Relatives of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas have demonstrated again in Tel Aviv, deeply shocked by Hamas propaganda videos. They show two men, emaciated to the bone. US Special Envoy Witkoff promised help during a visit.

These are videos that are causing horror in Israel: In recent days, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas and its allied Islamic Jihad have again released footage of Israeli hostages. The hostages are shown severely emaciated. Some of the footage was intercut with images of starving Palestinians in Gaza.

Relatives of the hostages in Israel had agreed to the further distribution of individual stills from the videos. One of the hostages is 24-year-old Evyatar David. His family accuses Hamas of denying the young man food for propaganda purposes. In a statement, they wrote:"Hamas is using our son as a living test subject in a heinous hunger campaign." David was abducted from the Nova music festival in southern Israel and taken to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, along with a friend.

In the video, he lists the days in July when he received only beans or lentils, or nothing at all. Sometimes there were two or three days in a row when he received no food at all. The Hamas clip concludes with the message:"Only a ceasefire agreement will bring them back." He refers to the hostages.

David's family demanded that the aid currently flowing back into the Gaza Strip also reach their son."We call on the Israeli government, the Israeli people, the countries of the world, and the President of the United States to do everything possible to save Evyatar from death and to ensure, by all necessary means, that he receives food and medical care quickly."

"Our children are experiencing a Holocaust"

The other hostage is German-Israeli Rom Braslavski. He was part of the security staff at the Nova Festival. His cousin, Adam Hajaj, said he was only able to watch the video once. It worsens his nightmares. The family could no longer endure the situation; the hostages had to be brought home.

Hajaj spoke at a demonstration in Tel Aviv, where relatives and supporters, as they do every Saturday, drew attention to the fate of the hostages. According to the Hostage Families Forum, nearly 60,000 people came to the so-called Hostage Square. This time, participants gathered behind a barbed wire fence – because the images of the hostages had reminded many Israelis of the images of liberated prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II.

"Our children are experiencing a Holocaust. They won't survive much longer," said Einav Zangauker, the mother of a kidnapped man with dual American and Israeli citizenship. It's time, she said,"to do the only thing that can bring all the hostages back—to put a comprehensive agreement on the table that ends the war." According to official Israeli figures, 50 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive.

Support from US Special Envoy Witkoff

US Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also participated in the demonstration. He then met with hostage families. The Hostage Families Forum, the primary advocacy group for the families, stated after the meeting that Witkoff had"personally" pledged to work with US President Donald Trump to secure the release of the remaining hostages. In a statement, the forum quoted Witkoff as saying that the US government has a plan to end the war and that it is close to its end.

Meanwhile, Hamas declared that it would not lay down its arms until an independent Palestinian state was established. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at reaching a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and an agreement on the release of hostages ended without results last week.