Gaza militants release video showing elderly woman, young boy held hostage by Reuters
JERUSALEM, Nov 9 (Reuters) – The armed wing of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in Gaza released a video on Thursday showing an elderly woman and a young boy who were among around 240 hostages seized by militant gunmen who attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
The militants said they are prepared to release the two for humanitarian and medical reasons once appropriate conditions were met. It was not specified what those conditions might be.
The Israeli military has stated that Gaza-based Palestinian militants seized the hostages during an assault on southern Israeli communities that killed some 1,400 Israelis and foreigners.
The majority of the hostages are believed to be in the hands of Hamas, but Islamic Jihad has claimed to hold at least 30 captives. This latest video is the third to be released by Gaza militants, who have so far freed four captives. The last pair released were two 85-year-old women who returned to Israel on Oct. 23.
In the video, the elderly woman spoke of missing her children and expressed hope that she would be able to see them soon. She was reportedly seated in a wheelchair as she spoke.
No immediate comment has been made by Israeli authorities regarding the video and the conditions set by Islamic Jihad for the release of the hostages.
Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi, Emily Rose, Yomna Ehab, Enas Alashray and Jana Choukier; Writing by Crispian Balmer; editing by Mark Heinrich