The families of the Israeli soldiers taken hostage on Oct. 7 released disturbing video 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 bound behind them and some of their faces bloodied while they are being shoved against a wall by the gunmen who took over a shelter on the Nahal Oz base.
“You dogs, we will step on you, you dogs” one of the gunmen yells at the captives in Arabic, according to an NBC News translation.
“Take, take pictures of them,” another gunman yells, also in Arabic.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, established by the families of people kidnapped as part of the Hamas attack last year, described the 3-minute, 10-second clip as a “damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, who have been forsaken for 229 days.”
The group, which has been pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to call a truce with Hamas, identified the women in the video as Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy.
All are still believed to be in the hands of Hamas.
Two others were abducted from 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 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 of the hostages home now.”
Netanyahu said he, too, was “horrified” by the video.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released the video, which the Israeli army obtained with the permission of the families of the five missing women. Their abductions were captured on bodycams worn by their captors.
“The footage reveals the violent, humiliating, and traumatizing treatment the girls endured on the day of their abduction, their eyes filled with raw 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: “Someone who speaks English?”
An infuriated gunman then yells back at the women: “I want you quiet! Quiet! You stupid bitch!”
As the women are ordered to sit down, a gunman threatens them in Arabic.
“Our brothers died because of you,” he yells. “We will shoot you all.”
In the next frames, Albag tries to understand what their captors want, and there is some back-and-forth with a gunman who wants to use what appears to be one of the captives’ phones to call his friend in Gaza, though it is unclear why.
The camera then cuts to Berger, whose mouth is bloody and whose green T-shirt is spattered with more blood.
“Where are you from?” a gunman asks her in English.
“What, in Israel?” Berger replies. “Tel Aviv.”
In the next frames, the gunmen pray while the captive women sit watching them with their backs against a wall.
Then, while a gunman adjusts one of the captives’ bonds, another gunman eyeing the women says in Arabic: “Here are the scumbags. Here are the worthless.”
“These are Zionists,” the gunman says, also in Arabic.
That is followed by the voice of a gunman saying in English, “You are so beautiful.”
In the next frames, the captives are being hurried to a waiting Jeep while gunshots can be heard in the background. One is being carried by her hands and legs, and a gunman yells in Arabic, “Load them up, come on, load them up!”
Another of the captives, Gilboa, appears to be injured and hops on one foot while she is being led to the waiting Jeep.
The final frames show the woman in the back of the vehicle, looking stunned as they are driven away.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
