Hamas released a new video Saturday showing Israeli hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 582 days after the two were abducted during the terror group’s October 7 attack on Gaza border communities at the Nova music festival. This marks the fourth clip showing Bohbot since the start of the war in Gaza after a third one was released by the terror group back in April.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum issued a statement shortly after reports of the video's release, saying any footage from it will be released only following the families' consent. Some 59 hostages remain in captivity, with 24 on its list of those believed to be alive. The fate of three of them is considered in serious doubt.
Saturday’s footage is the latest in a series of weekly videos published by Hamas in recent weeks, part of what analysts see as a strategy to pressure the Israeli government into reaching a hostage release and ceasefire deal.
On March 24, after 535 days in captivity, Hamas released a video showing the two hostages. The footage and statements were published at the request of their families, though it's assumed the messages were dictated by their captors as part of Hamas's psychological warfare strategy. The family of Ohad Ben Ami, a former hostage held with the two men, confirmed that his name was mentioned in the video.
Video showing Yosef-Chaim Ohana and Elkana Bohbot previously released by Hamas
“Enough. Enough with this government's silencing. Stop it. Let the prisoners speak. Stop shutting their mouths — let the truth come out," Bohbot said in the clip. "Anyone who gets out of this place should speak. Why is everyone staying silent?"
Since that video, additional footage has emerged showing only Bohbot. A resident of Mevaseret Zion, Bohbot marked his 36th birthday in captivity six weeks ago. During the October 7 attack, he helped treat and evacuate the wounded. He and his wife Rivka are parents to a four-year-old son.
Ohana, 24, from Kiryat Malakhi, was also abducted from the Nova music festival. He worked as a bartender, was an avid reader and had plans to become a life coach. During the attack, he and a friend who had joined him at the festival helped evacuate injured people, assisting medics and delivering the wounded to ambulances waiting outside the site.