A disturbing new propaganda video released Friday by Hamas shows 24-year-old Israeli hostage Evyatar David, visibly emaciated, being forced to dig what he believes is his own grave in a tunnel beneath Gaza.
“I haven’t eaten for a few days in a row,” David says in the nearly 5-minute clip. He is handed a single can of beans, telling the camera, “This can is for two days so that I don’t die.”
Standing in a cramped underground tunnel, David marks dates off a calendar and gestures to a shallow pit:
“This is the grave I think I’m going to be buried in. Time is running out.”
A disturbing new propaganda video released Friday by Hamas shows 24-year-old Israeli hostage Evyatar David, visibly emaciated, being forced to dig what he believes is his own grave in a tunnel beneath Gaza.
“I haven’t eaten for a few days in a row,” David says in the nearly 5-minute clip. He is handed a single can of beans, telling the camera, “This can is for two days so that I don’t die.”
Standing in a cramped underground tunnel, David marks dates off a calendar and gestures to a shallow pit:
“This is the grave I think I’m going to be buried in. Time is running out.”
How psychopathic is Hamas?
It forced starving hostage Evyatar David to DIG HIS OWN GRAVE for the cameras. pic.twitter.com/iMa404St4s
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) August 2, 2025
Family Outrage and International Backlash
David’s family, who approved release of the footage, issued a statement calling the video one of the “most horrifying acts the world has seen.”
“We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother… cynically starved in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza — a living skeleton, buried alive.”
The video has sparked global outrage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned it, stating:
“Hamas terrorists deliberately starve our hostages, documenting them in a cynical, humiliating, and malicious manner.”
American and Israeli Lawmakers React
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said the video underscores the urgency of standing with Israel: “The chilling video… is a grotesque reminder of why America must stand with Israel and demand every hostage’s release.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said hostages have now endured 666 days in captivity: “Just look at these photos — it’s gut-wrenching. We cannot stop until every hostage is home and Hamas is destroyed.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) called the imagery “vile” and questioned the silence from critics of Israel: “Where are all those demanding Israel end this war now? The only entity responsible for the devastation… is Hamas. Period. Full stop.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who met with David’s family, added: “I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of this video for them… Hamas: send these poor souls home, disarm, and end this hell on earth in Gaza.”
Survivor Testimony Draws Historical Parallel
Naftali Fürst, a Holocaust survivor, said the scenes reminded her of Nazi death camps: “I survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald… We were so hungry, we would eat grass if we could find it… I remember the humiliation.”
Trump and U.S. Officials Push for Resolution
President Donald Trump reiterated his stance earlier this week on Truth Social: “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, speaking to hostage families in Tel Aviv, said the U.S. is pursuing a comprehensive deal, not piecemeal agreements: “We have a plan to bring everyone home… No piecemeal deals. That doesn’t work. We’ve tried everything.”
Hostage Count and Ongoing War
Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living hostages and the bodies of 30 others. Despite that, Israel has allowed expanded humanitarian aid, including airdrops, pauses in combat zones, and additional aid routes.
The video of Evyatar David follows another released earlier this week, showing Rom Braslavski, also kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack, appearing gaunt and emotionally distressed.
At a rally in Tel Aviv, David’s brother, Ilay, addressed the crowd: “They are on the absolute brink of death… To remain silent now is to be complicit in their slow agonizing death.”
Hamas Refuses to Disarm
Hamas responded to reports of negotiation progress by vowing not to disarm: “As long as the occupation exists,” the group said, “we will not lay down arms.”
The United States, Israel, and the European Union all officially designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
