Families of several female Israeli soldiers being held hostage in Gaza released a video of their abduction during the Oct. 7 attacks led by the Islamist militant group Hamas.
In the three-minute video, released Wednesday by the Hostages Families Forum, armed militants wearing Hamas headbands are shown threatening five young women dressed in pajamas with their hands tied behind their backs. Four of the hostages have bloodied faces.
“I swear, will shoot you all,” one of the captors is heard saying in Arabic. At another point a militant can be heard saying, “You dogs, we will step on you.” The video also shows militants leading some of the women to a truck, with the sound of gunfire in the background.
The Hostages Families Forum said the video, taken from body cameras worn by militants and obtained by the Israeli military, was edited and censored to exclude the most disturbing scenes, including killings and scenes of extreme brutality.
Hamas said the video was edited to support what it says are false allegations of assaults on the female soldiers.
Of the approximately 250 hostages taken on Oct. 7, according to Israel, 124 hostages remain captive in Gaza—including the women in the video. Thirty-seven of them have been confirmed dead by Israel authorities, although Israeli and American officials privately estimate the number of dead is much higher.
