Starving Hostage Videos Spark Global Outcry, Pressure on Israel

Two new videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip are sparking international condemnation and new pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, as Palestinian authorities report rising malnutrition-related deaths, the Associated Press reported. 

Late last week, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad separately released footage of two Israeli hostages, 21-year-old Rom Braslavski and 24-year-old Evyatar David, appearing emaciated and weak from hunger. David is seen digging what he says is his own grave, while Braslavski said he “is at death’s door,” according to the BBC.  

The individuals are two of the 251 hostages taken during the October 2023 attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis and sparked the war in Gaza. Israel responded with ground operations and airstrikes that have triggered a humanitarian crisis in the territory and killed more than 60,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.  

The footage sparked national and global outrage, with Israeli officials accusing Hamas of deliberately starving the captives. The Iran-backed group denied the allegations and said hostages receive the same amount of food as its fighters and also Gaza’s population. 

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the images “sickening.” French President Emmanuel Macron said the hostages’ release must precede any ceasefire and reiterated France’s push for a political solution based on a two-state framework.  

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “appalled” by the videos and reiterated calls for access to hostages. Hamas’s military wing responded that it would cooperate with Red Cross aid delivery if Israel permanently opens humanitarian corridors and halts airstrikes during distribution, Sky News added. 

The videos prompted thousands of Israelis to take to the streets over the weekend, demanding the release of the hostages and a ceasefire deal with Hamas. 

Netanyahu asked the Red Cross to deliver aid to captives and vowed to bring them home. Even so, the Israeli leader said Monday he would convene the cabinet to instruct the military on achieving its war goals – defeating Hamas, releasing the hostages, and neutralizing Gaza as a threat. 

Israeli media reported Monday that Netanyahu is seeking cabinet support for a plan to fully occupy the territory, despite objections from the Israeli Defense Force, the Times of Israel noted. 

Analysts said the hostage videos, including recent images of starving people in Gaza, highlighted the worsening humanitarian condition in the Palestinian enclave nearly two years into the war.  

In March, Israel blocked aid from entering the territory, citing that it benefited Hamas, despite criticism from its allies and the United Nations.  

Although deliveries resumed in May, they remain sporadic, with reports of chaos and fatalities around aid distribution sites. 

The Hamas-run health ministry said Monday that 175 Palestinians – 93 of them children – have died from starvation since the war began. International agencies have warned that famine is unfolding, with at least 1,000 people killed while attempting to access aid.  

Israeli authorities, however, have insisted that there is “no famine caused by Israel,” and have blamed Hamas for the situation. 

Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict and the famine-like conditions in the enclave have led to global criticism of Israel. 

Last month, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada announced their intention to recognize Palestinian statehood. Israel condemned the move. 

And last week, Slovenia became the first European Union member state to ban trading weapons with Israel over the conflict, Euronews reported.  

Separately, Brazil withdrew as an observer from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), shortly after the country announced its plan to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, MercoPress wrote.