Gaza City: 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. He emotionally declared, ‘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.’ The captive expressed his mental anguish, stating that his real psychological warfare was being separated from his family, which was affecting his health.
In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, the captive pleaded: ‘Do you understand: I want to get out of here. Please help me. I miss my wife, my son — everyone. I miss my family.’ He emphasized his long-standing service under the workers committee, questioning their silence in his time of need: ‘You defend your respected workers. Don’t you know how to defend me?’
The captive expressed frustration over perceived inconsistencies in efforts to secure releases, mentioning prior deals that facilitated the release of female recruits and elderly prisoners. He questioned why similar efforts weren’t being made for him and others, asking, ‘Why is my wife alone? Why can’t my son say Baba?’
The video comes amidst significant turmoil, as the Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, resulting in over 920 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. This shattered a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. The ongoing military onslaught since October 2023 has resulted in more than 50,200 Palestinian deaths, primarily women and children, and over 114,000 injuries.
The international community has taken note, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.