The United Nations Security Council convened Tuesday evening to discuss the plight of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, following the release of harrowing footage showing Evyatar David and Rom Breslevsky in captivity. Ilay David, whose brother Evyatar appeared emaciated and abused by Hamas terrorists, warned that, according to experts, his brother and the other hostages “have only days left to live.”
Ilay David told the Security Council: “We know from medical reports that Evyatar, Guy, and the others are on the brink of death. They only have days left. Days! That’s how urgent this is. Each of them has lost half their body weight. My brother weighs about 40 kilograms. The world has heard about Hamas’ atrocities on October 7 and in the 20 months since, but what’s happening to Evyatar and Guy is an act of calculated, deliberate cruelty. We’ve heard the testimonies of returned hostages. When your brother, son or partner is being held in Gaza there is no good news. Even the hope that he’s alive is fading. We don’t know how much longer they’ll survive.
Hostage Evyatar David in video released by Hamas
“In February, after 500 days in captivity, Hamas took Evyatar and Guy out of the tunnels and forced them to watch their fellow hostages being released — then sent them back into the darkness. We thought that was the height of evil. But this past weekend we received another video from hell, a chilling reminder of the cruelty of Hamas and its sick partners’. My brother looked like a skeleton. He could barely move or speak. We didn’t even recognize his voice. In the video, he was forced to speak to the world and then to dig his own grave in a filthy tunnel in Gaza.
“My mother and I couldn’t summon the strength to watch it. We knew if we did we wouldn’t be able to function. My father and sister chose to watch it, trying to feel him somehow — and now they’re haunted by the images. “My father cannot sleep and my mother has not stopped crying. What would you do if it were your son, your brother or your father?”
4 View gallery
Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar, addresses the UN Security Council
(Photo: UN Web TV)
4 View gallery
Ilay David shows a photo of his emaciated brother Evyatar in a still photo from Hamas' propaganda video to the UN Security Council
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images / AFP)
Ilay added: “In the latest video, another chilling detail emerged: you can see the fat hand of a terrorist entering the frame — the hand of his captor. It’s visibly thicker than my brother’s leg. Hamas showed what we’ve known for months: the terrorists have plenty of food. The only ones starving are my brother and the 49 other hostages.
“From testimonies, we know the terrorists are in the next room. They are choosing to starve them as part of a sick campaign, using hunger as a weapon of war. This is a humanitarian crisis — yet no one here, or in other UN bodies, is talking about it. Aid flows into Gaza, but the hostages are denied even the most basic food. They haven’t received a single crumb.”
Evyatar’s brother concluded: “Everyone bears responsibility — the world’s leaders, every member of this council, and the international community. Your silence is the face of this monstrous cruelty — it is complicity. I beg you: don’t let them die.”
4 View gallery
Eli David, brother of hostage Evyatar, addresses the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council
The discussion was initiated by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, against the backdrop of Hamas and Islamic Jihad's release of psychological terror videos featuring the hostages in captivity. Despite the dire conditions evident in the footage, the international community has largely refrained from addressing the crimes of the terror organizations and has continued to accuse Israel of “starvation and genocide” against the Palestinians.
Sa’ar declared at the start of the session: “I came to the UN today because our hostages are still being starved and tortured by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the tunnels. I came to call for their immediate and unconditional release. The world saw the horrific starvation of Evyatar. They are being deliberately tortured by terrorist groups. The world saw the worst possible conditions. Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave — it’s diabolical. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are using starvation as part of their propaganda campaign.
“Israel is sending massive aid to Gaza; no country would act this way under such complex circumstances, yet the world has flipped. Some states are also operating within this framework, pressuring Israel instead of Hamas during critical days of negotiations. A Palestinian state? They’re handing Hamas free gifts and directly undermining the negotiation efforts. Hamas is responsible for starting the war and for continuing it. International pressure must be placed on Hamas. Anything else will only prolong the war.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
While much of the world has largely ignored the hostages’ plight as portrayed in the videos, French President Emmanuel Macron was the most senior official to respond to the harrowing footage — but only did so three days after it was released, tying his remarks to recognition of a Palestinian state, which he is expected to formally declare next month. “Appalling cruelty, boundless inhumanity — this is what Hamas embodies,” Macron wrote on his X account. Later, the United Kingdom and Cyprus also expressed shock at the disturbing images and called for the hostages’ release.
David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, who recently set conditions for Israel and warned that Britain may recognize a Palestinian state, wrote on X: “The images of the hostages being used for propaganda purposes are sickening. Every hostage must be released unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and must not govern Gaza. We are working with partners on a long-term solution and a plan for peace. That must begin with an immediate ceasefire that frees the hostages and lifts inhumane aid restrictions.”