Message from hell
Hamas releases new hostage video
April 24, 2024, 8:21 p.m
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Psychological terror is part of Hamas’ toolkit. The Islamists demonstrate their mastery of this with a hostage video: A 24-year-old describes the underground hell of the Gaza tunnels. And he blames his own government for not yet bringing the abductees home.
The Islamist Hamas has once again released a video of a hostage kidnapped from Israel. It shows a 24-year-old man who makes serious accusations against the Israeli government. They failed to protect the Israeli citizens and abandoned them – the hostages for almost 200 days.
It was initially unclear under what circumstances the video was made and whether the man spoke of his own free will or under threats. The recording was also not dated, but the Hamas massacre was 201 days ago. The man who was abducted from the Nova music festival also said in the video that Israeli army airstrikes had killed 70 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
However, Israel says it does not currently know how many of the people abducted to the Gaza Strip are dead or under what conditions they died. Until a few weeks ago, Israel assumed that almost 100 of the approximately 130 remaining hostages were still alive. But there are now fears that significantly more of them could already be dead. The news site ynet recently wrote. “The hostages are dying; according to estimates, less than half of them are still alive today.”
“In an underground hell”
The people kidnapped from Israel are in an “underground hell” without food, water and medical treatment, the kidnapped man said in the video published by the terrorist organization’s military wing, the so-called Kassam Brigades. He also called on the Israeli government to bring the hostages home.
In the photos, the young man can be seen with a missing forearm. According to Israeli media, his forearm was torn off when Gaza terrorists threw grenades into a hideout where he and others had sought shelter on October 7. The man is reportedly an Israeli and American citizen. He asked his family to stay strong for him, he said in the video. His mother is campaigning strongly for his release on the international stage. Among other things, she gave emotional speeches at a major rally in Washington and at the United Nations in Geneva.
“With every day that passes, the fear of losing even more innocent lives increases,” said the hostage relatives forum after the “harrowing” video was published. “We cannot afford to waste any more time. The hostages must be our top priority.” For more than 200 days, the hostages have endured daily physical, sexual and psychological torment, the statement added. Hamas has already shown footage of the people abducted from Israel several times. Videos of this kind are classified by Israel as psychological terror against relatives.