An armed wing of Hamas has released a video showing an Israeli hostage pleading for his release. In the video footage released, Elkana Bohbot, who was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, could be seen calling on the Israeli government to secure his freedom.
The video footage of the hostage was approved for publication by his family. It marked the second proof-of-life video of Bohbot recently. He is one of 59 hostages still held by the terrorist group Hamas. The three-minute video, spoken in Hebrew, is the second hostage footage shared by Hamas in recent days.
Directing his words towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bohbot said in the video, “For the second time, I am prisoner number 22.” “I am the one who asked to record the video. Hamas did not tell me to record the video. This is not psychological warfare. The real psychological war is me waking up without seeing my son, without my wife,” he said.
Bohbot, 36, worked as a contractor and was a member of the Histadrut for 15 years. He was part of the production team at the Nova music festival on October 7, where he helped treat and evacuate wounded concertgoers before being abducted by Hamas terrorists. He and his wife, Rivka, have a five-year-old son. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed Bohbot’s identity, stating that he was seen earlier this week in another video alongside captive Yosef Haim Ohana.
In the newly released video, Bohbot was seen expressing his concerns over Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and the danger they pose to the hostages. He appeals to the Israeli government for his release, saying he wishes to be reunited with his wife and son. Since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18 after a temporary ceasefire, Hamas has warned that continued military actions could endanger the lives of the remaining hostages.
Of the 251 individuals taken captive during the October 7 attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, with the Israeli military stating that 34 of them are presumed dead. Israel’s renewed military campaign in Gaza has resulted in significant casualties, with nearly a dozen people killed on Saturday alone, according to the region’s civil defence agency.
The hostilities have led to mounting calls for a renewed ceasefire agreement. Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said that ceasefire negotiations were gaining momentum.
“We hope that the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days,” Naim said in a statement on Friday.
On Saturday evening, thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government reach a deal to bring the hostages home. Some of the demonstrators included former hostages and relatives of those still in captivity.
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