Family releases second Hamas propaganda clip of hostage Evyatar David, forced to dig

The initial footage, posted Friday and released with the family’s consent and confirmed by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum a day later, shows David appearing severely emaciated, his bones protruding beneath his skin. He is seen sitting in what appears to be a tunnel, documenting his daily food intake in a handwritten chart. On several days, the chart reads “no food,” while on others it lists only “lentils.”

Later Saturday, the family also cleared for publication a second video dated July 27, in which David, visibly weakened and gaunt, says he has been without proper food or water for an extended period and claims he was forced by his captors to dig his own grave. “I don't know what I'm going to eat. I haven’t eaten in days,” he says. “I've been living in a really difficult situation and have been for many months.”

Although his words were likely dictated by his captors, David’s physical appearance confirms his deteriorating condition. “I’m getting thinner and weaker by the day,” he says in the video. “No meat, no chicken, no fish. Almost no bread. On Friday, July 4, I didn’t eat anything. I’m writing everything down,” he adds, referring to the food chart.

In the footage, David reads aloud from the chart: “Lentils, lentils, beans. On July 16 and 17 I ate nothing—two days in a row. Then more lentils, again lentils. On July 20, nothing again. Then lentils, and again nothing. Then again nothing, and again nothing. This can is for two days, just to keep me alive.”

“What I’m doing now is digging my own grave,” he adds. “Each day, my body grows weaker and weaker. I’m walking directly to my grave. This is the grave where I think I'm going to be buried in. Time is running out. You are the only ones who can end this, [so I can] be released and be able to sleep in my bed with my family.”

David’s family issued a strongly worded statement, accusing Hamas of intentionally starving him for propaganda purposes.

“We are forced to witness our beloved Evyatar, our son and brother, being deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas tunnels in Gaza. He is a living skeleton, buried alive,” the statement said. “Our son has only days left to live in his current state. Hamas is using Evyatar as a live experiment in a grotesque hunger campaign.”

The family called the alleged starvation campaign “one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen,” and appealed to Israel and the international community to intervene.

“Israel and the international community must stand against Hamas’ cruelty and ensure Evyatar receives immediate nutrition,” they said. “This intentional starvation and abuse for propaganda purposes violates even the lowest standards of humanitarian law and basic human decency.”

The family demanded that humanitarian aid destined for Gaza also be used to provide for hostages like David. “We urge the Israeli government, the people of Israel, world leaders and the President of the United States to do everything in their power to save Evyatar and ensure he receives urgent medical care and nutrition,” the statement said. “The Israeli and Jewish voice must be heard loud and clear.”

They also called on media outlets to act with greater responsibility. “We are in pain and in tears,” the family said. “There is no limit to the sorrow and cruelty we are experiencing. Hamas’s actions bring unimaginable suffering to both the hostages and the residents of Gaza.”

Earlier this week, David's brother, Ilai, spoke about the fight for his release: “My brother is in the worst possible place. In a tunnel, with no light, no bathroom. He eats next to the hole he uses to relieve himself. There’s nothing worse than that. So what more could they possibly do to him? Every day he’s there is a nightmare.” He added, “I’ll do anything to bring Evyatar back. This is the mission of my life. All the pain, the longing, the frustration—they all come second.”

They were brought to the location where three hostages—Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliyah Cohen—were being released, solely to watch what Hamas staged as a cynical “ceremony.” The families of Evyatar and Guy approved the release of that particularly cruel footage.

At the start of that video, the two are seen sitting inside a Hamas vehicle, parked just next to the stage where the three hostages stood moments before their release. Evyatar pleads, “Please, save us, please, bring us home. I just want to go home, I’m begging you, I’m begging.” He adds: “Help us, people of Israel, get us out. We want to be like them.”