Ilay David, the brother of 22-year-old hostage Evyatar David, delivered an emotional plea to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, calling for urgent international action after a horrific new video showed his emaciated brother being forced to dig his own grave inside a Hamas tunnel.

The Security Council session was requested by Israel and comes as the country stands on the verge of a full annexation of Gaza — a move prompted by the collapse of ceasefire talks and the release of disturbing images of starving hostages.

Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2024. In the newly received footage, he appears frail — reduced to just 90 pounds — and is seen struggling to speak.

The meeting of the U.N. Security Council was convened following the release of the latest hostage video. Israel believes that as few as 20 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity — many in critical condition, with only days left to live.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who attended the session in New York, called on the United Nations Security Council to “finally condemn Hamas for its evil crimes. To hold it responsible, and to demand the immediate release of our hostages.”

Before the meeting, Sa’ar told reporters that while Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas is deliberately starving the hostages. 

“Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave. This is satanic,” he said. “These are evil crimes — like those committed by the Nazis and ISIS.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (R) and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (L) speak to journalists ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters on August 5, 2025 in New York (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Sa’ar also warned that recent moves by several nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state have emboldened Hamas and undermined negotiations. 

“They gave Hamas free gifts and an incentive to continue this war,” he said. “They directly assassinated the hostage deal and ceasefire. These countries prolonged the war.”

Ilay David ended his address with a desperate appeal: “We, the family of Evyatar, refuse to give up hope. We are weeping, we are suffering, but we are also fighting with every fiber of our being. We will not give up until we see him back home — until my mother and father can hug him again.”

“To the leaders of the world, to every member of this Council, and to the global community: Your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity. I urge you — do not let them die. Act now, before it’s too late. Save Evyatar David. Bring my little brother home.”

When asked by reporters at the White House on Tuesday if he had seen the Hamas video of Evyatar David, President Donald Trump said he had, calling it “horrible.”