Horrifying Video Shows 'Living Skeleton' Hamas Hostage, 24, Being Forced to Dig His Own Grave in Chilling Propaganda Release
Evyatar David has been held hostage by Hamas since October 2023.
Aug. 3 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
In a chilling new propaganda video that has sent shockwaves across the globe, Hamas has released footage of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who is seen forced to dig his own grave in a dimly lit tunnel, RadarOnline.com can report.
As negotiations to release the remaining living captives drag on, this harrowing clip reveals the depths of despair facing the 24-year-old captive.
David can be seen in a tunnel with a low ceiling.
David appears gaunt and visibly weakened as he crosses off dates on a calendar while digging. "I haven't eaten for a few days in a row," he revealed in the nearly five-minute clip dropped on Friday, August 1. A haunting glimpse into his grim reality, the footage has ignited outrage both in Israel and worldwide.
In a disturbing twist, a person off-camera hands him a can of beans, to which David reacts, saying: "This can is for two days. This whole can is for two days, so that I don't die. This is the grave I think I'm going to be buried in. Time is running out."
Israel has been accused of preventing any food from entering Gaza.
The devastating images of David have drawn a heart-wrenching statement from his family, who have allowed the video to be released for maximum impact. They said: "We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza — a living skeleton, buried alive."
The family's words echo the horror of their situation: "The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the video, stating: "Hamas terrorists deliberately starve our hostages, documenting them in a cynical, humiliating, and malicious manner."
Holocaust survivor Naftali Fürst expressed her anguish at the visual torment in a powerful reflection.
"I survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald. I know hunger up close... I remember the humiliation — the complete stripping of human dignity. I know the fear, the terror," she said, drawing harrowing parallels between her past and David's current plight.
David’s family allowed the video to be released.
Lawmakers in the U.S. seized on the video's release as a stark reminder of Hamas's barbarity. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) highlighted: "The chilling video of Hamas hostage Evyatar David is a grotesque reminder of why America must stand with Israel and demand every hostage's release," and further emphasized, "If Hamas released the tortured hostages, this war would end."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) added to the chorus of outrage, saying: "Iran-backed Hamas terrorists have held innocent people hostage, starving them for 666 days... Every day that goes by is a risk to their lives. We cannot stop until every hostage is home and Hamas is destroyed."
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) detailed his conversations with David's family, admitting: "I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of this video for them. I continue to stand with these families and every last hostage. Hamas: send these poor souls home, disarm, and end this hell on earth in Gaza."
Donald Trump demanded all of Hamas's hostages be released.
The distressing video has only intensified calls for a halt to the ongoing conflict and the release of hostages. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) condemned the situation, stressing that "the only entity for the devastation that has been inflicted upon innocent Israelis and Palestinians is Hamas. Period. Full stop."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has also voiced alarm, calling the released images "vile" and "unbearable." He stated plainly, "The hostage's hell must end," reflecting the anxiety shared by many over the escalating humanitarian crisis.
Despite intense international scrutiny, Israel faces mounting pressure to address conditions in Gaza as calls for a Palestinian state gain traction. However, U.S. officials continue to assert that Hamas remains the primary roadblock to peace.
President Donald Trump emphasized: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!"
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As of now, at least 115 Palastinians have starved to death in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began.
As concerns grow, it is believed that Hamas still holds 20 living hostages, with 30 confirmed dead. Nevertheless, the Israeli government has begun to permit additional humanitarian aid into Gaza, amidst increasing desperation to secure the hostages' release.
The video of Evyatar David is the second released this week, following the similarly distressing images of Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski.
David's brother, Ilay, while addressing a crowd of demonstrators in Tel Aviv, implored: "To remain silent now is to be complicit in their slow agonizing death."
While U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff informed hostages' families that the situation remains complex, he added hope that an end to the war is "very close". Witkoff insisted on a unified strategy, stating: "No piecemeal deals... we've tried everything."
