Benjamin Netanyahu on ‘cruel’ Hamas hostage video: ‘Psychological propaganda’

Hamas has released a video allegedly showing three women captured during its October 7 attack inside Israel.

One of the women delivers a brief statement, likely under duress, criticizing Israel’s response to the hostage crisis. Hamas captured around 240 people during the deadly raid and said that they will release them in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

It was not immediately possible to verify the identity of the women in the 76-second video. Hamas said the women were “Zionist detainees”.

The women are seen in the video sitting on plastic chairs against a white tile wall as one of the them urges Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a prisoner exchange for the release of all captives. Speaking in Hebrew, the woman becomes very agitated and starts shouting, almost screaming by the end. The other two sitting either side of her remain silent, AFP reported.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu called the Hamas hostage video “cruel psychological propaganda”.

“This is cruel psychological propaganda by Hamas-ISIS,” he said in comments released by his office soon after the video was released likening Hamas to the Islamic State group. Benjamin Netanyahu named the three women as Yelena Trupanob, Daniel Aloni and Rimon Kirsht, and vowed “to bring all the abducted and missing people home”.

This comes as Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza, advancing on two sides of the territory’s main city. The UN and medical staff warned that airstrikes have hit closer to hospitals where tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter.