Hamas releases new video of Israeli hostages
The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a new video on the Telegram network showing two Israeli hostages. Undated, the clip shows Elkana Bohbot and Yossef-Haim Ohana, reportedly abducted in Israel during the attack carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The two captives are visibly in an underground cell.
One of the hostages speaks vehemently to the camera, addressing Israeli leaders, particularly Sarah Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "How many of us have to die? Why do you continue to bomb us and the civilians? Enough ... it's time to end this war!" he exclaimed.
He also described the situation of his fellow detainee, who appears unconscious under a blanket, "in a very difficult medical and psychological state."
"He keeps harming himself. He doesn't want to drink or eat anymore," he said while pointing to him, before the video ends with the message: "Only a cease-fire will bring them back alive," accompanied by a ticking clock.
The Forum of Hostage Families and Missing stated that the families have not yet approved the broadcasting of this video in Israel, reported Haaretz.
According to the Israeli army, Hamas still holds 58 hostages in Gaza, 34 of whom are believed to be dead.
A Hamas delegation held discussions on Wednesday and Thursday in Doha, Qatar with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to reach a cease-fire in Gaza, but with "no tangible progress," two sources close to the Palestinian movement told AFP on Friday, while the Israeli government approved a plan this week for the total conquest of the Palestinian enclave.
Since the resumption of the Israeli offensive on March 18, unilaterally breaking the cease-fire agreed upon in mid-January with Hamas, which had allowed the return of around 30 hostages, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to a total blockade preventing the entry of any humanitarian aid for more than 100 days.
According to estimates from the Ministry of Health, 23 Palestinians were killed and 124 injured over the last 24 hours. The ministry updated its count of the official number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli offensive against Gaza, reporting 52,810 deaths and over 119,400 injuries, the majority of whom are civilians, while more than 11,000 remain missing under the rubble.
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