Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned a video released by Hamas, calling it “cruel psychological propaganda.” The video, which was released on Monday, shows three hostages who were seized by the Islamist movement on October 7. Netanyahu identified the hostages as Yelena Trupanob, Danielle Aloni, and Rimon Kirsht.
In the video, the three women are seen sitting against a bare wall, with Aloni delivering an angry message to the prime minister. She accuses Netanyahu of failing to protect Israeli citizens during the Hamas attack and failing to bring them back home. Aloni calls for an agreement to secure their release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, expressing her disappointment in Netanyahu’s alleged political, security, military, and diplomatic failure.
In response, Netanyahu released a statement reiterating his commitment to bringing the hostages home. He condemned Hamas for committing war crimes and expressed his support for the captives and their families.
The families of the hostages were scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day to address the situation.
This video is the second hostage message released by Hamas, following an earlier clip featuring 21-year-old Franco-Israeli woman Mia Schem, which was released on October 17.
According to Israeli authorities, at least 239 hostages, including both Israelis and foreigners, were taken captive during the Hamas attack, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1,400 people.
The presence of the hostages in Gaza has complicated the ongoing ground operation conducted by Israeli forces. The operation began last week after a series of intense air strikes, which Palestinian authorities claim have resulted in the deaths of over 8,000 people.
So far, four hostages have been released. However, efforts to secure additional releases through back channel negotiations coordinated by Qatar have been put on hold since the start of the ground operation.
Reporting by Maayan Lubell and James Mackenzie. Editing by Jon Boyle.
