ISRAEL is gearing up for a new assault on Gaza after horrific hostage videos lit a firestorm across the globe.
Harrowing footage shows two Israeli captives — starved, pale, and broken — suffering in Hamas tunnels.
Evyatar David, 24, and Rom Braslavski, 21, were both abducted from the Nova music festival on the deadly October 7 attacks.
Now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the gloves are off.
In a fiery address Sunday night, the PM declared that Israel would press forward with a “decisive military victory” to free the remaining hostages.
Netanyahu again vowed to crush Hamas, which he said was deliberately starving captives in scenes chillingly reminiscent of the Nazi death camps.
Referring to the distressing hostage videos, he stated: “You witness them wasting away in captivity, yet the militants from Hamas around them are robust with thick, sturdy arms.”
“They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews.”
The clips, shared by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week and permitted for release by the families, depict the captives clearly suffering from severe weight loss, visibly shaking, and nearing the brink of collapse.
In one heart-wrenching moment, David is seen digging what he believes to be his own grave.
In another, Braslavski cries as he says he has eaten only three crumbs of falafel that day.
His devastated family said in a statement: “They managed to break Rom.
“He has simply been forgotten there.”
David’s family described their son as a “living skeleton, buried alive” in Hamas’s tunnels.
“I haven’t eaten for days… I barely got drinking water,” David says in the footage.
War cabinet at a crossroads
As reported by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu is advocating for broader military operations – advancing into Gaza regions previously avoided to protect hostages’ safety.
But the security cabinet is divided.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Mossad chief David Barnea are apparently advising restraint, while far-right leaders such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are pushing for full reoccupation.
Support for an intensified military campaign, now deemed unavoidable without a feasible diplomatic solution, also comes from Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Netanyahu’s military advisor.
“Hamas is not open to negotiation,” a senior Israeli source told Israel Hayom, noting the group has outright dismissed all offers, including the complete release of hostages and the disarmament of Gaza.
“Hamas has rejected every deal,” said a senior source quoted by Israel Hayom.
“Their refusal is rooted in the belief that starvation of the hostages and international pressure will force Israel to surrender. That cannot be allowed to happen.”
As ABC News confirmed through Israeli sources, Netanyahu is now pushing a “military solution” and coordinating with Washington amid signs the US is no longer willing to back partial hostage deals.
International fury
The horrifying scenes have prompted an international backlash.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the images “sickening,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron demanded immediate release of the hostages.
The Red Cross described the footage as “stark evidence” of life-threatening conditions and urged immediate access to the captives.
Netanyahu met with the Red Cross delegation head on Sunday, demanding urgent medical and food access to the hostages.
Behind closed doors, Israeli security officials admit they had long known about the hostages’ deteriorating condition.
They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews
Benjamin Netanyahu
According to Ynet, intelligence briefings warned weeks ago that captors were deliberately withholding food under direct orders —feeding the prisoners just enough to keep them alive.
But the images have had a visceral impact on the Israeli public, and on Netanyahu himself.
The prime minister said: “Like you, I was horrified yesterday. I saw the gruesome videos of our beloved sons, Rom and Evyatar.
“When I see this, I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It does not want a deal. It wants to break us… But we will not break.
“I am filled with even greater resolve to free our hostages, eliminate Hamas and ensure Gaza is never again a threat to the State of Israel.”
Will there be a peace deal?
AS of August 2025, a lasting Israel-Hamas peace deal hangs in the balance.
A January 19 ceasefire saw 25 Israeli hostages and 1,900 Palestinian prisoners freed, but collapsed by March 18 after Israeli airstrikes killed over 400 in Gaza.
July’s US-backed 60-day truce push aimed to free remaining hostages and spark permanent talks, but stalled in Cairo.
Hamas demands a full Israeli withdrawal; Israel insists on Hamas disarming.
With 90 Palestinians killed in recent strikes and both sides dug in—Israel on security, Hamas on ending the war—talks teeter.
Mediators see glimmers of hope, but mistrust and clashing red lines keep peace elusive.
