Middle East Gaza Hostage Filmed Digging own Grave in Terror Tunnel

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Hostage Footage Sparks Global Outcry as Red Cross Demands Access

 

Western leaders have condemned disturbing new footage showing emaciated Israeli hostages in Gaza, as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) renewed its urgent plea for access to those still in captivity. The videos, released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, depict two young men—both abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023 during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel—appearing frail, starving, and in visible distress.

 

 

One clip, published Thursday by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, shows 21-year-old Rom Braslavski thin, weeping, and describing his dire situation. Two days later, Hamas released footage of 24-year-old Evyatar David, also skeletal in appearance. Israel says both men are among the 49 hostages still held in Gaza from the 251 originally kidnapped, a figure that includes 27 believed to be dead.

 

 

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “images of hostages being paraded for propaganda are sickening” and stressed they must be freed “unconditionally.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was “appalled” and reiterated that the release of all hostages is a “mandatory prerequisite” for any ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. French President Emmanuel Macron accused Hamas of “abject cruelty” and vowed that France would “continue to work tirelessly” to secure their release, restore a ceasefire, and facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza.

 

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed directly to the ICRC’s regional head, urging immediate involvement to deliver food and medical assistance to the captives. The ICRC said it was “appalled” by the footage, calling it “stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held.” The organization reiterated demands for direct access to evaluate their condition, provide treatment, and connect them with their families.

 

Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said it would “respond positively” to any Red Cross request to supply food and medicine if humanitarian corridors were established on a regular basis and Israeli air strikes were halted during aid deliveries.

 

At a rally on Saturday, the families of David and Braslavski declared, “Everyone must get out of hell, now.” In his video, Braslavski said he had gone without food and water, eating only three “crumbs of falafels” that day. He added that he could not stand or walk and was “at death’s door.” His family said, “They managed to break Rom,” and pleaded with Israeli and US leaders to secure his return.

 

David, in his recording, claimed, “I haven’t eaten for days… I barely got drinking water,” and was seen digging what he described as his own grave. His family accused his captors of “deliberately and cynically” starving him in Gaza’s tunnels, describing him as “a living skeleton, buried alive.”

 

The harrowing videos have intensified international pressure on Hamas and other armed groups holding hostages, while underscoring the growing humanitarian crisis inside Gaza. For the families, each passing day without resolution deepens the agony. As Macron said, the images reveal not only the urgent need for aid but also the depth of “abject cruelty” that must be confronted.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Source BBC  2025-08-05