Hamas Video Captures Release of Woman and Two Children.
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have unveiled a video seemingly depicting the liberation of a female captive along with two children.
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have published a video depicting the apparent release of a female hostage and two children. The footage, which aired on Al Jazeera on Wednesday night, was filmed from a distance, revealing the unidentified woman and the children seen from behind.
Presumably Hamas fighters, the men are observed departing after leaving them in an open area near a fence, possibly demarcating the border between Israel and Gaza. The video’s exact date remains uncertain. Israel dismissed the video as a “theatrical display,” with Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military spokesperson for Arab media, stating in Arabic, “After the entire world witnessed its brutal nature, as a terrorist organization responsible for the execution of numerous innocent children and women in a horrific massacre, Hamas is attempting to manipulate the truth by releasing a propaganda video through its media outlets.” He added, “The truth is unequivocal and will become even clearer in the coming days. Hamas is more reprehensible than ISIS, and we will persistently and vigorously combat it,” referring to the ISIL (ISIS) extremist group.
In an official statement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassem Brigades, declared that the woman in question held Israeli citizenship.
According to a report by the AFP news agency, the statement conveyed, “Following the confrontations, an Israeli settler along with her two children have been released from detention.”
Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera’s correspondent stationed in West Jerusalem, noted that Israeli media appears to be skeptical about the video’s authenticity. She reported, “Israeli media is taking the video with a degree of skepticism. One journalist mentioned that Hamas might be engaging in damage control, suggesting that it’s a staged media event. Other Israeli news outlets are claiming that the release took place earlier, potentially on Saturday, and that Hamas is using it as an attempt to enhance its global image at this juncture.”
“The images continue to circulate throughout the nation, having recently been broadcasted on Al Jazeera, and people are still coming to terms with what they’ve witnessed,” she remarked. Abdel-Hamid also noted that there have been diverse and conflicting reactions to the video so far.
Hamas took approximately 150 individuals captive on Saturday during its unprecedented attack on Israel, prompting an immediate declaration of war by Israel against Gaza. Over the course of five relentless days of Israeli airstrikes, Gaza’s health ministry reports that more than 1,050 people, including numerous civilians, have lost their lives, while over 5,000 others have sustained injuries.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees reports that a quarter of a million individuals have been forced to flee their homes in the Palestinian enclave, which has been completely blockaded by Israel, resulting in what observers describe as a “humanitarian disaster.” The Israeli military, on the other hand, has stated that over 1,200 individuals, including 155 soldiers, have lost their lives in Israel since Saturday.
