Hamas released a video Saturday showing Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa Dalal forced to watch as other captives were freed. The footage, widely condemned as psychological torture, shows the two pleading for their release while sitting inside a vehicle near a Hamas-staged ceremony.
Described by family members as “sickening,” the video intensified anger in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited Hamas’s ongoing “humiliation” of hostages in his decision to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners until such propaganda ends.
The clip, the first public sign of life from David since his abduction at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, shows the two men covering their faces, their words seemingly coached by armed captors nearby. “Save us, please,” they repeat.
Gilboa Dalal’s father called the display “a new level of torture,” while David’s sister denounced Hamas as “monsters.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the video as “cruelty beyond measure” and urged Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump to secure the release of the remaining captives.
Meanwhile, six hostages were freed Saturday, marking the last expected releases under the ceasefire’s first phase. David and Gilboa Dalal are among those slated for a second-phase exchange, though details remain uncertain. With Hamas demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, negotiations remain stalled, leaving the fate of the remaining hostages in limbo.
There is clearly no limitation to the levels of depravity Hamas will stoop to.
