Hamas has released a video of three Israeli hostages it has been holding for more than three months. The video, which was broadcast on Sunday, marks the 100th day of the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted after a deadly cross-border raid by the group on October 7.
The hostages, identified as Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, appeared in the 37-second video with no signs of injury or distress. They did not speak, but looked at the camera with blank expressions. The video ended with a ominous message: “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate.”
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop its military offensive against the group, which has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and wounded over 10,000, according to Gaza health officials.
Israel has said that it will not stop until it destroys Hamas’ military infrastructure and prevents it from launching rockets and tunnels into its territory.
Hamas has also claimed that some of the hostages may have died in Israeli airstrikes, which have targeted Hamas’ headquarters, weapons depots, and tunnels. The group has warned that it will execute the remaining hostages if Israel does not halt its attacks.
Israel has dismissed Hamas’ claims and threats as psychological warfare, and said that it is doing everything possible to protect the hostages and secure their release. Hagar Mizrahi, a forensic official, said that the autopsies of the hostages who died in captivity showed that they were not killed by airstrikes, but by other causes.
Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli armed forces, said that the military operation is precise and takes into account the risks to the hostages.
Of the 240 Israelis who were captured by Hamas in the October 7 raid, which sparked the war, about half were freed in a ceasefire agreement in November. Israel has reported that 132 hostages are still in Gaza, and 25 have died in captivity.
The hostage situation has caused anguish and anger among Israelis, who have demanded that the government end the war or negotiate a truce with Hamas. Some relatives of the hostages have staged protests and vigils, calling for their loved ones to be brought home.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is defeated, saying that this is the only way to ensure the release of the hostages.
One of the hostages, Noa Argamani, has a terminally ill mother, Liora, who is Chinese. She has made a tearful appeal for her daughter’s freedom, saying that she wants to see her before she dies. Netanyahu has asked China, which has close ties with Hamas, to help in securing Noa Argamani’s release.
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