Overview

• The three videos, issued July 31 through August 3 by Hamas and its ally Jihad Islamique, depict captives Rom Breslevski and Avyatar David in advanced malnutrition.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed profound consternation, spoke with the families of the two men and vowed relentless efforts to secure the return of all hostages.
• An estimated tens of thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv to demand an expedited agreement for the release of the remaining 49 captives.
• French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the footage as “cruauté abjecte” and called for the immediate liberation of every hostage.
• UN and EU officials described the videos as calculated propaganda linking the hostages’ suffering to Gaza’s looming humanitarian crisis and pressed for renewed cease-fire talks.