Newly released footage shows 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 the hostages carefully lighting makeshift candles on a menorah made from disposable cups. The hostages – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, and Alex Lobanov – say Jewish blessings before lighting the candles in what would be early December 2023.
In a video that appears to be from the second night of the holiday, Sarusi smiles at the camera and says, “Now is the holiday of Hanukkah. Happy holiday to us and to all the people of Israel. We should celebrate every year and be happy and joyful, and with the help of the miracles of this holiday, we will come home with a great miracle, and we will return to a normal and happy life.”
Ori Danino lights a candle. – Forum on Hostages and Missing Families
The six hostages in the footage were killed as Israeli forces approached their position, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which said at the time that they were “brutally killed by Hamas terrorists, shortly before we reached them.”
The incident is widely regarded as one of the most painful moments of the war for Israelis and has sparked fresh anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to secure a deal on the hostages. Three of the six hostages were expected to be released in the first phase of an eventual ceasefire agreement.
The videos, released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum on Thursday, give an insight into the life of the hostages during their captivity. All videos, first broadcast in full by Channel 12’s UVDA, are marked “From materials captured by the IDF.”
The hostages hug. – Forum on Hostages and Missing Families
During the war, Hamas released propaganda videos showing Israeli hostages asking the Israeli government or US President Donald Trump to secure their release. But these videos and still images, which the forum says were filmed by Hamas, show part of the hostages’ time in the tunnels under Gaza.
In two short clips, some of the hostages can be seen playing cards or chess while sitting on carpets on the floor. In another, a member of Hamas places some fruit on the ground between the group.
One video shows the hostages counting down on New Year’s Eve. As they reach zero, they rise to a group hug as they say “Happy New Year” to each other. The hostages look relaxed in the clip as they look into the camera and share their hopes for release.
Hostages play cards – Hostages and Missing Families Forum
“Happy New Year to everyone, to all the families, to all the people of Israel,” says Yerushalmi. “We are looking forward to coming home.”
Goldberg-Polin, a dual Israeli-American citizen, waves to the camera as he says, “We’re here, healthy, alive – they’re taking care of us, we’re ok. We want to get back home.” His left arm, partially blown off in a grenade attack on 7 October 2023, is seen in the video.
In a statement accompanying the release of the videos, the forum said, “Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines through this video. The whole world needs to see our loved ones in these moments, their unity, strength, and humanity even in the darkest of times.”
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