Islamic Jihad group in Gaza shows new hostage video
- The militants say they are prepared to release the pair – an elderly woman and a young boy – once appropriate conditions are met
- Most of the estimated 240 hostages seized by gunmen on October 7 are believed to be held by Hamas, but Islamic Jihad says it has about 30 captives
The armed wing of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in Gaza released a video on Thursday showing an elderly woman and a young boy who were among around 240 hostages seized by militant gunmen who attacked Israel on October 7.
It said it was prepared to release the two for humanitarian and medical reasons once appropriate conditions were met.
It did not give further details.
Israel described the footage as an important sign of life, but declined to be drawn on whether the hostages would be released, saying that would be to play into the captors’ “psychological warfare”.
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“This is a sign of life, and it is important,” chief Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said when asked about the woman and boy.