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Hamas has released a short video showing three women who are believed to be captives held by the Palestinian militant group since its terror attack on Israel on October 7.
The hostage video is only the second released by Hamas since more than 200 people were taken into Gaza. It appears to be intended to undermine Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with pointed criticism over his leadership by the detained women.
The video shows them seated in plastic chairs facing the camera, while the woman in the middle addresses Netanyahu directly with increasing fury.
She makes reference to a press conference by families of the hostages “yesterday,” suggesting it was filmed on Monday.
The video comes just days after progress in hostage negotiations fell through, a fact referenced by the speaker who mentions a supposed “ceasefire”.
Israeli leaders on Friday dismissed talks of a breakthrough as a rumour as they announced an expansion of the ground campaign.
The woman speaks fluently and does not appear to be reading from a script, but because the women are hostages, the statement could have been made under duress.
“You promised to release us all,” she says, suggesting she is aware of hostage negotiations. She finishes with a demand to “free us all,” screaming: “Now! Now! Now!”
Relatives of the hostages have named the women as Elena Trupanov, Danielle Alony and Ramon Kirsht. Aloni is the speaker.
The women do not show visible signs of physical mistreatment, but CNN is unable to verify anything about their circumstances or wellbeing.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed the names in a brief statement, addressing the women, “who were kidnapped by Hamas who 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,” the office statement read.
German woman taken hostage found dead
Shani Louk, a German-Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack and taken to Gaza, has been found dead, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
“We are devastated to share that the body of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani (Louk) was found and identified,” the ministry posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
Louk was at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7 when Hamas breached the border between Gaza and Israel.
They blocked off the road to the festival from the north and the south, before swarming the sprawling site on foot, videos showed. The militants then encircled the crowds on three sides, gunning them down and forcing them to flee over fields to the east.
More than 260 bodies were found at the Nova festival site itself, according to Israeli rescue service Zaka but, based on CNN’s analysis, the total death toll could be even higher.
Louk was kidnapped at the festival and “tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists,” the foreign ministry statement said, adding that she “experienced unfathomable horrors.”
“May her memory be a blessing,” the statement said.
Captive female Israeli soldier released
A female Israeli soldier who had been kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 has been released during ground operations in Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces said on Monday.
“Overnight, the soldier PVT Ori Megidish was released during IDF ground operations,” the IDF said in a statement, adding, “the soldier was medically checked, is doing well, and has met with her family.”
