Peloni: The only evidence of starvation in Gaza is of the plight of the hostages who are being starved even as Israel participates in the inhumane over-supply of the very villains who are holding these poor souls in a state of deprivation and denigration. While real famines are nowhere discussed by the international community, their obsessively single-minded focus remains upon the manufactured ‘famine’ in Gaza, which only exists among the hostages, for whom the international community have yet to deliver a single meal. Hence, as the US provides such photo ops as to have their most senior diplomats traveling into a war zone to discuss the state of starvation in Gaza, it should be the still held Israeli hostages whose plight should be gaining their focus, and the fact that this is still not the case provides the greatest source of disinformation which could possibly come from such a staged event as having Huckabee and Witkoff entering the Gaza Strip.
FDD | August 1, 2025
Latest Developments
- PIJ Hostage Video Released: The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization published a video on July 31 showing Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, who is still being held by the group in Gaza 665 days after being kidnapped during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities. PIJ claimed that the video was recorded before the group lost contact with Braslavski’s captors last week and said that his fate was unknown at the time of the video’s publication. Braslavski can be seen in the video — which was not aired by Israeli media at the request of his family — weak and emaciated, lying on the ground in pain, and giving a likely coerced statement.
- Hamas Hostage Video Released: Following the release of the PIJ’s video of Braslavski, Hamas released its own video on August 1 showing another Israeli hostage, Evyatar David, alive but extremely emaciated, being held in a Gazan tunnel. His brother, Ilai David, spoke about Evyatar before the video’s release, observing, “My brother is in the worst possible place. In a tunnel, with no light, no bathroom. He eats next to the hole he uses to relieve himself.” During a ceasefire in February, Hamas published a cynical video of Evyatar David alongside fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal being forced to watch the release of three other hostages.
- Witkoff, Huckabee Assess Humanitarian Situation in Gaza: After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff visited a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Gaza alongside U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on August 1. Witkoff said that “the purpose of the visit was to give [President Donald Trump] a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.” Huckabee called the GHF’s aid distribution system, which has delivered over 100 million meals to Gazan civilians, an “incredible feat,” adding that “Hamas hates GHF because it gets food to people without it being looted by Hamas.”
FDD Expert Response
“While Israel gets hammered for reported deficiencies in its facilitation of aid into a warzone, the world is silent on Hamas stealing food from Gazans. The amount of aid going into Gaza matters little if most of it gets stolen and hoarded by local gunmen. The same deafening silence can be heard over Palestinian terrorists sharing psyop videos of Israeli hostages — abused for 665 days — intended to terrorize the hostages’ families and Israeli society as a whole. This is the enemy that Israel is fighting — and that Western powers are shielding by directing their ire at Israel.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
“The release of the videos of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David embodies PIJ and Hamas’s cruel psychological warfare tactics aimed at pressuring Israel after the collapse of ceasefire negotiations in late July. Terrorist groups release such videos to exploit the suffering of hostages to try to weaken the spirit of Israelis after more than 21 months of war.” — Seth J. Frantzman, Adjunct Fellow
FDD Background and Analysis
“Keir Starmer’s empty threat won’t save Gaza, it will reward the terrorists,” by Ellie Bufkin
“IDF clears Beit Hanoun, completes several operations in northern Gaza,” by Seth J. Frantzman
“‘We Know Where the Hostages Are In Some Cases’: Trump Discusses Risks of Rescue Operation for Gaza Captives,” FDD Flash Brief
“Israel Announces Humanitarian Pauses and Safe Aid Corridors to Support UN Aid Delivery in Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief
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