Those who continue to back a Palestinian state have “directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement at the UN on Tuesday.
“They gave Hamas free gifts. Let me be clear: These countries prolonged the war,” he said.
Sa’ar discussed the recent videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky.
“Bones standing out in their skin. Like living skeletons... this is satanic,” he said.
Brother of Evyatar David addressed UN
Ilay David, the older brother of hostage Evyatar David, addressed the members of the UN Security Council, where Sa’ar was speaking.
“Evyatar is the kindest person I know. He is shy but full of life. He has the soul of a musician,” David said.
Since his kidnapping from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, Evyatar “and the other hostages have endured an unimaginable nightmare,” David said, adding that this is not just a “figure of speech.”
“We know now from medical reports that Evyatar and the other hostages are on the brink of death and may only have days to live. My little brother now weighs only 40 kilograms,” he added.
“The world has heard about the atrocities of Hamas, but what is happening to Evyatar and Guy [Gilboa-Dalal] is an act of calculated depravity,” David accused.
Each report of the hostages’ status “makes our fears worse,” he explained, stating that “we do not know how much time they have left.”
“My brother was a living skeleton, his voice barely recognizable. My little brother was forced to speak to the world and was forced to dig his own grave inside the filthy dark tunnel in Gaza,” David stated, addressing the Hamas propaganda video released over the weekend.
“My father cannot sleep, and my mother has not stopped crying. What would you do if, God forbid, it was your son, father, brother? We cannot wait any longer,” he said.
“For us, the mission is very clear and urgent: We must ensure that all hostages are being released immediately and unconditionally.
“The last video exposed another horrifying truth: the chubby and well-fed arm of the terrorist. Hamas confirmed what we have known for months: The terrorists have plenty of food. The only ones starving in the tunnels are the hostages,” David said. “They use them and starve them as a weapon of war.”
Freed hostages “Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert testified to this; the terrorists always had food nearby and would relish in this while the hostages starved,” he said. “This is a humanitarian crisis: the one of the hostages; the very soul of humanity is being scarred by Hamas.”
David said that he is “here to make a direct and urgent call to this esteemed body: We must request the immediate release of every hostage. The time for deliberation has run out. Their lives depend on immediate intervention.
“We must call for humanitarian aid to reach the hostages. They have not received a shred of humanitarian aid since they were taken captive; this is a flagrant violation of international law!” David exclaimed.
“We all have a responsibility! To the leaders of the world and to every member of this council: your silence is complicity. I urge you – don’t let them die,” he implored.
“All leaders should unite to pressure Hamas and its partners. Act now, before it’s too late. Save Evyatar David – bring my little brother home.”