Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, released a video on Monday, showing three women believed to be captives held by the organization since a terror attack on Israel that occurred on October 7. This video marks only the second released by Hamas since over 200 individuals were taken into Gaza, and it appears to be aimed at undermining the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with pointed criticism expressed by the detained women.
In the video, the three women are seated in plastic chairs, facing the camera. The woman in the middle addresses Netanyahu directly, her anger growing increasingly evident. She references a press conference held by the families of the hostages, suggesting that the video was filmed on Monday.
This video release comes shortly after progress in hostage negotiations fell through, as referenced by the speaker, who mentions a supposed "ceasefire." Israeli leaders had dismissed talks of a breakthrough in negotiations as a rumor and announced an expansion of their ground campaign on Friday.
The woman speaking in the video appears fluent and does not seem to be reading from a script. However, given their status as hostages, it raises concerns that the statement may have been made under duress. She states, "You promised to release us all," indicating awareness of ongoing hostage negotiations, and concludes with a fervent demand for their release, repeatedly shouting, "Now! Now! Now!"
Relatives of the hostages have identified the women as Elena Trupanov, Danielle Alony, and Ramon Kirsht, with Aloni being the speaker in the video. The women do not display visible signs of physical mistreatment, but CNN has been unable to verify any details regarding their circumstances or well-being.
In response to the video, Netanyahu's office confirmed the names of the hostages in a brief statement, addressing the women "who were kidnapped by Hamas, who commits war crimes." The statement continued, "I hug you. Our hearts go out to you and the other abductees. We are doing everything to bring all the kidnapped and missing people home."
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