Hamas released a disturbing new video Thursday showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who turned 24 in captivity, appearing emaciated and severely weakened while seated in a narrow concrete tunnel. The footage, disseminated via Hamas-affiliated Telegram channels, attempts to draw a parallel between David’s condition and that of Gazan children, portraying them as mutual victims of the ongoing conflict. Although recent picture of what looked like a se early malnourished Gazan child was in fact proven to be a child with cystic fibrosis.
In the video, David sits silently in a dimly lit underground corridor, his face hollow and his body skeletal. The clip then cuts to footage of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis—bone-thin children with sunken eyes and protruding ribs—alongside messages accusing the Israeli government of abandoning both civilians and captives. One caption reads: “He hoped to be released by a deal. The occupation government has decided to starve them. They eat what we eat, they drink what we drink.”
The message is accompanied by clips of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, implying their refusal to strike a deal is leading to the hostages’ suffering.
But Tal Shoham, a former hostage who was held alongside Evyatar David for 500 days in the same tunnel, says the video is a deliberate deception.
“I recognize the exact place,” Shoham said. “Just a few feet from where this was filmed, behind an iron door, Hamas terrorists are eating full meals. They are not starving. The only ones starving are the hostages.”
Shoham said David’s appearance in the video is alarming. “From how he looks, I don’t think he has more than a few days left unless he receives urgent food and medical care. The world needs to pressure Hamas now—before it’s too late.”
David was abducted from the Nova Music Festival in Re’im, southern Israel, on October 7, 2023, at the age of 22. According to witnesses, he and his friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, stayed behind to help wounded concertgoers during the Hamas-led massacre that killed over 360 people at the event.
His last appearance was in a February Hamas propaganda video, where he and Gilboa-Dalal were shown inside a van, watching as other hostages were released. In that video, both men pleaded for help from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump to secure their release.
As ceasefire talks remain stalled and the humanitarian situation worsens on both sides, the families of the remaining hostages are pleading for urgent international action. Shoham and others continue to warn that time is rapidly running out.
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