On Tuesday a special session of the UN Security Council is expected to convene to discuss the dozens of Israeli citizens that are being held hostage in Gaza.
The meeting will deal specifically with the 50 hostages currently being held by Hamas. It's believed that about 22 of them are still alive.
A video sponsored by the Israeli consulate played in Times Square on Tuesday, showing footage released by Hamas in which hostage Evyatar David is unable to stand in cramped tunnels and appears to be digging what he described as his own grave.
David's family made the decision to play the controversial video. His cousin Matan Eshet told Scripps News it was important to share, because it showed a dying person looking back at the viewer.
"I feel chills when I speak about it. He looks like a skeleton. He doesn't even look like a human being anymore," Eshet said. "It feels like the UN isn't on our side. Somehow people being kidnapped from their beds, being tortured in tunnels, being experimented on and being shot — it's not as important as anything else."
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Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Evyatar's brother are expected to speak at Tuesday's UN meeting.
The U.S. Hostage envoy Steve Witkoff is also meeting with families in Israel, reportedly telling them the Trump administration is seeking a complete deal, rather than piecemeal agreements, to secure the release of hostages.
The planned meeting comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated Israel will expand its military operations in Gaza.
The IDF already controls roughly 75% of the Gaza Strip.
