A haunting video rekindles global outrage

A chilling new video released by Hamas shows 24-year-old Israeli hostage Evyatar David digging what he calls his own grave in Gaza. Visibly frail and skeletal, David narrates in faint Hebrew, “What I’m doing now is digging my own grave… Every day my body becomes weaker.”

The footage, shared nearly two years after his abduction from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, has reignited calls for renewed diplomatic pressure and humanitarian intervention to bring the remaining hostages home.

Who is Evyatar David?

Evyatar David is one of the dozens of Israeli citizens taken hostage during the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel. At the time, David was a young man attending the Nova festival, a symbol of peace and youth, when militants stormed the site, killing hundreds and kidnapping dozens.

According to Israeli authorities, David is among 49 hostages still believed to be alive in Gaza. His family describes him as a “living skeleton, buried alive,” as months of captivity without medical care, sunlight, or proper food have taken their toll.

A festival turned battlefield

The Nova music festival in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, became one of the deadliest scenes of the Hamas attack. Survivors recall running across open fields as gunmen opened fire on fleeing crowds. Many, like David, were taken captive and transported through tunnels into Gaza, a journey from celebration to captivity that has since become emblematic of the human cost of the war.

What the latest hostage video reveals

The video released by Hamas shows David inside a dimly lit underground tunnel, weakly wielding a shovel. His words, a mix of resignation and desperation, highlight the psychological torment of captivity.

“Time is running out to be released and sleep in my bed with my family,” he says.

This marks the second such clip released within 48 hours, following the release of another hostage video showing Rom Braslavski, 21, pleading for help. Both men appear gaunt and ill, reinforcing claims by hostage families that their loved ones are being starved and denied medical treatment.

Analysts suggest these videos are part of a broader psychological warfare strategy by Hamas, meant to apply pressure on Israeli society and leadership amid growing internal debate over ceasefire negotiations.

What we know about the remaining hostages

As of August 2025, Israeli intelligence estimates that 49 hostages remain in Gaza, though not all are confirmed to be alive. Some were believed to have been killed during Israeli airstrikes or clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy group, has been urging both the Netanyahu government and international mediators to prioritize prisoner exchanges and ceasefire talks. “Each day of delay is a death sentence,” the group said in a recent statement.

Consider adding an infographic here showing:

• Number of hostages taken on Oct 7, 2023
• How many have been released, rescued, or remain in Gaza
• Timeline of major hostage negotiations

The humanitarian cost in Gaza

While Israel’s focus remains on recovering its citizens, the war’s toll on Gaza has been catastrophic. According to Gaza’s health ministry, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, a div that includes thousands of children.

Aid agencies such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) report that food and medicine shortages have reached extreme levels since Israel’s blockade tightened on March 2, 2025. Cases of child malnutrition and starvation deaths have been documented in northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, reports from the ground describe Israeli militia firing on civilians gathered near food aid trucks, incidents condemned by humanitarian groups and documented by journalists.

A cycle of pain

Both sides remain locked in a brutal cycle: families in Israel demand the safe return of hostages, while families in Gaza mourn daily losses amid airstrikes and shortages. The video of Evyatar David painfully underscores this shared human tragedy, one where politics continues to eclipse compassion.

Why Evyatar David’s story matters

Evyatar David’s case is not just about one man’s suffering; it’s a window into the moral and political crisis gripping both Israel and Gaza.

• For Israel, it exposes the limits of military action and the urgent need for negotiation.
• For the world, it demands a reckoning with how hostages and civilians are used as tools of leverage in prolonged conflicts.
• For Gaza, it highlights how innocent lives, both Israeli and Palestinian, remain trapped in a deadly stalemate that neither side can seem to break.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have urged both Hamas and Israel to uphold international humanitarian law — protecting civilians, prisoners, and hostages alike.

Global reactions and diplomatic challenges

Governments across Europe and North America have condemned Hamas’s hostage videos as “acts of terror propaganda.” Yet behind these condemnations lies a complex diplomatic reality: multiple mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have stalled over ceasefire terms and prisoner swaps.

Analysts believe the new video could reignite pressure on Israel to reconsider partial truces or humanitarian pauses. However, Israeli officials insist that negotiations cannot proceed without Hamas first releasing proof of life for all remaining hostages.

The human face of a geopolitical war

At its heart, the story of Evyatar David is one of survival and despair, but also of political paralysis. His image, frail and dirt-streaked in the Gaza tunnels, has become a haunting reminder of how individual lives are consumed by war narratives.

For families of both hostages and victims in Gaza, the message is the same: time is running out.

TL;DR

• Evyatar David, 24, was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
• A new video shows him digging his own grave, sparking outrage and renewed global attention.
• He is among 49 hostages still believed to be in Gaza.
• The Gaza war has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, with widespread famine and humanitarian collapse.
• His story underscores the urgent need for diplomatic action and humanitarian compassion on all sides.