‘We Felt Neither Dead Nor Alive’: Hamas Releases Propaganda Video of Two Israeli Hostages

Latest Developments

Hostages Shown in Poor Health: Hamas released a propaganda video on March 24 featuring Israeli hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana in which the two can be seen in poor condition, appearing to plead for the Israeli government to end the renewed fighting in Gaza. “Before the latest ceasefire deal … there was almost no food. The situation was difficult and there was no safe place,” Ohana said in the video. “We felt neither dead nor alive.” Bohbot and Ohana — two of the 24 hostages believed to be still alive inside Gaza — were expected to be released as part of a second phase to the January 19 ceasefire deal, which expired on March 1 after negotiations stalled. Throughout the war, Hamas has used videos of hostages to cause psychological pain in Israel in an effort to push Jerusalem into making concessions that favor the terrorist group.
Rockets Targeted Southern Israel: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another Iran-backed terrorist group based in Gaza, claimed responsibility for three rockets launched toward the southern Israeli city of Sderot and surrounding communities on the evening of March 24. The IDF said that all three rockets had been intercepted and issued evacuation orders for civilians in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Jabaliya, where the rockets were launched from.
IDF Says It Killed Terrorist Posing As Journalist: The IDF announced a March 24 strike in Gaza that killed Hossam Shabat, who it said in a statement was “a sniper terrorist from the Beit Hanoun Battalion” who “cynically posed as an Al Jazeera journalist.” The IDF said that internal Hamas documents showed Shabat’s affiliation with Hamas’s military wing, that he participated in the battalion’s training in 2019, and that he carried out attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians during the war. Earlier, the IDF confirmed that it killed Hamas official Ismail Barhoum, who was in charge of the group’s finances, in a strike near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

FDD Expert Response

“It is sickening that Hamas orchestrated the latest video to portray two hostages yelling in unison for recently freed hostage Ohad Ben Ami to advocate for an end to the Gaza military operation. Ben Ami, who was freed in phase one of the January deal, was returned emaciated to his family last month and has been campaigning tirelessly for the return of the rest of the hostages. Hamas seems determined to continue psychologically torturing Ben Ami even after his release.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“Since the beginning of the war, Israel has rightly focused on Hamas and its infrastructure in Gaza since the organization poses the biggest threat to the Jewish state. However, smaller armed factions, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which operate within Hamas’s sphere of influence, serve as key enablers. By launching rockets into Israeli territory, ambushing IDF troops in Gaza, and coordinating attacks with other terrorist organizations, PIJ and its allies create additional security challenges for Israel. Hamas must be disarmed if Israel wants to remove it from power. However, success may be unattainable unless Israel also neutralizes PIJ and other allied armed actors in Gaza that provide support to Hamas.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal