Shattered by new images of his emaciated son in Gaza captivity, Avishai David pleads for urgent action, accusing the world of ignoring the true victims while Hamas starves hostages.
The anguish of a father has erupted into a searing plea for justice after new footage revealed the shocking deterioration of Israeli hostage Evyatar David.
Speaking to i24NEWS, Avishai David—once a seasoned paramedic who had seen tragedy up close—admitted that nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his own son. “The images leave no room for doubt. He looks like a brand plucked from the fire,” Avishai said, describing Evyatar as gaunt, silent, and ravaged by severe anemia.
Once a strong, vibrant young man, Evyatar now appears utterly helpless—likely held in cramped tunnels, deprived of food, water, and sunlight. “It’s repeated abuse,” his father said. “It kills the heart that such cruelty still exists in our time.”
Avishai confessed that, unlike other family members, he forces himself to watch the footage repeatedly. “It’s the only way I can feel close to him. I send him energy. I try to communicate,” he said, clinging to the faintest thread of connection.
Revealing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally called him, Avishai said he trusts that military and intelligence officials are working behind the scenes. Yet the haunting fear that his son may not survive captivity keeps the family in a perpetual state of sleepless torment.
He issued a blistering condemnation of Western media, accusing it of amplifying lies that portray Israel as the aggressor while ignoring the starvation and abuse inflicted on hostages. “They say we are starving people—while my son is being starved. It distorts reality. It hardens the enemy’s heart,” he said.
In a final, heart-wrenching message, Avishai vowed to keep fighting: “We never stop thinking about him. Every minute. Every second. Our only mission is to bring him—and all the hostages—back to life and recovery.”
