NEW DELHI: Israeli television has aired footage of five female soldiers that were captured by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 raid that triggered the Gaza war.
“These girls are still in the captivity of Hamas. Please don’t look away,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters. “Watch the film. Support Israel in bringing our people home.”
The footage shows the young women, all of them stunned and some bloodied, being bound and bundled into a jeep.
“I have friends in Palestine,” one of the conscripts, 19-year-old Naama Levy, pleads in English.
One of the gunmen can be heard shouting back in Arabic: “You are dogs! We will step on you, dogs!”
Another gunman tells a captive: “You’re beautiful.”
Hamas defended its fighters’ conduct and called the video a bid to manipulate public opinion.
The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of the 124 people – mostly civilians – still held by Hamas, said in a statement that the footage was recovered from bodycams worn by gunmen who attacked the Nahal Oz base in southern Israel where the women served as surveillance spotters.
Israel says 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted in the Oct. 7 attack led by Hamas. Israel responded by launching an offensive to eliminate the Iranian-backed Islamist group in which Gaza health authorities say more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel’s military says 286 Israeli soldiers have also been killed.
Netanyahu’s government says continued military pressure will force Hamas to yield. Hostage families fear their loved ones will not survive and that the women captives could be raped.
“So please, please do whatever you can to, to bring them home,” Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniela is a hostage, told Reuters. “They suffer there every minute, every second. And every minute is important.”
Hamas has denied allegations of sexual abuse by its men, and said the video was meant to advance “fabricated narratives”.
(With inputs from agency )
“These girls are still in the captivity of Hamas. Please don’t look away,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters. “Watch the film. Support Israel in bringing our people home.”
The footage shows the young women, all of them stunned and some bloodied, being bound and bundled into a jeep.
“I have friends in Palestine,” one of the conscripts, 19-year-old Naama Levy, pleads in English.
One of the gunmen can be heard shouting back in Arabic: “You are dogs! We will step on you, dogs!”
Another gunman tells a captive: “You’re beautiful.”
Hamas defended its fighters’ conduct and called the video a bid to manipulate public opinion.
The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of the 124 people – mostly civilians – still held by Hamas, said in a statement that the footage was recovered from bodycams worn by gunmen who attacked the Nahal Oz base in southern Israel where the women served as surveillance spotters.
Israel says 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted in the Oct. 7 attack led by Hamas. Israel responded by launching an offensive to eliminate the Iranian-backed Islamist group in which Gaza health authorities say more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel’s military says 286 Israeli soldiers have also been killed.
Netanyahu’s government says continued military pressure will force Hamas to yield. Hostage families fear their loved ones will not survive and that the women captives could be raped.
“So please, please do whatever you can to, to bring them home,” Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniela is a hostage, told Reuters. “They suffer there every minute, every second. And every minute is important.”
Hamas has denied allegations of sexual abuse by its men, and said the video was meant to advance “fabricated narratives”.
(With inputs from agency )