On the 100th day of the conflict, Hamas broadcast a video of three Israeli prisoners it is holding in Gaza, in which they implored their government to halt the onslaught against the Palestinian Islamist organisation and secure their release, news agency Reuters reported. The 37-second video featuring Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, was undated and finished with the chyron: “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate.”
BREAKING: MAJOR NEW HAMAS VIDEO ABOUT ISRAELI HOSTAGES
“Wait for us .. tomorrow we will tell you their fate.
Your government is lying.” pic.twitter.com/9UC7P6BUdX
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) January 14, 2024
Earlier on Sunday, Hamas stated it had lost communication with some hostages while Israeli forces bombed Gaza, and that they might have been murdered in the process. It also vowed to kill captives in retribution for Israeli military operations at the start of the war.
Officials in Israel have typically refused to respond to Hamas’ public messaging about the hostages, characterising it as psychological warfare. On December 31, Hagar Mizrahi, a forensic officer with Israel’s Health Ministry, informed local TV that examinations of deceased captives retrieved indicated reasons of death inconsistent with Hamas’ claim that they perished in air strikes.
However, Israel has made it plain that it is cognizant of the threats to hostages posed by its attack and is taking measures.
“The military operation takes time. It obligates us to be precise, and we are adapting it in accordance with the threats and the hostages who are in the field,” chief armed forces spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari was quoted as saying by Reuters in its report.
Around half of the 240 persons detained by Hamas in an Oct. 7 cross-border killing spree that launched the war were released in a November truce. Israel claims that 132 people remain in Gaza, with 25 of them dying in captivity.
The hostage scenario has fascinated Israelis who are still suffering from the greatest attack in their country’s history. Some family of captives have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to propose another truce or perhaps end the conflict. He has sworn to battle until Hamas is defeated, which he claims would allow the hostages to be released.
Netanyahu stated in parliament last month that he had requested Beijing to assist in the release of Argamani, whose mother Liora is Chinese. Liora Argamani, who has a fatal condition, has asked to be reunited with her daughter before she dies.
