The families of Israeli soldiers taken hostage on October 7 released a disturbing video on Wednesday of five female soldiers being captured by Hamas militants who call them “dogs” and threaten to shoot them.
The young women are seen in the opening frames with their hands tied behind their backs and some of their faces bloodied as they are pushed against a wall by the armed men who have occupied a shelter at the Nahal Oz base.
“You dogs, we are going to step on you, you dogs,” one of the armed men shouts at the captives in Arabic, according to an NBC News translation.
“Take, take pictures of them,” shouts another gunman, also in Arabic.
The Forum on Hostages and Missing Families, created by the families of people kidnapped as part of last year’s Hamas attack, described the 3-minute, 10-second clip as a “damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, which abandoned for 229 days.”
The group, which has been pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to establish a truce with Hamas, identified the women in the video as Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy.
All are believed to still be in the hands of Hamas.
Two other people were kidnapped in Nahal Oz: Ori Megidish, who was rescued after 23 days in captivity, and Noa Marciano, who was killed in captivity.
In a statement after the video was released, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he would continue to offer the families of the hostages “strength and love.”
“The world must look at this cruel atrocity”, he said. “Those who care about women’s rights must speak out. All those who believe in freedom must speak out and do everything possible to bring all hostages home now.”
Netanyahu said he was also “horrified” by the video.
The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families released the video, which the Israeli army obtained with permission from the families of the five missing women. Their kidnappings were captured on cameras worn by their captors.
“The images reveal the violent, humiliating and traumatizing treatment that the girls suffered on the day of their abduction, with their eyes filled with pure terror,” the group said.
But the video, the group said, was also “edited and censored to exclude the most disturbing scenes.” It was not immediately clear who edited it.
In the opening frames, a stunned Levy tells her captors: “I have friends in Palestine.”
Meanwhile, Albag asks, “Anyone who speaks English?”
An enraged gunman then shouts at the women: “I want you quiet! Still! You stupid bitch!
As the women are ordered to sit down, an armed man threatens them in Arabic.
“Our brothers died because of you,” he shouts. “We’re going to shoot you all.”
In the next few frames, Albag tries to understand what his captors want, and there’s some back-and-forth with an armed man who wants to use what appears to be one of the captives’ phones to call his friend in Gaza, although it’s unclear why. .
The camera then cuts to Berger, whose mouth is bloody and whose green t-shirt is stained with more blood.
“Where are you from?” an armed man asks her in English.
“What, in Israel?” Berger responds. “Tel Aviv.”
In the next paintings, the armed men pray while the captive women sit watching them with their backs against the wall.
Then, as an armed man adjusts the bonds of one of the captives, another armed man who looks at the women says in Arabic: “Here are the scoundrels. Here are the useless ones.”
“These are Zionists,” says the shooter, also in Arabic.
This is followed by a gunman’s voice saying in English, “You are so beautiful.”
In the next few frames, the captives are rushed to a waiting jeep while gunshots can be heard in the background. One of them is being carried by the hands and legs, and an armed man shouts in Arabic: “Carry them, come on, carry them!”
Another captive, Gilboa, appears injured and hops on one foot as she is led to the waiting jeep.
The final images show the woman in the back of the vehicle, looking dazed as they are driven away.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
