gilboa, shared with N12 on Friday.
Gilboa told N12 that the consequences of “all kinds of difficult things” his son described to him included multiple infections, hearing loss in one ear, stomach pain and vomiting, as well as skin problems and vitamin deficiencies.
“I believe these things are reversible,” Girlboa said of his son’s physical health issues. “The psychological team is working with him to understand what happened. Gradually, with a lot of love, surrounded by family and friends, he will recover.”
Guy Gilboa-Dalal in Reim, October 13, 2025 (Photo: IDF REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE)
While Gilboa revealed little about his son's mental state, he did share pieces of what helped Guy survive captivity.
“Guy suddenly saw an interview on television in which his brother was standing with his shirt on,” he told N12.
At that time, Gilboa-Dalal did not know whether his brother survived the October 7 massacre. Knowing that his brother was alive and advocating for his release gave him the courage to keep going.
“It made him very happy and gave him a lot of strength,” Gilboa said.
Fabulous happiness after tragedy
Gilboa recounted another touching moment when 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 bit. We saw his reaction, that's all.”
Report N12 noted that Gilboa-Dalal's desire to return home before his sister's 18th birthday, what he had stated in an August letter delivered by the Red Cross earlier had come true.
Ilan Gilboa described Guy's return as “happier than the day he was born.”
Despite the harsh conditions and protracted fighting that resulted from Gilboa-Dalal's captivity, his father shared his positive outlook for his son and his family, saying that “step by step [they] I’ll get well and everything will be fine.”
