The Hamas released a disturbing video featuring Israeli hostage Evyatar David on Saturdau, who appears shockingly thin and weak as he digs what he says will be his own grave.
In the harrowing footage, the 24-year-old can be seen digging a hole while speaking in Hebrew. David talks about how his body is getting weaker each day and how he feels like he’s walking towards death. He pleads that time is running out for his release so he can return home to sleep in his own bed with his family. By the end of his statement, David breaks down completely.
Je suis choqué par cette vidéo de propagande du #Hamas qui montre l’otage David Evyatar, cadavérique, qui creuse sa propre tombe. Comment Emmanuel #Macron peut-il vouloir reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine dans ces conditions ? J’ai honte pour la France !pic.twitter.com/EAWvoKI7mV
— Kevin Bossuet (@kevinbossuet) August 2, 2025
David was taken captive during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where many young people had gathered for what should have been a joyous celebration.
After Hamas released the video, his family has accused the group of deliberately starving him as part of a “propaganda campaign”. According to the New York Times, they described their son as having become a “living skeleton, buried alive” in Hamas’s underground tunnels.
The October 7 attack was devastating, claiming 1,219 lives – mostly innocent civilians, according to Israeli officials.
The conflict that followed has been equally tragic. Israel’s military response in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 60,332 people, with the majority being civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these casualty figures reliable.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza, a territory that has been under blockade for 15 years even before this current war began.
