President Isaac Herzog spoke with the families of abducted Eviatar David and kidnapped Guy Dalal on Friday evening, expressing solidarity and determination to secure their safe return. The conversations followed the release of a new propaganda video by Hamas depicting Eviatar David. The President condemned Hamas's "cruelty" and "psychological torture" tactics, stating that "Hamas runs an ugly and criminal cynical campaign and will not help him." The Israeli military also reported that Hamas is deliberately starving and physically and mentally abusing hostages. The new video released by Hamas shows Eviatar David being forced to dig his own grave, an act described by the family as "cruel" and "dehumanizing." His parents shared with the President that Eviatar's health appears "very difficult" based on the footage. Senior IDF officials confirmed that hostages are "deliberately starved by Hamas and undergo physical and mental abuse," attributing this to Hamas's fear of rescue operations. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, through an envoy, conveyed to hostage families his desire to shift from pursuing partial ceasefires to a comprehensive agreement that would end the war and secure the return of all remaining hostages. In a conflicting statement, Hamas denied reports that it agreed to disarm, asserting that "resistance and its weapons are a national and legal right" until an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is established. In military operations, the IDF announced the defeat of Hamas's Beit Hanoun Battalion in northern Gaza after three operatives surrendered. The surrendered operatives led forces to a weapons depot and provided information about the tunnel network. The IDF also reported killing Salah a-Din Zaara, the deputy commander of Hamas's Sheikh Radwan Battalion, in an airstrike last week. Over the weekend, the Israeli Air Force struck over 130 terror targets across Gaza. In humanitarian efforts, the IDF, in coordination with the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Spain, France, and Germany, conducted an airdrop of 90 food aid packages for Gaza residents. The IDF stated it will continue to improve the humanitarian response while denying allegations of deliberate starvation in the Strip. Separately, the BBC World Service compiled evidence indicating that children in Gaza were shot by Israeli forces, with a significant number of incidents involving shots to the head or chest.
