Video: "I Dig My Own Grave".. An Israeli Prisoner in Gaza Sends a Message to Netanyahu

SadaNews - "What I am doing now is digging my own grave," said an Israeli prisoner held in the Gaza Strip in a new video message directed to his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his people, as broadcasted by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The prisoner - identified by Israeli media as Avitar David - appeared emaciated as he documented his daily suffering with hunger inside a narrow tunnel, in a direct message reflecting the deterioration of his health and psychological condition amid the ongoing war and the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.

Following another video aired yesterday Friday featuring the same prisoner, today’s video began with scenes of the prisoner sitting on a dirt mattress inside one of the tunnels, recording with a pen on papers hanging on the wall the days of his captivity, attempting to document what little food he receives, chronicling the days filled with hunger and pain. He started his message by mentioning the date of his Sunday which was July 27.

The prisoner addressed the camera saying, "I don’t know what I will eat; I haven’t eaten for days on end," adding, "I have been living in a very difficult situation for months, and I can barely get drinking water." He confirmed that his food consists of only a little lentils and beans, then stated, "Look at me how thin I am; this is not an illusion, this is reality."

The prisoner added, "I am in a very bad and very weak situation; there is nothing, no meat, no chicken, no fish." In the scenes as he narrates these details, there are earlier clips seemingly filmed before the siege intensified, showing a group of prisoners eating food and appearing healthy while smiling and gesturing appreciatively to their cameraman.

Food Schedule

The prisoner provided precise details about his diet, presenting a chart he prepared for the month of July, indicating that he ate nothing on many days, while on other days he only had lentils, and at times he only had legumes, mentioning that there were days when he received no food at all.

The clip shows the prisoner receiving a can of canned fruit, saying it was all he had for two full days, just "to stay alive," in a testimony that underscores the scarcity of food reaching prisoners, coinciding with the starvation policy imposed by the occupation on the residents of the Gaza Strip.

The prisoner directed a direct message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, "I feel completely abandoned here, left behind." He added that he was raised to believe that the State of Israel cares for its prisoners, but what he is experiencing now is "simply a lie."

In a scene where the tragedy peaks, the prisoner appeared towards the end of the video shoveling the ground of the tunnel, despairingly declaring that he is digging his own grave, as "time is running out" and his body grows weaker day by day, followed by a message directed to his people, "You are the only ones who can stop this so I can come back and sleep on my bed with my family at home."

The Al-Qassam Brigades concluded the video with a clear message in Arabic, Hebrew, and English stating, "They will not return except through a deal," confirming that "time is running out," indicating that military solutions will not bring back the prisoners alive.