Hamas released a video late Monday evening showing the two Israeli hostages, Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, kidnapped during the Nova music festival on October 7 and still being held in captivity by the group.
Reports suggest Hamas was trying to generate empathy towards the hostages and at the same time, expose the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu over his recent stance on sabotaging the peace deal at the expense of 59 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
“You can see in the video that he is in bad shape, that he has lost a lot of weight from continued starvation, and that he is suffering from problems with his skin and his breathing,” said Bohbot’s family in a statement, noting that he suffers from asthma and “hasn’t seen the light of day for almost a year and a half.”
“This video is further proof that Elkana must return home to his family,” the message continued.
The family issued an appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump to “think that this is your son, your father or your grandson, who is waiting to see the light of day.”
In the clip, the malnourished captives appealed to the Israeli government to allow them to speak out about their deplorable condition in the Hamas captivity.
“Before the latest ceasefire deal on January 19, when the border crossings were closed throughout the war, there was almost no food. The situation was difficult and there was no safe place,” said Ohana to the camera. “We felt neither dead nor alive.”
Israeli authorities speculate that 24 hostages were still alive in the Strip — 22 Israelis, one Thai and one Nepali.
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All of them are young men who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and abduct 251, sparking the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, among the group are four active-duty soldiers and several people who had been working security at the Nova music festival, some of whom Hamas has claimed were soldiers as well.
Besides this, 35 hostages who were confirmed by Israel to be dead are also being held in Gaza. They include 34 kidnapped in the Hamas onslaught and a soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war.
The slain captives would be returned in the deal’s potential third and permanent phase.
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