The brother of Israeli hostage Evyatar David called on the world to "come together" to secure his freedom following the publication of a video in which the emaciated captive was shown purportedly digging his own grave.

David, 24, is one of 251 people taken captive by Hamas and its allies during their October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Last week, Hamas released propaganda videos showing him severely undernourished and visibly weakened, including one in which he digs with a shovel in the sandy floor of a tunnel, saying he is preparing his grave.

"The world must come together now... and demand his release. He must be saved!" his brother Ilay David said in an interview Tuesday with AFP in Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, at the family home where they both were raised.

The recent videos of Evyatar David and fellow hostage Rom Braslavski have sparked outrage and fear for their safety among Israelis, as well as condemnations of Hamas from abroad.

In captivity for........

© Al Monitor