Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “profound shock” after Palestinian militant group Hamas released a video featuring remaining hostages taken during its deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023— an event that led to the ongoing war in Gaza.
The hostages, Rom Braslavski, 21, a dual German-Israeli national, and 24-year-old Evyatar David, appear gaunt and malnourished in the footage, intensifying concerns about their wellbeing. One clip, in particular, has stoked outrage and heartbreak across the world. It shows David, under clear duress, reportedly digging what he claims to be his own grave, AFP reported.
The broadcast of these videos has sent shockwaves across Israel, reigniting calls for an immediate truce and the swift return of all the hostages. On Saturday, tens of thousands gathered in Tel Aviv, rallying for the government to secure the release of the remaining hostages without further delay.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Saturday shared that he personally reached out to the families of Braslavski and David. “He expressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organizations,” the official statement noted, assuring the devastated families that “efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing”.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas decried the images as “appalling and exposing the barbarity of Hamas,” demanding the “unconditional and immediate” release of all hostages.
In a post on X, Kallas reiterated calls for Hamas to disarm and step down from power in Gaza. Similar appeals were also endorsed by key mediators, Qatar and Egypt earlier this week.
“Large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need,” she added.
UN agencies and humanitarian groups have maintained that aid convoys are facing significant obstacles, with reports indicating much of the limited relief is either being diverted or looted amid ongoing chaos. Meawhile, many Palestinians, desperate for essentials, continue to risk their lives queuing for food under the threat of violence, AFP reported.
Gaza’s civil defence agency on Sunday said that nine Palestinians were killed in Israeli gunfire as they waited near Rafah to collect food rations at a site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Eyewitness Jabr al-Shaer described the scene by phone, saying, “The soldiers opened fire on people. I was there—no one posed any threat.”
