Gaza: The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video clip Saturday of an Israeli captive in the Gaza Strip who stressed that no one can extract the hostages from the enclave by force. The captive, who identified himself as prisoner No. 22, warned that the Israeli bombardment could kill the captives, and appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to work for his release.
According to Anadolu Agency, the captive responded to Netanyahu's claims that videos broadcast by Hamas fall under psychological warfare. The captive, visibly distressed, cried and shouted, asserting, "I want to inform you Israeli prime minister, I am the one who asked to record the video. Hamas didn't ask me to. This is not psychological warfare." He further expressed the real psychological warfare as waking up without seeing his son and wife, which he claimed was taking a toll on his health.
In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, he implored, "Do you understand: I want to get out of here. Please help me. I miss my wife, my son -- everyone. I miss my family." The captive also mentioned his 15-year tenure under the workers committee, stating he had never asked them for anything until now. He directly addressed the committee, questioning why they had not taken steps to defend him as they had done for others, including female recruits and elderly prisoners.
Expressing his frustration, the captive asked, "Why is my wife alone? Why can't my son say Baba?" He emphasized the futility of forceful extraction, warning, "There is no one that can get us out of here by force. This will only kill us and this will be the end and you do not comprehend that!"
The Israeli army had launched a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, resulting in over 920 deaths, more than 2,000 injuries, and the collapse of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. Since October 2023, more than 50,200 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed, and over 114,000 injured during the Israeli military's extensive operations in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its actions in the enclave.