Families of Israeli hostages and survivors of Hamas captivity voiced shock and devastation Friday following the release of a new propaganda video by the terrorist organization, in which abductee Evyatar David is seen appearing gaunt and weak.
Ya'ara David, Evyatar's sister, urged the public not to share the video or images from it. "My mother and my brother haven't seen the video. They shouldn't be scrolling through Instagram and stumble upon that footage by accident," she said.
"Don't post pictures from the video until my family and I decide to release it ourselves. Anyone who has seen it now understands how severe Evyatar's condition is. That clip landed a million punches to my heart."
'A Holocaust in 2025'
Viki Cohen, mother of abductee Nimrod Cohen, posted on social media soon after the video was released, writing simply: "A Holocaust in 2025." In the clip, Evyatar is visibly emaciated and appears to be in distress.
Liri Elbeg, who survived Hamas captivity, responded emotionally: "Some of our people are enduring a Holocaust, and we're silent?"
Idit Ahel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel, said the footage was an "SOS call to resume negotiations and save the hostages." She appealed to the Israeli government and Mossad negotiator David Barnea to "immediately restart talks for the hostages' release and provide urgent care for the wounded."
"Alon is severely injured, he's lost an eye and is in immediate life-threatening danger. As a mother, I am crying out, end this nightmare. Bring Alon home! Humanitarian and medical aid may be entering Gaza, but we must send life-saving treatment to Alon and all the hostages immediately. This is an SOS call."
Emily Damari, another survivor of Hamas captivity, wrote: "I'm thinking about the days in captivity. Imagine a Friday night dinner where all you have is one pita, just one. On Friday night, there's olive oil and za'atar, and that's it. That's your Shabbat meal. My heart is broken from the video of Evyatar, from the video of Rom. They are everyone's brothers. They should have come home 665 days ago."
Evyatar David, now 25, was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, alongside his close friend Guy Galbo'a-Dalal. The newly released footage shows him sitting hunched on a mattress inside Hamas's underground tunnel system. He has been held in captivity for 655 days.
