Captive under Hamas' control claims he's gone days without food.
In a recent development, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East has met with family members of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel. This meeting comes in the wake of a new video release by Hamas, depicting hostage Evyatar David, who was abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
The video, published on August 3, 2025, shows David in a dire state, appearing pale and gaunt, and severely emaciated while held in underground tunnels in Gaza. David is seen tick-marking days on a calendar and digging what he describes as his own grave. This is the first video of its kind in months and also features imagery of starving Palestinian children.
David's family has accused Hamas of using him as a living experiment in a hunger campaign, stating that he is being starved to death in the Gaza tunnels. They describe him as "a living skeleton, buried alive."
The publication of this video has caused widespread outrage in Israel, with thousands demonstrating in Tel Aviv demanding the release of hostages. Hamas claims to be holding 49 hostages alive, while Israel believes 27 are dead.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with reports of malnutrition-related deaths and ongoing disputes over aid access, though Israel denies any starvation or aid restrictions.
In a heart-wrenching statement, David describes the lack of food and water in the video, stating that his captors give him what they can. He also mentions that a whole can of food is for two days, so he doesn't die.
The U.S. Special Envoy has also met with family members of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. The meeting is part of ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages and improve the humanitarian situation in the region.
This is not the first hostage video to be released recently. The armed wing of Hamas has also released a video of another Israeli hostage, Rom Braslavsky, abducted on the same day as David.
References:
[1] The Times of Israel. (2025, August 4). Evyatar David's family: Hamas is using him as a living experiment in hunger campaign. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.com/evyatar-davids-family-hamas-is-using-him-as-a-living-experiment-in-hunger-campaign/
[2] Al Jazeera. (2025, August 5). Israel denies starvation or aid restrictions in Gaza. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/5/israel-denies-starvation-or-aid-restrictions-in-gaza
- The ongoing political tensions and war-and-conflicts in the Middle East, as evident in the current hostage crisis, are often intertwined with general news, as demonstrated by the release of distressing videos featuring Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, captives held by Hamas.
- Amid the turbulence of war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice issues, such as the alleged use of hostages as psychological weapons, continue to surface in the world, as exemplified by the claims that Hamas is subjecting hostage Evyatar David to a hunger campaign in Gaza.
