Hamas has released a nearly five-minute video showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David appearing emaciated and frail.
In the video, David says he has had little water. At one point, he is handed a can of beans and told it must last him two days. He is also seen barely able to stand in a tunnel and claims he is digging his own grave.
David addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the video, saying he feels abandoned.
The video has sparked widespread protests across Israel, with demonstrators demanding the hostages’ release and an end to the war in Gaza.
David's brother, Ilay David, spoke at one of the rallies, saying his brother is on the brink of death.
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“They are starving him deliberately, systematically, using his agonizing suffering as a twisted tool for their depraved propaganda,” he said.
The footage emerged as aid groups warn that Gaza’s population is nearing famine.
On Friday, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, visited Gaza amid growing concern over the hunger crisis. They are expected to brief President Trump on a proposed plan to increase the flow of food and humanitarian aid into the region.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the militant group launched a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at eliminating Hamas from Gaza. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, many of them civilians. Israel says Hamas continues to use civilians as human shields.
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