Israeli hostage pleads for help in new Hamas video
Shafaq News – Gaza
On Saturday, Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, released a video of Israeli soldier Avitar David, held in Gaza since October 2023, delivering a plea from captivity.
Appearing visibly malnourished, David said he had gone days without food, surviving on lentils and beans. 'Our captors are giving us what they can,' he stated.
He went on to accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the hostages, adding, 'Everything we were raised on in Israel is a lie.' At one point, he described digging his own grave, warning that his weakening condition may soon lead to his death underground.
The video is the second in under 24 hours released by the Palestinian resistance showing prisoners held in Gaza.
BREAKING: In a televised message, imprisoned Israeli soldier Avitar David, currently held in Gaza by Hamas, states: ⭕ "I have not eaten in days. Our scarce food is lentils and beans. Our captors are giving us what they can."⭕ "Netanyahu has abandoned us, and everything we… pic.twitter.com/IxVQCB9n5B — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 2, 2025
In response, David's family appealed to the Israeli government, US President Donald Trump, and world powers to do 'everything possible' to secure his release.
The hostage appeal comes as conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate under tightened Israeli restrictions. Since March 2, Israel has sealed all border crossings to aid, food, and medical supplies, according to Palestinian and international reports.
Gaza's Ministry of Health reported that 162 Palestinians have died from starvation-related causes between October 7, 2023, and August 1, 2025. The World Food Programme also estimates that one in four Gazans faces famine-like conditions, including more than 100,000 women and children suffering from acute malnutrition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
an hour ago
- Iraqi News
Al-Mandlawi confirms his keenness to include a provision in the budget to compensate the Yazidis
Baghdad-INA First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandlawi affirmed on Sunday his keenness to include a provision in the budget to compensate the Yazidis, noting that what the Yazidis were subjected to is a clear testament to ISIS's terrorism and the vileness of its ideas. In a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Al-Mandlawi said, "What the Yazidi community was subjected to on August 3, 2014, represents one of the most painful and soreness moments in the history of modern Iraq. It is a bloody phase that will never be forgotten in the conscience of the nation, and a bleeding wound in the conscience of all humanity." He noted that "the survivors of ISIS represent a clear testament to the terrorism of this organization and the vileness of its ideas." He stressed that "the House of Representatives is keen to serve and protect diversity, having enacted the Yazidi Female Survivors Law to provide justice to the victims." He expressed his "full support for government efforts aimed at resolving the situation in Sinjar, rebuilding, and ensuring the return of displaced persons." Al-Mandlawi stated that he "will work to include a provision in the budget law to allocate funds to compensate victims for the harm they suffered at the hands of ISIS, and will approach the local government in Nineveh to include the largest possible number of Yazidis in this compensation."
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Shafaq News
Syria shuts Daraa corridor as security forces retake hill in Suwayda
Shafaq News – Damascus Syria's Interior Ministry on Sunday closed the Busra al-Sham humanitarian corridor in eastern Daraa after clashes erupted nearby, while Internal Security Forces regained control of a strategic hill in western Suwayda following confrontations with armed factions. A ministry source explained to al-Ikhbariya TV that the closure of the crossing—a key humanitarian route used to transfer civilians and aid across several villages in eastern Daraa—was temporary and intended to secure the area after 'outlaw groups' violated the ceasefire by attacking Security Forces. Separately, Shafaq News correspondent in Syria reported that the Security Forces successfully repelled an assault on Tel Hadeed and reestablished full control. A security source confirmed that government units had 'fully redeployed' and heightened their alert level to prevent any renewed attempts to seize the site. A military source had earlier told our agency that local Druze factions had captured Tel Hadeed after fierce clashes with government forces and allied tribal fighters. According to the source, Syrian forces shelled residential areas and faction positions overnight, killing one fighter and damaging civilian homes. In response, a Syrian government official accused the factions of breaching the ceasefire by targeting government forces and shelling villages in western Suwayda. Suwayda has been under a fragile ceasefire since July 19, following a week-long conflict between local factions, Bedouin tribes, and government forces that killed at least 1000 people. In a statement issued Sunday, the Interior Ministry denounced what it called 'mutinous gangs' for exploiting the ceasefire to launch attacks and spread sectarian incitement. The ministry emphasized that 'the Syrian state, across its military, security, and civil institutions, remains committed to restoring stability and reviving public services in Suwayda.' #الجمهورية_العربية_السورية #وزارة_الداخلية — وزارة الداخلية السورية (@syrianmoi) August 3, 2025 Despite those claims, residents had expressed to our agency that the area continues to suffer under a blockade imposed by forces affiliated with the transitional government and their armed allies, worsening the humanitarian situation and disrupting daily life.
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq exhumes +65 mass graves of Yazidi victims in Sinjar
Shafaq News – Duhok Specialized forensic teams have exhumed 68 out of 162 known burial sites—both mass and individual—where ISIS committed massacres against Yazidi civilians across Sinjar district since 2014, according to the Investigation and Evidence-Gathering Authority in Duhok. Nechirvan Suleiman, head of the Authority, told Shafaq News that excavation efforts continue in partnership with local and international organizations to open the remaining graves and formally document evidence of the crimes. So far, the identities of 293 victims have been confirmed and buried in designated cemeteries in Sinjar, while the remains of over 450 individuals are still unidentified, he noted, adding that 'the fate of 2,883 Yazidis is still unknown.' Calling for increased technical and logistical support to accelerate the process and ensure accuracy, Suleiman pointed out that excavation teams are working under harsh conditions due to difficult terrain, weather challenges, and overlapping skeletal remains. Families of victims and the missing have renewed their calls to speed up excavation and uncover the fate of their loved ones who remain underground and unidentified. Soumaya Khalaf, a Yazidi woman whose father and two brothers were abducted, told Shafaq News that the remains of one relative were recovered and buried in the Kojo cemetery—designated for Yazidi victims of ISIS in Sinjar—while the others remain missing. Jalal Jassim, another relative, said his son and two brothers disappeared more than 11 years ago, and the family has received no information about their fate, despite repeated follow-ups with relevant authorities and submitting DNA samples. Yazidi lawmaker Mahma Khalil revealed earlier that more than 2,300 Yazidis remain missing, and 52 of 93 documented mass graves in Sinjar have yet to be opened. The Yazidi community, a Kurdish-speaking ethno-religious minority in Iraq, faced persecution by ISIS after the group seized Sinjar on August 3, 2014. Around 1,290 Yazidis were killed, and over 70 mass graves have since been uncovered. The community, numbering about 500,000 in Iraq, observes its New Year on April 17, which the Kurdistan Regional Government has designated a public holiday.
