Three Israeli women who are being held captive by the terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip are seen in a propaganda film produced by Hamas on Monday. The ladies chastise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to achieve their release and charging him with failing to stop the terror group’s horrific attack on October 7.
The women’s video, whose statement was most likely predetermined by their kidnappers, was not readily available as to when or where it was shot.
The ladies were named as Danielle Aloni, Rimon Buchshtab Kirsht, and Lena Trupanov by the Prime Minister’s Office shortly after the video was released. Their families also declared that an evening news conference would be held.
Along with her 6-year-old daughter Emilia, Aloni was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Palestinian militants. Along with their twin 3-year-old kids, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law were also abducted into hostilities in Gaza.
Trupanov, her husband Vitali was slain by terrorists, and she was abducted from Nir Oz together with her son Sasha and mother Irena.
At their Kibbutz Nirim residence, Kirsht and her companion Yagev Buchshtab were apprehended.
During the shock attack on southern Israel three weeks ago, when about 2,500 terrorists stormed across the Gaza frontier in a multipronged attack and killed over 1,400 people, most of them civilians slaughtered in their homes and at an outdoor music festival, the three were among at least 243 hostages dragged into the Strip by Hamas and allied terror factions.
Women, the elderly, and children—some of whom are still in diapers—are among the detainees, who are mostly civilians. The number of those that are still living is unknown.
Following the October 7 incident, Qatar, home to both a US military base and Hamas’s political office, mediated the release of four hostages held by Hamas: an American-Israeli mother and daughter and two elderly Israeli ladies.
Israel has pledged to overthrow Gaza’s ruling party, Hamas, in retaliation for the killings and to exhaust all legal options to rescue all of the captives. The Israel Defense Forces have launched heavy bombings into the Gaza Strip in addition to sending soldiers and tanks there, but they haven’t gone all out on the ground offensive—possibly to prevent jeopardizing the hostage-freeing operations.
Along with exploiting the talks for the release of the detainees it is holding to purchase time and resources for its military assault, Hamas is believed to be utilizing a variety of psychological strategies to sow discord and erode Israeli resolve as the IDF has expanded its offensive in Gaza.
The hostage film that was made public on Monday was criticized by the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement as “cruel psychological propaganda” made by Hamas.
“I embrace you. My heart is with you and the rest of the captives,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying, addressing the hostages’ families. “We are doing everything to bring home all the captives and those missing.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid said he had told the government that he would support any effort to bring the hostages back from Gaza.
“We will give our full support to any decision, any step and any price that will ensure the return of the hostages,” Lapid said at the beginning of the Yesh Atid party’s faction meeting in the Knesset. said.
“At the same time, we must take painful steps to ensure their return to their homes,” he added, saying the social contract between citizens and the state “will be broken” until all captives, Israeli and non-Israeli, are repatriated. .
On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant dismissed Hamas’s alleged offer to release all its captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons as the terror group’s “psychological tricks”, rejecting calls from some families to accept the apparent deal.
Gallant, in his meeting with the relatives of some hostages known to be held in Gaza by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, said, “Nothing will progress unless there is military pressure on Hamas.”
The talks with Gallant came a day after Netanyahu held a similar meeting on Saturday amid complaints that the government was not paying enough attention to the issue.
Also on Saturday, Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said the group was ready for an “immediate” prisoner swap with Israel.
According to AFP, the day before, Hamas spokesman Abu Ubeida demanded that Israel release all Palestinians imprisoned for terrorism-related crimes in exchange for the Israeli hostages it is holding. Dozens of hostages are believed to be held by terrorist organizations other than Hamas.
Anger against the government has increased among the families of the hostages in recent days, as Israel launched the first phase of its ground operation in Gaza. Some relatives fear this could put the hostages’ lives at risk.
The meetings with Netanyahu and Gallant were the families’ first meetings with the pair and came after they made a public request to be allowed to speak to them.
Gal Hirsch, the government’s key man on the hostage issue, said Sunday that negotiations were continuing and every effort was being made to reach the kidnapped people and obtain information. “We really want to be successful with this and get all the families back home safely,” Hirsch said.
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