The family of Evyatar David, a 24-year-old Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, has accused the group of deliberately starving him to advance a “propaganda campaign.” In a public statement released on Saturday, the family expressed horror at a recently published Hamas video showing David emaciated and imprisoned in a cramped tunnel.
They described him as a “living skeleton, buried alive,” accusing Hamas of inflicting psychological and physical torment as a means of manipulation. David was taken hostage during Hamas’s deadly attack on a music festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Hostage Family’s Plea Highlights Starvation, Desperation, and Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
In the wake of the video’s release, David’s family has urgently appealed to the Israeli government and the international community to intensify efforts to secure his release. The video shows David claiming he hasn’t eaten for days and barely receives drinking water. At one point, he is seen digging what he describes as his own grave.
He is one of 49 hostages that Israel believes are still being held in Gaza, 27 of whom are feared to be dead. The family’s plea highlights the emotional toll and growing desperation surrounding the ongoing hostage crisis.
The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with increasing reports of malnutrition and starvation. On the same day the David video emerged, Gaza’s health ministry reported seven additional deaths from malnutrition, including a child, bringing the total to 169 since the war began, with 93 being children.
Aid agencies accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war by restricting access to food and humanitarian assistance, a claim Israel denies. The Israeli government insists it is facilitating aid delivery, pointing to recent airdrops of 90 food packages in coordination with multiple countries.
Civilians Suffer Amid Intensified Israeli Strikes and Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations continue to exact a heavy toll on civilians. In the past 24 hours alone, Gaza’s health ministry reported at least 83 people killed and 1,079 injured. One incident near an aid distribution site saw three fatalities and dozens injured, with Al-Awda Hospital confirming it received the bodies.
The IDF stated that warning shots were fired away from the aid site and not during distribution hours, adding that the incident remains under investigation. Conflicting narratives and restricted access for international media make independent verification difficult.
The humanitarian crisis has deepened since Israel imposed a full aid blockade in March, later resuming its military campaign against Hamas to pressure the group into releasing hostages. Although some aid deliveries have resumed, severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine persist.
The conflict originated with Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, over 60,000 people have reportedly died in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health authorities. The situation remains dire, with growing calls for immediate international intervention to prevent further suffering.
