In a deeply disturbing propaganda video released by the Islamist group Hamas, a hostage held in the Gaza Strip is seen digging what he refers to as his “own grave.” The nearly five-minute clip shows 24-year-old Evyatar David, visibly emaciated and weakened, inside a narrow underground tunnel. According to his family, they agreed to the publication of the video in hopes of drawing attention to his suffering.
“Hamas is abusing our son as a test subject in a brutal starvation campaign,” the family said in a statement. “He is being starved to death, solely for Hamas's propaganda purposes.” David was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel. He was attending the Nova music festival near the Gaza border when the assault began, carried out by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. In the video,
David details the days in July when he received only beans or lentils to eat—or nothing at all. In some instances, he went two or three consecutive days without food. At one point, he addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly: “I have been completely abandoned by you, my prime minister, by you who should be responsible for me and all the other prisoners.” Hamas consistently refers to the hostages as “prisoners” in its propaganda messaging.
Toward the end of the video, in what appears to be a staged scene, David is shown holding a shovel and digging into the sandy floor of the tunnel. “Here I dig my own grave,” he says, explaining that with each passing day he grew weaker and believed this hole would be his final resting place. The clip ends with a chilling text message: “Only a ceasefire agreement will bring them [the hostages] back.”
Israel: At Least 20 Hostages Still Alive According to Israeli sources, approximately 50 hostages remain in the hands of Hamas and other militant groups, with at least 20 believed to be still alive. Months of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, aimed at achieving a ceasefire and securing the release of the hostages, are now widely viewed as having failed—for the time being. Hamas: Armed Resistance Will Not End Without a Palestinian State In a separate statement, Hamas reiterated its refusal to lay down arms until an independent Palestinian state is established. “Armed resistance can only be abandoned through the full restoration of our national rights, first and foremost the creation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” the group declared.
