The Media Line: Facing the Middle East with Felice Friedson: Hope and Heroes 

Facing the Middle East with Felice Friedson: Hope and Heroes 

Former hostage Evyatar David recounts the ordeal of 738 days in Gaza, Christian visitors challenge European boycotts of Israeli settlements, and former Miss Israel Melanie Shiraz seeks to build bridges through cultural diplomacy 

By Felice Friedson/The Media Line 

The psychological toll of two years in Hamas captivity, a Christian initiative to challenge European boycotts of Israeli settlements, and an effort to change how Israel is portrayed abroad lead this special post-October 7 edition of Facing the Middle East. I speak with former hostage Evyatar David and former Miss Israel Melanie Shiraz, while reporter Gabriel Colodro takes us into the West Bank. 

David recounts how an outing with friends to the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, became a desperate escape attempt as Hamas-led attackers opened fire. David and his friend Guy were abducted; two other friends, Ron Zarfati and Idan Haramaty, were killed. He spent 738 days held in Gaza, including time in tunnels, and describes his captors’ efforts to convince hostages that their families and governments had abandoned them.