Hamas released a video on Sunday featuring three Israeli captives, including the Nova music festival attendee Noa Argamani, who became the face of the hostage crisis after being seen kidnapped and taken away on a motorcycle. Agramani, 26, was kidnapped more than 100 days ago, leaving the world horrified.
Making her first appearance since the abduction on October 7, Argamani from Beersheba in southern Israel verified her identity and pleaded, "Stop this madness and reunite us to our families." The video is believed to be the latest threat from Hamas about the fate of the hostages as it carried a disturbing teaser: "Tomorrow we will inform you of their Fate."
No Argamani Still Alive
Besides Argamani, the video also featured Tai Tversky, 38, and Yossi Sharabi, 53, who were also held hostage during Hamas' bloody incursion into Israel on October 7. It is unclear when the video was filmed but the caption implies that Hamas may not show any mercy on Argamani, Tversky and Sharabi if Israel continues airstrikes in Gaza.
In the video, the three introduce themselves and implore the Israeli government to take all necessary actions to ensure their safe return.
"[Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin] Netanyahu, please stop the war. Bring us home," said Tversky, of Tel Aviv.
"For this to happen, the war must stop," says Sharabi.
"Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate," read a chilling message overlaid onto the video.
They conclude with a message to the Israeli people, saying, "Your government is lying."
Past videos released by Hamas suggest that hostages spoke under duress from within Gaza.
Mia Schem, an Israeli captive released in November as part of a deal, appeared in a video praising the people and food she received while held hostage. However, after her release, she revealed that she had been left to starve and lived in fear of rape.
At Last, Some News
The concerning situation arose following Hamas's claim that they had lost communication with "many" hostages following Israeli bombardments in Gaza, raising the possibility that these three people might have been killed.
The video did not provide details about the well-being of the three hostages, who were part of the around 250 people kidnapped during the violent terrorist attack on October 7.
Argamani's abduction gained widespread attention last year when she was captured on a motorcycle, screaming, by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel and subsequently taken into Gaza.
The sobbing hostage was photographed trying to reach out to her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was being forcibly handled by the terrorists before they also abducted him.
The disturbing video gained widespread attention on social media, quickly becoming one of the most iconic moments from the Supernova rave attack that claimed the lives of over 360 festival attendees.
Argamani garnered international focus after Netanyahu revealed that he sought help from Beijing on behalf of the hostage's mother, Liora, a Chinese citizen. Liora, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, has appealed to both Israel and China to facilitate the reunion of her family before succumbing to her illness.
In December, she sent a poignant letter to President Biden, seeking America's help, a plea that deeply moved CNN anchor John Oz, who visibly broke down while reading the letter on air.
"I am terminally ill with stage 4 brain cancer. All that's running through my mind before I part ways with my family forever is the chance to hug my daughter, my only child, one last time," Liora wrote.
Sharabi was abducted along with his brother Eli, 51, when their homes in Kibbutz Be'eri were attacked by Hamas during the Sukkot holiday.
Eli's wife, along with their two teenage daughters and their dog, were confirmed dead in the kibbutz after their house was set on fire during the Hamas attack, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Svirsky, visiting his parents in Be'eri, was kidnapped by Hamas, and the corpses of his mother and father were found in the following days.
Around 1,100 Israelis, mainly civilians, were killed in the massacres that targeted kibbutzim and the Nova Music Festival near Re'im.
Over 130 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, with Israel suspecting that around 25 of them include the bodies of Israeli citizens that Hamas is unwilling to release.
