Hamas armed faction, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Qassam Brigades, released a video on Saturday (May 10) showing that two Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip are still alive. One of the hostages appeals to the Israeli government to end the 19-month-long war.
According to the French news agency, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel confirmed that the hostages in the video are 36-year-old Elkana Bohbot and 24-year-old Yosef Haim Ohana. The two were kidnapped at a music festival on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a terror attack against Israel.
The video, approximately 3 minutes long, does not indicate the filming date. In the footage, Bohbot appears weak, lying on the ground covered only with a blanket; Ohana speaks in Hebrew, pleading with the Israeli government to stop its military operations in Gaza and to rescue all hostages. Similar appeals have appeared in previous hostage videos released by Hamas, with many speculating that these statements may have been made under duress.
Bohbot holds dual citizenship of Colombia and Israel, and images captured during the attack on October 7, 2023, showed him with bound hands and facial injuries, causing great concern for his family regarding his health.
Currently, including Bohbot and Ohana, there are still 58 hostages being held by Hamas, with 34 individuals determined by the Israeli military to have died. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement on social media on Wednesday (May 7), stating that 21 hostages are known to be alive, while the whereabouts of 3 others remain unknown.
Following a brief ceasefire ending on March 18th, which lasted two months, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza with the aim of completely destroying Hamas’ military capabilities and forcing the release of hostages. Hamas has released multiple hostage videos in the past, attempting to generate public pressure to compel the Israeli government to halt its offensive actions.