Evyatar David's family has authorized the release of the new video published by Hamas on Saturday afternoon, in which the 23-year-old, held in captivity for 666 days, is seen digging a grave for himself under duress and speaking about the severe starvation he is enduring.
This follows Hamas's release of partial footage the day before, in which David was seen walking in a tunnel without speaking. In the new video, dated July 28 at 12:00 p.m., he speaks at length about not eaten in days.
"I have no idea what I'm eating. I don't have the slightest clue what's going to happen. I haven't been eating for days. I'm in a very, very difficult situation. It's been like this for a long time. For months I've barely eaten. There's hardly any water," he says.
"I eat very little," David continues. "You can see how thin I am. This isn't fiction. It's real. There's no food. They give me whatever they can. I'm not eating. I'm losing weight day by day. I'm getting weaker. There's nothing. No meat, no chicken, no fish. Almost no bread."
The footage shows papers pinned to the tunnel walls where David has recorded what little he has eaten: "At the beginning of July I had some lentils and beans. Then more lentils. Friday, July 4, I ate nothing. I'm writing it all down here. The next day, lentils again, and then again. Then beans. Tuesday, July 8, nothing. Then lentils, more lentils. Saturday, July 12, nothing. Again lentils. On July 16 and 17, two days in a row, I ate nothing. Wednesday, July 16, nothing. Thursday, July 17, nothing. Two days in a row. Then I had lentils. Sunday, I ate nothing." At one point he displays a can of preserved food and says, "This is for the next two days so I don't die."
Later in the video, David directly addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "I feel completely abandoned by you. As my prime minister, you're supposed to care for me and for all the hostages. Everything I was raised to believe in about Israel, how we care for our prisoners and hostages, for those held by the enemy, none of it seems to be true. I feel abandoned by you and this government. Everything I was taught, everything I grew up on, just isn't real."
He is shown digging a grave: "What I'm doing now is digging a grave. Every day that passes, my body weakens. It feels like I'm on my way to my death. I'm digging the grave I might lie in. And really, with each passing day, time is running out. Only you can stop this, so that I can sleep in my own bed again."
"A living skeleton buried alive"
His family issued a heartbreaking statement, describing him as "a living skeleton buried alive," warning that he only has "a few days left to live" and accusing Hamas of conducting a "deliberate starvation experiment."
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum shared the family's desperate message: "We are being forced to watch our beloved son and brother Evyatar being starved, deliberately and cynically, in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza, a living skeleton buried alive. He has only days left to live in his current condition."
The family accused Hamas of using Evyatar "as a live experiment in a vile hunger campaign," calling it "one of the most shocking atrocities committed in the world." According to them, "Evyatar is being deliberately starved for the propaganda purposes of the terrorist organization Hamas."
In a strong appeal, the family urged Israel and the international community to act immediately: "Israel and the international community must oppose Hamas's cruelty and ensure that Evyatar receives immediate and adequate nutrition." They demanded that the humanitarian aid entering Gaza also reach Evyatar, warning: "Israel and the international community must not remain silent or turn a blind eye."
The family also called on the Israeli government, the people of Israel, and US President Donald Trump to "do everything to save Evyatar from death and ensure he receives food and urgent medical care." In a message to the media, the family urged journalists to "stop amplifying Hamas propaganda and act with more responsibility and sensitivity."
The statement ends with a heartbreaking plea: "We are grieving and crying. There is no limit to the sorrow and cruelty we are experiencing. There is no limit to the pain that the terrorist organization Hamas is causing the hostages and the residents of Gaza."
The family has asked for privacy and requested not to be contacted at this time.
