The armed wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas released a video today showing two Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, in which they claim to have allegedly survived a new Israeli attack.
After two months of a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the Israeli army resumed its military offensive in the Gaza Strip on March 18, from where the Palestinian movement launched attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The recording, which was released by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, lasts just over two minutes.
One of the two men appears injured, with bandages on his face and right hand. AFP was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage or the date it was taken.
The Hostage Families Forum, the main organization campaigning for the release of Israelis held in the Gaza Strip, said it had identified one of the two hostages as Maxim Herkin, whose family asked the media not to publish the footage.
According to Israeli media, the second hostage is soldier Bar Kuperstein.
Two men were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during an attack by Hamas commandos on the Nova music festival.
The recent ceasefire allowed the return of 33 Israeli hostages, including eight who have since died, in exchange for the release of around 1.800 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since March 18, the army has intensified its bombardment of Gaza and sent its soldiers back to the front, into many parts of the territory from which the army withdrew during the ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government argue, against the advice of most of the hostages' families and relatives, that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to return them.
Of the 251 hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, 58 are still in Palestinian territory, including 34 who are believed to be dead.
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