The families of five Israeli women who were taken hostage by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 released a disturbing video showing the women being captured, with their hands bound and faces bloodied. The captors are seen calling the women “dogs” and threatening to shoot them. The video was released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which is comprised of families whose loved ones were kidnapped by Hamas. The group has been pressuring the Israeli government to work towards bringing the hostages home.
The women in the video were identified as Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa, and Naama Levy. Two other individuals were also abducted from the same base, with one being rescued after 23 days and the other tragically killed in captivity. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed horror at the video and vowed to do everything possible to bring the hostages home. The video, captured by bodycams worn by the captors, shows the captives being subjected to violent and humiliating treatment on the day of their abduction.
Despite the release of the video, Hamas has claimed that the footage is fragmented and manipulated, casting doubt on its authenticity. In the video, the captors are seen threatening the women and treating them with cruelty. The women are seen interacting with their captors, with one trying to communicate in English and another being questioned about her origins. The footage also shows the captors praying while the women sit against a wall, and one captor making derogatory remarks about the hostages in Arabic.
In the video, the captors can be heard blaming the women for the deaths of their “brothers” and threatening to shoot them, all while the women appear terrified and traumatized. The captives are seen being hurried into a waiting vehicle, with one of them appearing to be injured and hopping on one foot. The footage, while edited and censored by an unknown party, offers a glimpse into the harsh reality faced by the women during their captivity. The families of the hostages continue to demand action from the Israeli government to secure the safe return of their loved ones.
