Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages alive in Gaza
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Israeli media identified the men in the three-minute video as Mr Elkana Bohbot and Mr Yosef Haim Ohana, who were kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
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JERUSALEM - Hamas’ armed wing released a video on May 10 showing two Israeli hostages alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling for an end to the 19-month-long war.
The pair were identified by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group as Mr Elkana Bohbot and Mr Yosef Haim Ohana, who were kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel
The undated three-minute video released by Hamas’ Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades shows one of the hostages, 36-year-old Mr Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket.
The second hostage, Mr Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives – a similar message to statements made by other hostages, likely under duress, in previous videos released by Hamas.
In a statement, Mr Bohbot’s family said “Elkana and Yosef are crying out to be saved. While all the people of Israel hear their calls, a handful of decision-makers refuse to listen”, echoing criticism of the Israeli government for failing to bring back the hostages.
“How much more can we bear? How much more can they endure? The fact that they are still there is a disgrace,” the family said.
Late on May 10, Israeli demonstrators calling for the release of the hostages and an end to the war gathered outside the Defence Ministry headquarters in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
AFP images showed some protesters holding pictures of the hostages and placards that read “we can save the rest” and “all of them now”.
Uncertainty
Mr Bohbot, a Colombian-Israeli, was seen bound and injured in the face in footage from the day of the Hamas attack, and his family has expressed concern about his health.
Mr Bohbot and Mr Ohana, both abducted by Palestinian militants from the site of a music festival, are among 58 hostages still held in Gaza since the 2023 attack, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas also holds the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a 2014 war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 7 that the fate of three hostages presumed alive was unclear, without naming them. “We know with certainty that 21 hostages are alive... and there are three others whose status, sadly, we do not know,” Mr Netanyahu said, in a video shared on his Telegram channel.
Israel resumed its military offensive across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after a two-month truce that saw the release of dozens of hostages.
Since the ceasefire collapsed, Hamas has released several videos of hostages, including of the two who appear in the May 10 video. Israel says the renewed offensive aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives, although critics charge that it puts them in mortal danger.
Hamas’ October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on May 10 that at least 2,701 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,810. AFP
