The undated 37-second video of Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, released on Sunday night showed them speaking presumably under duress, pleading with Israel’s government to end the war and get them home.

The clip ended with a Hamas caption that on Monday, “we will inform you of their fate”. Israel has blasted such videos as psychological warfare and insists it will not be deflected from its goals in Gaza, after Hamas launched raids into southern Israel on October 7 that claimed 1,200 lives.

Among the targets was a music festival from which Ms Argamani and her boyfriend were seized. An early clip released by Hamas showed her pleading for her life as she was taken away on the back of a motorbike.

    • Deestan@lemmy.world
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      6 个月前

      It is Hamas’ goal to maximize martyrs, and they have officially stated so on several occasions. They were slowly losing the decades-long conflict with Israel (who have in no way been playing fair before this escalation btw). If they ensure enough suffering in their own population, they have more desperate traumatized orphans to recruit, more enraged sympathy from neighboring countries also in conflict with Israel, plus lessening the support from Israel’s western allies.