The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, released a one-minute video on 1/8/2025 showing a thin, bearded man sitting in a cramped concrete tunnel. Israeli media identified the man as Evyatar David, one of the hostages taken by Hamas after its incursion into Israeli territory in October 2023.
David, 24, was captured while attending the Supernova music festival in southern Israel with his close friend Gal Gilboa-Dalal. Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas in the attack, 44 were attending the music festival.
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Evyatar David inside a concrete tunnel in the video released by Hamas on 1/8/2025. Image taken from the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades' video. |
David's family did not authorize the widespread release of the video. However, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged government ministers to "watch the video of Evyatar before going to sleep and try to sleep thinking about him trying to survive in a tunnel."
Alex Witkoff, son of US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading the Trump administration's hostage rescue efforts, emphasized that David was a "young, healthy, vibrant man" when captured, but "after 665 days of Hamas imprisonment and starvation, he is almost unrecognizable."
"Bring the hostages home now," Alex Witkoff posted on X, adding that David's gaunt frame and sunken eyes "evoke haunting images" of Jewish people during World War II.
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Evyatar David before his capture by Hamas. Image: Times of Israel |
In late February, Hamas released a video of David and Gilboa-Dalal inside a vehicle, watching a hostage release taking place a few meters away and pleading to be rescued. It was their first appearance since their capture.
Following ceasefire agreements and hostage exchanges between Israel and Hamas, 49 hostages remain held in Gaza. The Israeli military says 27 of them are dead.
Israel has imposed restrictions on goods and aid entering Gaza, leading to severe shortages of food and other essential items. Many countries are urging Israel and Hamas to reach a new ceasefire agreement to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory.
