Palestinian Hostage Pleads with Israeli Prime Minister in Video Released by Hamas
October 30, 2023
In a shocking video released by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday, three women among the more than 230 hostages held by the group in the Gaza Strip made an impassioned plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The hostages, who were reportedly seized during Hamas’ terror rampage on October 7, criticized Netanyahu for failing to prevent the attack and secure their release.
The short video clip, showing the three women seated together, was released amidst the mounting fury of the Israeli military’s ground and air attacks against Hamas. It is unclear how willingly the woman who spoke gave her remarks, or how much of her statement might have been dictated by Hamas.
The woman who spoke in the video was identified as Daniel Aloni, who was kidnapped with her daughter while visiting family at Kibbutz Nir Oz, the site of the brutal Hamas attack. Aloni addressed Netanyahu directly, accusing him of political and military failure, despite promising to free all the hostages.
Referring to what she called “a mistake” made by Israel’s leaders on October 7, Aloni criticized the lack of support and protection from the government, without specifying the nature of the mistake.
Continuing her message, presumably under the influence of Hamas militants, Aloni questioned if the Israeli government intended to kill all the hostages through its military actions. She urged for their immediate release, echoing Hamas’ suggestion that all the hostages could be freed in exchange for the release of Hamas members held in Israeli prisons.
Aloni became increasingly emotional and shouted into the camera, demanding their release “now” and pleading for the Israeli government to set them all free and allow them to return to their families.
In response to the video, Netanyahu’s office condemned it as “cruel psychological propaganda” by Hamas and vowed to do everything possible to secure the release of the kidnapped individuals. Netanyahu’s statement included a message directly to Aloni and the other hostages, expressing solidarity and promising to bring them back home.
Two other women in the video, Yelena Trupanov and Ramon Kirsht, were also believed to have been abducted from different locations. Hamas has only released four hostages so far, citing humanitarian reasons for their release. An elderly Israeli woman, who was abducted from the same attack, revealed that she was treated gently by her captors after being initially beaten.
This video marks the first time a captive has been seen or heard delivering a statement, despite previous videos released by Hamas showing hostages. Hamas has alleged that more than 50 of the hostages have been killed during Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu has emphasized that the release of the hostages is a top priority for his government. In a positive development, the Israeli military announced that an IDF soldier, Private Ori Megidish, was released during ground operations in Gaza. Megidish was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and has since been reunited with her family.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, with international efforts ongoing to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of all hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.