Hamas on Friday released a sickening propaganda video of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, whom the terror group has held in captivity for 668 days.
In the video, Evyatar is emaciated and sickly, and pleads for his life as Hamas terrorists force him to dig his own grave.
You can watch the video, which is disturbing, by clicking below:
Evyatar's brother, Ilay, wrote an op-ed calling on the world to help bring his brother home:
"We don’t have time for more speeches, more handshakes, more empty declarations. We need action. Now.
"I’m speaking directly to the leaders of the world. To President Trump. To every country that claims to stand for human rights. You are running out of time to save my brother.
"Don’t let Evyatar die in that tunnel. Don’t let him starve to death while you look the other way. Don’t let him become a symbol we cry over after it’s too late.
"He is not a headline. He is not a bargaining chip. He is a human being. He is my brother. And he is still alive — barely."
Meanwhile, freed hostages Omer Wenkert and Tal Shoham, who were held in captivity alongside Evyatar, released videos speaking to the horrors he is still enduring at Hamas' hands.
Watch the videos below:
While Hamas continues to hold and torture the hostages, Israel is continuing to surge aid into Gaza, working to improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave.
Over the past week, over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid on 1,200 trucks entered Gaza, and hundreds still remain on the Gaza side of the border waiting to be picked up and distributed by the U.N. and international organizations.
Yesterday alone, Israel brought over 160 trucks into Gaza and coordinated the airdrop of 136 pallets of aid.
At the same time, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has now distributed more than 106 million meals to Gazans, including 1.7 million meals just today.
"We urge the international humanitarian community to join us—we have the scale and capacity to deliver more aid to the people of Gaza. With aid standing idle, the longer our calls go unanswered, the greater the need of the Gazans increases. It is time for the humanitarian community to show up," GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree said.
While Israel works to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Hamas is prolonging the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The United States must stand with Israel and increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to release all 50 hostages still held in captivity.
Hostage father calls for increased financial pressure on Hamas
Ruby Chen, father of American-Israeli hostage Itay Chen, published a new op-ed calling for stronger sanctions against Hamas and its sponsors:
"We must ask ourselves how Hamas still believes it can survive and reestablish control in Gaza. One of my answers is their international financial infrastructure that remains mostly in place, which Hamas taps into, even today, to pay its militants and supporters.
"It’s time to increase the international economic pressure on Hamas and its backers significantly to neutralize its ability to stay in power and force a hostage deal. How? Hamas, like any terrorist organization, needs a lot of cash. Cash allows it to buy weapons, pay fighters, and build expensive military infrastructure such as its underground tunnel network, which is far larger than the New York City subway system. Every month, Hamas pays tens of millions of dollars to its tens of thousands of militants and supporters in Gaza. This needs to end...
"I urge the European Union and other Western allies to recognize that there is a unique window of opportunity to act more aggressively against Iran, the main global terrorist financing backer. Beyond direct financial pressure, the possibility of lifting sanctions against Iran can also be leveraged to force its proxy, Hamas, back to the negotiation table...
"Our request from the international community is simple: use everything at your disposal, including tightened economic sanctions, to help us bring Itay and all the hostages home from their agonizing captivity."
Israel tests upgrades to David's Sling missile defense system
The Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully completed a test of the David’s Sling missile defense system, enhancing the system's capabilities and significantly improving its ability to face evolving threats.
David's Sling, a program AIPAC has spent years lobbying for, has helped save countless lives during attacks from Iran and its terrorist proxies.
"Coming on the heels of Operation Rising Lion, Rafael is proud to conclude this advanced and highly successful series of tests... My appreciation also goes to our longtime partners in the defense industries, the IMDO, the U.S. MDA, and the Israeli Air Force for their vital role in this shared success," Yoav Tourgeman, CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the prime contractor for the system, said.
New lawsuit against UNRWA for supporting Hamas
A group of American citizens filed a new lawsuit against UNRWA, the U.N. agency whose employees participated in the October 7 attack, demanding it be held liable for supporting terrorism.
According to the complaint, UNRWA and its American fundraising branch, UNRWA USA, have provided material aid to Hamas and Hezbollah in violation of U.S. antiterrorism laws.
This follows an assessment from the U.S. Department of Justice in April that found that UNRWA does not have immunity from litigation in American courts.
U.S. seeking to expand Abraham Accords
According to reports, the Trump administration is seeking to bring Azerbaijan and some other central Asian countries into the Abraham Accords, working to expand the circle of peace and normalization.
These countries already have relations with Israel, but joining the Accords would help further strengthen them.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
