Family of starving Israeli hostage condemns Hamas video
Evyatar David, captured by Hamas in Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, appears on Israeli campaign screens in Times Square.
Photo taken from: original video
The family of Evyatar David, an Israeli hostage in Gaza, strongly condemned the video released by Hamas in which he appears visibly malnourished and digging what he describes as his own grave, accusing the group of using the image for propaganda purposes.
According to an interview with David's mother, "My son was deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas tunnels in Gaza, becoming a living skeleton buried alive" as part of a psychological campaign. The family urged the Israeli and US governments to act urgently to secure his release and allow humanitarian aid.
The video shows him in a tunnel, marking dates on a calendar and saying, "I don't know what I'm going to eat. I haven't had one for days," in a weak voice as he digs a grave. The image has sparked social unrest and massive protests in Israel, where thousands demanded an immediate ceasefire and action to free the hostages.
Family reactions and international complaints
- The family of David authorized the dissemination of the video with the intention of showing his serious condition., although they rejected any manipulation of information. They described the recording as a cruel and deliberate act of dehumanization for propaganda purposes.
- According to Time, They claimed that this production is part of a planned campaign to humiliate and psychologically weaken Israelis, generating internal and international pressure to force an agreement.
- Meanwhile, the father of another hostage, Rom Braslavski, described the video of his son as a sight of horror, saying he appears “barely alive,” further intensifying the widespread call for a ceasefire.
Diplomacy in progress
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff informed the families that Washington advocates for a plan to release all the hostages at once, rejecting phased agreements. He reinforced the idea that the video is part of Hamas's maneuvers to complicate any partial release agreement.
Evyatar David's family has rejected the use of his image for propaganda, describing the video as evidence of psychological torture and forced starvation by Hamas. Its release is an attempt to exert diplomatic pressure amid collective horror, while allied governments promote a comprehensive humanitarian solution to ensure the simultaneous release of the hostages.
Image in Times Square: A striking diplomatic campaign
The Government of Israel, through the Consulate General in New York launched a campaign in the famous Times Square in February 2025 to draw global attention to the Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza. The campaign included ads on giant screens showing images of hostages freed after 491 days in captivity: Or Levy (34), Eli Sharabi (52) and Ohad Ben Ami (56) and this time, Evyatar David, still captive, appears.
According to Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general, the purpose of the ad was to convey a clear message to the American public and international visitors: "Hamas tortured, marginalized, and brutalized the Israeli hostages. Their suffering is unimaginable." The diplomat compared the terrorist group to the Nazis and emphasized that the campaign seeks to reinforce the international perception of urgency in their release.
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