Starving Israeli hostage seen digging own grave in Hamas video, sparks global outrage

The military wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Saturday, released a harrowing video of 24-year-old Israeli hostage Evyatar David.

Filmed in what appears to be an underground tunnel in Gaza, David is visibly emaciated and seen digging what he says is his own grave and crossing off days without food on a makeshift calendar.

In the video, according to The Times of Israel, David appears skeletal and mentally “broken”, as he painfully shovels dirt in a cramped underground tunnel in Gaza, with his former fellow captive calling him “a shell of himself”.

Screengrab of a video released by the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas/Youtube

According to NDTV, he struggles to speak, his voice faint, while insisting in Hebrew that he is “digging my own grave” and that “time is running out” as he crawls toward the spot he fears will be his final resting place.

The harrowing video sparked mass protests at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas remain stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face a deepening hunger crisis.

Thousands took to the streets across Israel, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure a hostage deal.

Netanyahu Reacts

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with the families of Hamas hostages Rom Braslavsky and Evyatar David.

Netanyahu on X said, “I expressed to them my deep shock at the harsh footage published by the Hamas terror organisation. I told them in the clearest way – we are continuing the effort to bring back all the hostages, relentlessly, with determination, and without tire.

"The cruelty of Hamas knows no bounds."

"While the State of Israel allows the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, Hamas terrorists deliberately starve our hostages, documenting them in a cynical, humiliating, and malicious manner.

“They also deliberately starve the residents of the Strip. They prevent aid from reaching them and then lie to the world and conduct a false propaganda campaign against Israel," he added.

He further called on all the countries of the world to stand against the "Nazi-like abuse".

David, 24, has been in captivity since his seizure by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

They were among 44 festivalgoers abducted during the October 7 Hamas-led attack, in which Palestinian militants killed 370 people.

Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 who, according to the Israeli military, are believed to be dead.