Key events
New images of two skeletal hostages have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire, even as his government considers another expansion of the war, which has already destroyed much of Gaza and pushed it toward famine.
In the video released by the Islamic Jihad militant group, Rom Braslavski says injuries in his foot prevent him from being able to stand. In another video, released by Hamas, Evyatar David says he is digging his own grave and speaks of days without food.
The footage has stirred condemnation. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres was “very shocked” by the videos, Associated Press reports.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “appalled by the harrowing videos” and called for access to the hostages.
Hamas said it is ready to respond “positively” to Red Cross requests to deliver food to hostages, if humanitarian corridors for aid deliveries are opened in a “regular and permanent manner” in Gaza. It denied starving the hostages, saying they suffer from the same hunger as ordinary Palestinians.
Ofir Braslavski said that in the video of his son, the captors appear to be well-fed. “This hunger is on purpose,” he said.
Israel has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the hostages, which will take place on Tuesday. Israel’s goreign minister, Gideon Saar, said he will travel to New York for the meeting.
Opening summary: Netanyahu to meet security cabinet to decide on next steps
Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this week to decide on Israel’s next steps in Gaza following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, with one senior Israeli source suggesting more force could be an option.
On Saturday, during a visit to the country, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.
But Israeli officials have also floated ideas that include expanding the military offensive in Gaza and annexing parts of the shattered enclave.
Israel’s Channel 12 cited an official from his office as saying that Netanyahu was inclining towards expanding the offensive and seizing the entire Palestinian enclave.
Elsewhere, a UN expert who first warned that Israel was orchestrating a campaign of deliberate mass starvation in Gaza more than 500 days ago, has said that governments and corporations cannot claim to be surprised at the horror now unfolding.
“Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine. So while it’s always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024,” Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, told the Guardian.
