Hamas on Saturday released a video purportedly showing an Israeli hostage in Gaza, who was pleading with the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government to cease bombardment and secure his release.
The man, who was identified as Elkana Bohbot online, had been abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack in Gaza. The video has since its release been shared across social media.
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HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, including when and where in the Gaza strip it was recorded.
The three-minute long video, shows the man speaking in Hebrew and addressing Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to secure his release by stopping strikes in Gaza.
Hostage asks for bombardment to end
Bohbot said that the ongoing bombardment could cost him his life, pleading to be reunited with his wife and son.
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He says in the video, “I asked to record this video, not Hamas. This is not psychological warfare. The real psychological warfare is me waking up without seeing my son, my wife. This makes my health not well. Do you not understand? I want to get out of here!”
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While crying and ripping his shirt in distress, he added, “You struck a deal and got the others out. Why not us? Why can’t my son say ‘Baba’, why is my wife alone?”
He criticised the drone strikes against Hamas as well, saying, “We are under bombardment for 24 hours. There are explosions everywhere. They say you are trying to get us out using force. This will only kill us, why can you not comprehend that.”
The footage, released by Hamas’ armed wing Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, is the second video released this week with hostages calling for a truce.
After Israel renewed its offensive in Gaza, Hamas has warned that the strikes aimed against them could put the hostages in danger.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in captivity in Gaza.
