Hamas aired a video on Sunday featuring three Israeli hostages held in Gaza, urging their government to halt the offensive against the Palestinian group and secure their release. The 37-second video of Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, concluded with the statement, “Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate.”
Hamas reported on Sunday that it had lost contact with some hostages during Israeli shelling in Gaza, suggesting they may have been killed. At the war’s onset, Hamas had threatened to execute hostages in response to Israeli military strikes.
Israeli officials generally refrain from responding to Hamas’ public messages on hostages, considering it psychological warfare. Hagar Mizrahi, a forensic official with Israel’s Health Ministry, stated on Dec. 31 that autopsies of recovered hostages found causes of death inconsistent with Hamas’ claim that they died in airstrikes.
Israel acknowledges the risks to hostages from its offensive and emphasizes taking precautions. Chief Armed Forces Spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari stated on Sunday, “The military operation takes time. It obligates us to be precise, and we are adapting it in accordance with the threats and the hostages who are in the field.”
Of the 240 people seized by Hamas on Oct. 7 in a cross-border killing spree that triggered the war, around half were released in a November truce. Israel reports that 132 remain in Gaza, with 25 having died in captivity.
The hostage crisis captivates Israelis in the aftermath of the worst attack in their history. Some relatives of hostages have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue another truce or halt the war. Netanyahu, however, pledges to continue until Hamas is destroyed, asserting that this would facilitate the hostages’ release.
Last month, Netanyahu informed parliament that he sought Beijing’s help to free Argamani, whose mother Liora is Chinese. Liora Argamani, grappling with a terminal illness, appeals to be reunited with her daughter before her passing.
