Israeli hostage families hold emergency protest after Gaza militants release videos showing emaciated captives

Egypt Independent

4 days ago

Protestors gathered in Tel Aviv's 'Hostage Square' on Saturday to stage an emergency protest following the release of propaganda videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad this week showed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state. In one video posted, the undated footage of David is juxtaposed with images of starving Palestinian children.
They are among fifty hostages that remain in the territory, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
The militant groups released the videos with ceasefire talks stalled and as Palestinians face a mounting starvation crisis in the enclave.
This photo of Israeli hostage Evyatar David is a screengrab from an undated propaganda video published by Hamas on August 1.
Hamas/Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Steve Witkoff, the United States' special envoy to the Middle East, attended the public plaza on Saturday amid the protests, one day after he visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff later held a 'very emotional meeting' that lasted nearly three hours with around 40 representatives of the hostage families, a source who was in attendance at the meeting told CNN.
During the meeting, Witkoff said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas should be 'all or nothing,' with all 50 hostages in Gaza being returned to Israel in one go, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum cited him as saying.
'The plan is not to expand the war, but to end it. We think the negotiations should be changed to all or nothing. End the war and bring all 50 hostages home at the same time – that's the only way,' Witkoff reportedly said.
'Someone will be to blame' if the remaining living hostages do not return to Israel still alive, Witkoff said, according to the forum.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff arrives to meet families of hostages at 'Hostage Square' in Tel Aviv, Israel, on August 2.
Ariel Schalit/AP
According to the forum, Witkoff said that the US will 'get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part' and 'do what's right for the Gazan people.'
'We have a plan to end the war and bring everyone home,' he reportedly added.
Reached for comment, Witkoff's team did not offer any further information on the special envoy's comments.
The hostage families – who have frequently said that ongoing fighting in Gaza endangers their loved ones – on Saturday called for an end to the war in the territory and a 'comprehensive deal' that would see the remaining hostages freed.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday to call for the release of the hostages.
'Against the backdrop of horrifying footage and harsh reports about the hostages' condition – hostage families will cry out this morning in the heart of Tel Aviv,' a statement from Israel's hostage families said. 'We appeal to the Israeli government and the US administration – look our loved ones – and us – in the eyes.'
Ofir Braslavski, the father of Rom, said that he did not recognize his son when he first saw him in the video.
'My Rom is hungry for bread, thirsty for water, sick, physically broken and mentally shattered. My child is dying!' he said. 'I address you, (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu): Enough! The phased approach to deals has failed,' he said.
'Make the decision already – end the war and bring everyone here. The hostages, the fallen soldiers, the fighters, the reservists, and those displaced from their homes. We want to rehabilitate, to return to life, to breathe,' he continued.
David's brother, Ilay, said that the treatment of his sibling is 'a brutal, barbaric assault on every shred of basic human decency. It's an act so vile, it scars the very soul of humanity.' He called on the Israeli government and US President Donald Trump to do 'everything in your power, by any means necessary,' to save the hostages.
Netanyahu spoke with the families of the hostages on Saturday evening and expressed 'profound shock' over the harrowing images released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
'The cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries. While the State of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages and document them in a cynical and evil manner,' Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu told the families that the 'efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing, and will continue constantly and relentlessly,' according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Friday that fighting will continue 'without rest' in Gaza if there is no hostage deal.
'I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we will succeed in reaching a partial deal for the release of our captives. If not, the fighting will continue without rest,' he said.
'He has simply been forgotten there'
On Friday, the armed wing of Hamas released an undated video showing 24-year-old David – who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023 – being held in a narrow cell.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters initially cautioned against using imagery from the video, but later said that David's family had authorized the publication of a still image.
On Saturday, Hamas released a new video featuring David which appears to be a longer version of the video released on Friday.
A similar propaganda video was published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday showing Braslavski also in a frail state. Islamic Jihad said it was the last video taken of the hostage before the group lost contact in July with the militants holding him.
Earlier this week, a UN-backed food security agency warned that 'the worst case scenario of famine' is unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet as Israel faces growing international pressure to allow more food into the territory.
Hospitals across the Gaza Strip are overwhelmed, with bed occupancy reaching more than 200% at several facilities, according to the enclave's health ministry. Beds are being placed in corridors and on floors to accommodate increasing numbers of patients and casualties, it said.
Seven people have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Saturday, including one child, bringing the total death toll from starvation since the conflict began in 2023 to 169.
In addition, at least 39 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the same period while waiting for aid in different parts of the territory, the ministry added.