Videos show 6 Israeli hostages celebrating Hanukkah in Gaza tunnel months before they were killed
Newly released videos show six Israeli hostages celebrating Hanukkah in a tunnel in Gaza, months before they were killed by Hamas in August 2024.
Two of the clips show hostages discreetly lighting makeshift candles on a menorah made from disposable cups. hostages – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino and Alex Lobanov – pray to the Jews before lighting candles in early December 2023.
In the video, which appears to be from the second night of the holiday, Sarusi smiles at the camera and says: “Now is Hanukkah. Happy holiday to us and to all the people of Israel. We must celebrate this every year, be happy and joyful, and thanks to the miracles of this holiday, we will return home with a great miracle, we will return to a normal and happy life, and we will all be happy.”
Ori Danino lights a candle. – Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Six hostages in the videos were killed by Israeli forces They approached their positionThey were “brutally killed by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them,” according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the time.
The incident is considered one of the most painful moments of the war for Israelis and sparked fresh anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to broker a hostage deal. Three of the six hostages were expected to be released in the first phase of the final ceasefire agreement.
The videos released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on Thursday offer a glimpse into the lives of hostages in captivity. The videos, first published in full by Channel 12’s UVDA, all bear the watermark “From material captured by the IDF.”
The hostages are being hugged. – Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Throughout the war, Hamas released propaganda videos It shows Israeli hostages pleading with the Israeli government or US President Donald Trump to secure their release. However, these videos and photos, which are said to have been taken by Hamas in the forum, show some of the time the hostages spent in the tunnels in Gaza.
In two short clips, some hostages can be seen playing cards or chess while sitting on cushions on the floor. In another, a member of Hamas places fruit among the group.
One video shows hostages counting down to New Year’s Eve. When they reach zero, they stand up for a group hug, saying “Happy New Year” to each other. The hostages look relaxed in the clip, looking at the camera and sharing their hopes for release.
Hostages playing cards – Hostages and Missing Families Forum
“Happy New Year to everyone, to all families, to all the people of Israel,” Yerushalmi says. “We’re looking forward to returning home.”
Goldberg-PolinWaving at the camera, the dual Israeli-American citizen says: “We’re here, we’re healthy, we’re alive; they’re taking care of us, we’re okay. We want to go home.” His left arm, which was partially shattered in the grenade attack on October 7, 2023, can be seen in the video.
In the statement made with the release of the videos, the Forum said, “Hamas shot these videos for propaganda purposes, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines in these images. The whole world should see our loved ones in these moments, their unity, their strength, their humanity even in the darkest times.”
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