Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Informed source to Al Mayadeen: SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi demands that al-Sharaa approve the establishment of an autonomous region similar to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Israeli media: Three drones launched from Yemen toward Eilat in span of 20 minutes.
Qatari Foreign Ministry: "Israel" should have already ceased fire under Trump plan for Gaza
Qatari Foreign Ministry: Release of Israeli captives will mark end of war in Gaza in accordance with Trump plan.
Israeli media: Security incident in Gaza Strip classified as serious results in six wounded soldiers so far, two critically injured.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strike targets vehicle in Deir Ames, Tyre governorate.
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.
AFP: France's new PM Sebastein Lecornu resigns just hours after unveiling cabinet.
Trump: Technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to discuss and clarify the final details, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed this week

Israeli protesters block Tel Aviv highway over Gaza captives crisis

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 3 Aug 2025 19:06
4 Min Read

Videos of starving Israeli captives in Gaza spark outrage as protesters block the Tel Aviv highway, demanding urgent action from the government to secure their release.

Listen
  • x
  • Families of captives protest, demanding the release from the Gaza Strip, at the plaza known as the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025 (AP)
    Families of captives protest, demanding the release from the Gaza Strip, at the plaza known as the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025 (AP)

Dozens of demonstrators blocked traffic on the Ayalon Highway early Sunday, demanding the urgent release of captives held in Gaza after the Resistance published footage of two emaciated Israeli captives, drawing alarm and reigniting public pressure on the Israeli government.

The protest, organized by the Women’s Protest group and joined by relatives of previously released captives, unfolded on the Jewish day of mourning, Tisha B’Av. The symbolism was deliberate: banners read “Abandonment of the hostages = destruction of the Third Temple,” and chants of “Why are they still in Gaza?” echoed across the highway. Others carried signs in English, such as “Never again is now” and “Everyone in a deal. Get out of Gaza.”

Among the demonstrators were Shai Mozes and Meor Rosenberg, relatives of the returned captives Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehoud. The protest lasted around 20 minutes, according to Haaretz, before police cleared the highway.

Emaciated Israeli captives

The anger comes after Hamas and Islamic Jihad released separate videos of captives Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, both visibly starved due to the Israeli blockade on Gaza. One video showed David digging his own grave, with bones protruding from his frame, an image that has sent shockwaves through Israeli society.

“This morning is the Ninth of Av, and the greatest destruction has only been getting deeper for 667 days,” said a statement from protesters, referencing the period since the October 7, 2023 attack that launched the war. They blamed Netanyahu's government for abandoning the captives, accusing officials of failing to secure their release through negotiations.

Related News

Delegations flood in Egypt as Trump’s Gaza plan moves forward

Egypt's FM urges creation of political horizon for Palestinian state

“It is impossible to breathe in the face of the pictures of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky,” the statement continued. “Bring everyone back, the living and the dead, and end the war already.”

Limited international reactions 

International reactions to the videos have so far been limited. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the footage was “appalling” and called for the immediate release of all captives, while reiterating support for humanitarian aid into Gaza. “Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza,” she posted on X.

US President Donald Trump was also briefed on the video of David, according to Ynet, while Senator John Fetterman condemned Hamas, writing, “I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of this video for [David’s] family… Send these poor souls home, disarm, and end this hell on earth in Gaza.”

On Saturday night, thousands gathered again at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where family members of the two captives spoke out. David’s family warned he has “only a few days left to live,” calling on both “Israel” and the international community to intervene.

“Hamas is using our son Evyatar as a live experiment in human starvation,” the family said.

Captives dropping one by one

David, who appeared in a prior Hamas video in February, was reportedly in poor health even then. Islamic Jihad, for its part, claimed over a week ago that it had lost contact with the unit holding Braslavsky, saying the new video was recorded earlier.

Tal Shoham, a former captive who was held alongside David, confirmed in a video statement that Hamas had adequate food supplies but was deliberately starving captives for propaganda purposes. “David is under really extreme life-threatening danger right now,” Shoham said.

In a column for Ynet, former captive Ohad Ben-Ami said the starvation seen in the recent videos echoed his own experience. “When I returned from captivity, my body had only 3.5% body fat… Evyatar and Rom may be in this situation as well,” he wrote. “The negotiations need to be quick, so we can save them.”

  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Palestine
  • Occupied Palestine
  • Gaza
  • Hamas
  • Gaza Strip
  • Tel Aviv
  • Ayalon Highway

Most Read

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Sayyed Abdullah Safieddine, during an interview with Al Mayadeen which aired on October 6, 2025 (Al Mayadeen)
Politics

Tehran never interferes in Hezbollah decisions: Representative in Iran

Smoke billows over the Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment, as seen from southern Palestine, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Indirect talks for a ceasefire in Gaza begin in Sharm El-Sheikh

Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to attend a military parad in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Security forces seal Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh districts

Amsterdam Captain Mohammed Ali Mohiuddin, who took part in the Global Sumud mission to Gaza, talks to Al Mayadeen on October 6, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

GSF captain says despite abuse, 'Israel weaker than spider's web'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS