Hostages held by Palestinian Hamas militants give a statement in this handout video grab obtained by Reuters. (Image: Reuters)
Netanyahu said the video of hostages Daniel Aloni, Yelena Trupanov and Ramon Kirsht where Aloni is talking about Netanyahu’s failures is ‘cruel psychological’ Hamas propaganda.
The Hamas terrorist group released a video of three Israeli female hostages on Monday (local time) where the hostages are calling for a prisoner swap. Western media outlets speculated that the statements made by the hostages were possibly dictated by Hamas.
In the video message three women (presumably middle-aged) are seen sitting in a chair and pleading to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a prisoner swap and criticising him for failing to prevent the Hamas attack and holding him responsible for the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Independent video journalist Mario Nawfal and other outlets reposted the video on social media site X.
BREAKING: Israeli Prisoners held by Hamas Send a Message to Netanyahu and Israeli GovernmentIsraeli hostages: ”We have been detained for 23 days and there should have been a ceasefire
You should have released us all
We are innocent citizens paying the price for your… pic.twitter.com/YVVabc5AFm
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 30, 2023
“You promised to free us all. Instead we bear your political and military failure. No one came. No one was watching over us. (Do you) want to kill us all? Do you want to kill us all with an army? Release us now. Release their prisoners. Set us all free. Let us return to our families! Now! Now!” Daniel Aloni, who was kidnapped with her daughter as they visited family at Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, was recorded saying on camera.
Sitting beside her were Yelena Trupanov and Ramon Kirsht. Yelena was possibly abducted from Nir Oz, while the third woman, Kirsht, may have been abducted from Kibbutz Nirim, a report by CBS News said.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Hamas for launching a ‘cruel psychological propaganda’.
“(This is) cruel psychological propaganda. I turn to Yelena Trupanov, Daniel Aloni and Ramon Kirsht who were kidnapped by Hamas which commits war crimes. I hug you. Our hearts go out to you and the other abductees. We are doing everything to bring all the kidnapped and missing people home,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Hamas released videos of hostages before as well but this is the first time they have released a video where the hostages are seen speaking or delivering a statement.
The Israeli army also secured the release of a female soldier, Private Ori Megidish, during a ground operation in Gaza. The IDF said Megidish was released during IDF ground operations” in Gaza after being “kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organisation on October 7th.”
Israel is moving around in Gaza slowly in order to ensure channels of communication with Hamas remain open so that hostages can be freed.
