Israeli television has aired previously withheld footage of five pyjama-clad female army conscripts being seized by gunmen during the Hamas raid that triggered the Gaza war. The captives' families hoped the footage of the women's October 7 capture would increase pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a truce with Hamas and secure the hostages' release. The Netanyahu government used the release of the subtitled three-minute clip to national and international media as an opportunity to shore up support.
Hamas defended its fighters' conduct and called the video a bid to manipulate public opinion. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. "These girls are still in the captivity of Hamas - please don't look away," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told reporters.
"Watch the film - support Israel in bringing our people home." The footage shows the young women, all of them stunned and some bloodied, being bound and bundled into a jeep. "I have friends in Palestine," one of the conscripts, 19-year-old Naama Levy, pleads in English.
One of the gunmen can be heard shouting back in Arabic: "You are dogs. We will step on you, dogs!" Another gunman tells a captive: "You're beautiful." The Hostages Families Forum, which represents relatives of the 124 people - mostly civilians - still held by Hamas, said in a statement that the footage was recovered from body cams worn by gunmen who attacked the Nahal Oz base in southern I.
