Hamas Releases Video of Hostage Amid Ongoing Tensions

On Monday, Hamas unveiled a video featuring a hostage taken from Israel during the harrowing attacks on October 7. This revelation comes in the wake of the Israeli military’s announcement that it had recovered six deceased captives from a tunnel in Gaza, sparking widespread protests and labor strikes across the nation.

The approximately two-minute video showcases Eden Yerushalmi, a 24-year-old who was working as a bartender at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on the day of the attack. The specific timing of the video’s recording remains uncertain.

According to the Israeli health ministry, the six hostages recovered from Gaza were found to have been shot at close range sometime between Thursday and Friday morning, as indicated by forensic examinations. This grim discovery has intensified the emotional turmoil surrounding the situation.

In the video, Ms. Yerushalmi conveys heartfelt messages to her family, expressing deep affection for her parents and two sisters, and articulating how much she misses them. Her appearance reflects distress, with dark circles under her eyes, yet her speech carries a sense of animation.

Human rights organizations and international law experts highlight that hostage videos are typically recorded under duress, suggesting that the statements made within them are often coerced. Israeli officials have characterized these videos as a form of “psychological warfare,” and experts warn that their production may constitute a war crime. The conditions surrounding the filming of this particular video remain ambiguous, with the footage appearing to have undergone editing prior to its release.

The video was disseminated through Hamas’s social media channels around 10 p.m. local time in Israel. Earlier that same day, Hamas had released an edited compilation featuring all six slain hostages, hinting at the possibility of more videos being published in the imminent hours or days.