Hamas published a video of hostage Evyatar David on Friday evening, which was later cleared for publication by the David Family.
In the video, David can be seen crossing off days on a makeshift calendar hung up on the side of an underground Gaza tunnel.
Clips of a clearly emaciated David are interspliced with those of starving Palestinian children.
David is also shirtless, and all of his ribs can be seen. He appears to have been held alone for months.
His biceps look to be the same size as his forearms.
The propaganda video also includes clips of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir saying that no aid should enter Gaza.
It ends with a black screen that reads “They eat what we eat. They drink what we drink.”
This is the second hostage video that Gazan terror groups have released in 24 hours. Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of hostage Rom Braslavski on Thursday.
His sister, Yaelah, responded to the video on Instagram.
"Anyone who saw the video now knows the severity and the physical condition Evyatar is in, which felt like a million punches to my heart," she wrote. “Please do not share images from the video until my family and I decide to release it.”
“After a night of crying over my brother, who has become a walking skeleton in Gaza’s cruel dungeon, I understood that the whole world needs to see this”, Yaela added, saying that “Hamas is not ISIS – it’s much worse than them”. She went on to explain that, “Hamas is starving the hostages and Gaza residents, preventing them from receiving humanitarian aid that Israel and the world are providing – all for media purposes and propaganda”.
Former hostage Omer Wenkert said that the video proved what the hostages' conditions were like.
“When I was with Evyatar in captivity, for 250 days underground, I saw the video, and now you all know: that’s what the tunnels we lived in looked like.”
“You all saw how he looks, the hunger, his physical condition. Hamas is starving people, not Israel. While I lost 37 kilograms, I didn’t see my captors lose a single kilo. Hamas is stealing the supplies.”
“Now is the time to bring the hostages back—that is the imperative of the moment. I want to see even one photo of a Hamas terrorist who looks like Evyatar.”
Released former hostage, Romi Gonen shared on Instagram, "For everyone, Friday is a day of family, but for Evyatar and the other 49 kidnapped people, it is another day of hell in Gaza. The photos that came out today of Eviatar only prove to us what condition they are in there."
She added, "Why hasn't Evyatar come back to hug Yaela yet? Why am I here, and Rom Braslavski is not? How can we breathe when we are here and they are still there? They don't have time; we have to bring everyone home."
Who is Evyatar David?
David was abducted from the Nova Music Festival in Re’im, southern Israel, when he was 22 years old. He reportedly stayed behind with his friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, to help rescue injured people.
David's last sign of life was in a February Hamas propaganda video with Gilboa-Dalal. The two were forced to watch from a van as other hostages were released from Gaza.
In the video, both men plead for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or US President Donald Trump to secure a deal for their release.
After the release of the February video, David’s brother, Ilay, said that he “looks half the man he was. He looks starved. He looks exhausted.”
The pair is reportedly kept in “horrific” conditions and suffers from malnutrition. They were also subjected to intense physical abuse, " Tal Shoham, a released hostage, confirmed."They filmed us constantly. From what I understood, there was also an explosive device next to the camera, aimed at us – so it would take out everything in the tunnel if the IDF tried to rescue us,” Shoham explained. "The guards operated like a military unit – without empathy – and that allowed them to abuse us in ways that would have been harder to do above ground."
“Their mental state deteriorated badly – they couldn't sleep, and when they did, it was for long stretches,” he shared. “At times, they completely shut down. Guy once went an entire week without saying a word. It felt like they couldn't survive even one more day."
Before his abduction, David was known for his love of music. He played both the guitar and piano, according to Ynet.
He was also known for being a compassionate friend with attentive listening skills and an ability to offer insights and advice beyond his years, his mum told the Israeli media site.