Jerusalem: Israel has released previously withheld footage capturing the moment five female army conscripts were seized by Hamas gunmen during a raid on October 7, reigniting calls for action to secure their release. The government hopes the video will rally support and increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to engage in negotiations with Hamas.
The three-minute clip, broadcasted on Israeli television, depicts the young women, dressed in pyjamas and visibly shocked, being bound and forced into a jeep by armed militants. Among them is 19-year-old Naama Levy, who pleads for help in English, while one of the gunmen is heard shouting derogatory remarks in Arabic.
The Hostages Families Forum, representing relatives of the 124 individuals still held by Hamas, confirmed that the footage was retrieved from bodycams worn by the attackers during the raid on the Nahal Oz base in southern Israel.
Shots of Israeli soldiers killed during the attack were excluded from the released footage, approved by the families of the captives. The forum urgently called on the Israeli government to resume negotiations for the captives' release.
The Israeli government maintains that military pressure on Hamas will compel them to yield, while families fear for the safety of their loved ones, expressing concerns about potential sexual abuse. Hamas has denied such allegations.
In a bid to garner international support, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced plans to screen the video for ambassadors of Ireland, Norway, and Spain, amid tensions over their governments' recognition of a Palestinian state.