Photo: Video Grab
Hamas has released a video of the Israeli women held captive. According to international media, Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has released a 76-second video in which a message from the three Israeli women in their captivity is shared, requesting the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for their own freedom.
The video shows all three women, whose names are not mentioned, appearing completely healthy and without any signs of violence, indicating that they have not been mistreated in Hamas’ captivity and are being provided with food and drink.
The women, speaking in Hebrew, express their dissatisfaction with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to protect the civilians on October 7th. They state that there was no military present to assist them and their voices went unheard. They mention that they are innocent citizens who pay taxes to the Israeli government but are now left helpless in captivity.
Addressing Netanyahu directly, they say that he was supposed to be their liberator, but instead, he involves them in his politics, security, and military affairs. They believe that his position means that he wants all of them to be killed and emphasize that they have already spent 23 days in captivity and now the war should come to an end.
The women further question whether Netanyahu has not already taken the lives of many people. Haven’t several Israeli citizens already been killed? They demand their freedom and the freedom of other prisoners. They request to be sent back to their families immediately.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the video as “psychological propaganda by Hamas”. He assures that every possible effort will be made to return all missing and captive individuals to their homes.