Famine is here: Gaza starvation crisis deepens as Hamas releases video of emaciated Israeli hostage
UN warns of unfolding famine as hostage’s family says Hamas is using hunger as a weapon
New Delhi: As food supplies in Gaza dwindle and UN-backed experts warn that famine is no longer a looming threat but a present reality, Hamas has released a chilling video of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, skeletal, barely conscious, and digging what he called his “own grave.”
The video, released on Friday, has triggered global outrage, not only over the condition of the 24-year-old but also the wider humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, where both civilians and captives are enduring extreme deprivation.
“I haven’t eaten for days… I barely got drinking water,” David says in a faint voice, shown in a dimly lit tunnel. “Every day my body becomes weaker. I’m walking directly to my grave.”
His family has accused Hamas of using starvation as a deliberate tactic. “We are witnessing a living skeleton buried alive,” they said, calling it part of a cynical campaign that exploits both hostages and starving Palestinians for propaganda.
The footage follows weeks of warnings from aid agencies about deteriorating food security in Gaza. UN experts say the "worst-case scenario of famine" is now taking shape, with limited humanitarian aid making it past border crossings and airdrops proving grossly inadequate.
In recent weeks, Hamas has referenced Gaza’s starvation in hostage videos, seemingly to draw a parallel between the plight of Palestinian civilians and Israeli captives. The latest footage of David comes just a day after Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of another hostage, Rom Braslavski.
Evyatar David was among 251 people abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Nearly two years later, 49 hostages are still believed to be held.
Rallies erupted in Tel Aviv following the video’s release, with families of hostages demanding immediate international intervention. “Our brothers are turning into skin and bones,” said Einav Zangauker, whose son is also held in Gaza.
Ceasefire negotiations remain stalled. Israel demands the unconditional release of all hostages, while Hamas refuses to disarm without recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state.
US envoy Steve Witkoff, after meeting hostage families, claimed the Trump team could broker a comprehensive deal. “No more piecemeal arrangements,” he said.
David’s family has pleaded for the humanitarian aid entering Gaza to also reach hostages. “The thought of his hunger and pain haunts my every moment,” said his brother Ilay.
As Gaza starves, so do the captives. Both have become human symbols of a war with no end in sight.
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
