‘Your silence is complicity’: Brother of Gaza hostage tells UN Security Council
Ilay David shows harrowing images of his skeletal brother Evyatar at emergency UN meeting and accuses world leaders of turning away as hostages are starved by Hamas
The brother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David delivered a searing rebuke to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday night, accusing the international community of complicity through silence as dozens of captives waste away in Hamas captivity.
Speaking at an emergency session convened to address the hostages’ plight, Ilay David held up an image of his emaciated brother and declared: “Your silence is the face of this monstrous cruelty.”
In a direct appeal to world leaders, he warned: “We know from medical reports that Evyatar, Guy, and the others are on the brink of death. They only have days left. Days! That’s how urgent this is. Each of them has lost half their body weight. My brother weighs about 40 kilograms. What’s happening to them is calculated, deliberate cruelty.”
Footage released last weekend by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad showed Evyatar David visibly skeletal, struggling to move or speak, and digging what he said was his own grave. In a chilling moment highlighted by Ilay, a terrorist’s hand entered the frame – “visibly thicker than my brother’s leg” – a grim visual of the starvation being imposed on the captives.
“My mother and I couldn’t summon the strength to watch it. We knew if we did we wouldn’t be able to function. My father and sister did, and now they’re haunted by the images,” he said. “What would you do if it were your son, your brother, your father?”
Ilay described how in February, after 500 days underground, Hamas took Evyatar and fellow hostage Guy out of the tunnels to watch others being freed – then sent them back into darkness. “We thought that was the height of evil,” he said. “But now we’ve seen worse.”
He added: “The terrorists are in the next room. They’re choosing to starve them. This is a humanitarian crisis – and yet the UN and its bodies say nothing. Aid flows into Gaza, but the hostages haven’t received a single crumb.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who initiated the meeting, echoed those concerns, accusing the international community of failing to confront Hamas’s atrocities while pressuring Israel.
“I came to the UN today because our hostages are still being starved and tortured in the tunnels,” he said. “The world saw the horrific starvation of Evyatar. He was forced to dig his own grave – it’s diabolical. Hamas is using starvation as propaganda.”
Sa’ar stressed that while Israel continues to send humanitarian aid into Gaza, the captives are being denied food by design. “No country would act this way under such circumstances, and yet the world has flipped. Some states are giving Hamas free gifts by pushing Palestinian statehood, directly undermining negotiation efforts,” he said.
Despite the public nature of the hostage videos, international reaction has been slow. French President Emmanuel Macron was the most senior leader to respond, posting on X three days after the footage emerged: “Appalling cruelty, boundless inhumanity – this is what Hamas embodies.”
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also issued a statement, saying: “The images of the hostages being used for propaganda purposes are sickening. Every hostage must be released unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and must not govern Gaza.”
Ilay David closed his appeal with a blunt demand: “Everyone bears responsibility – the world’s leaders, every member of this council. Don’t let them die.”
The UN meeting comes amid stalled hostage negotiations and mounting pressure from hostage families, who say they are running out of time. Fifty hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, many of them in critical condition.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
