“The visuals are horrifying, but this isn’t something we didn’t already know,” said one official familiar with the classified assessments.
While authorities say families of the hostages were informed that their loved ones’ condition was worsening, the families of Braslavski and David have expressed deep frustration and shock.
Hostage Evyatar David depicted in Hamas propaganda clip
“They didn’t update us about any deterioration. He’s been missing for two weeks now,” said Ofir Braslavski, Rom’s father. “No one speaks to us except [Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Persons] Gal Hirsch occasionally, and even he has no answers. We keep asking.”
The father added that the new footage — the first in four months — left him devastated. “We saw he’s in critical condition. Israel is letting him die there. I just want to tell my dear Rom to hold on a little longer, even though it’s hard.”
Evyatar David’s sister, Yeela David, also said she was caught off guard by the footage. “When I saw him, I broke down crying,” she told Ynet. “He looked so thin — like a child in the Holocaust. I never imagined he looked like that, certainly not after the video in February. He looked bad then, but I didn’t know it could get worse.”
'The prime minister listened in silence'
Netanyahu spoke with Braslavski and David's families on Saturday, assuring them the government is aware of their loved ones’ dire condition and is working to secure their release. But according to the families, the conversation offered little comfort — and no concrete answers.
“It was a painful conversation,” said Braslavski's father. “We confronted him with everything we had to say, but got no answers. They just keep saying ‘yes, yes,’ while continuing with business as usual, like they have for the past two years. There’s no time left. The hostages are dying, and everyone keeps going about their lives.”
Braslavski described the call as tense and emotional. “The prime minister listened in silence,” he said. “I told him, ‘You and your wife looked us in the eye. Don’t disappoint us.’ This isn’t politics. My son is between life and death, he’s dying in agony. They must get them out today. Enough with the games. It’s been two years. This is death. It’s a Holocaust. The whole world, the whole nation, needs to understand that.”
Braslavski added that his son, once emotionally resilient, now appears to have given up hope. “He never cried in his life, and now he looks like someone who no longer wants to live,” he said. “How can they leave him there like that? I don’t understand.”
3 View gallery
Thousands rally in Tel Aviv in demand to release hostages held in Gaza
(Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
The official also confirmed Hamas is demanding the entry of 600 aid trucks per day as a precondition to restarting negotiations — more than what was proposed in previous partial ceasefire agreements.
“The chances of a comprehensive agreement are slim,” the official said. “But perhaps we can at least get back to the negotiating table.”
According to reports, Israeli officials have also rejected Hamas’ proposed prisoner exchange ratios — such as releasing 200 convicted murderers in return for just 10 hostages — out of concern that not enough high-value prisoners would remain for future negotiations.
