“Psychological terrorism of the manipulative kind” Israel called Islamic Jihad video with hostages. The video shows two Israeli hostages, a 70-year-old woman and a teenager, allegedly being held in Gaza.
Israel called “psychological terrorism of the manipulative kind” the release earlier by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad of a video showing two Israeli hostages: a 70-year-old woman and a teenager. Both, according to the terrorist organization, are in Gaza.
This is “psychological terrorism of the manipulative kind”, denounced the spokesman of the Israeli army, Richard Hecht, during a press briefing.
Israeli media reported on this video, showing a screenshot.
The spokesman for Islamic Jihad, known as Abu Hamza, said in the video that his organization was also holding hostages without specifying their number.
In the video, the two hostages express a desire to be released quickly to be reunited with their relatives and criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the crisis.
Watch the shocking video of the Israeli hostages of the Islamic Jihad:
It is recalled that almost 240 people, Israeli as well as foreign citizens, were kidnapped during the massacre of October 7 by Hamas. The terrorist organization’s military wing says it is holding nearly 200.
Islamic Jihad for the 2 hostages seen in the video
The spokesman, known as Abu Hamza, announced that Islamic Jihad was ready to release the 70-year-old “for humanitarian and health reasons”. “We can no longer give her the care she needs because of the lack of fuel, electricity and basic means of survival.”
As for the teenager, the terrorist organization says it is willing to release him “for humanitarian reasons and because of his age, even though the occupier’s prisons are full of children” of Palestinians.
“The videos with the two hostages are important”
Israel hailed the release of the videos as an important sign of life, but declined to say whether it believed they would be released, saying doing so would be like playing “psychological warfare” against the kidnappers.
“This is a sign of life, and it’s important,” the chief spokesman for the Israeli armed forces, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said when asked about the elderly woman and boy held by the Islamic Jihad group.
“I will, for now, ignore the issue of their release … We will be the first to notify the families before anything happens.”
Biden for cessation of hostilities in Gaza
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden told reporters earlier on Thursday (09.11.2023) that he has requested a three-day pause in Gaza and a pause longer than that, in order to free the hostages held by Hamas.
Biden also said the United States would strike again if necessary against targets linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s elite military, and organizations linked to it, after the US military struck a building in Syria, and then by the spate of attacks against US and anti-jihadist coalition troops in Syria and Iraq.
The American president also decided that there is “no chance” of a truce in Gaza. Asked if he believed there was any chance of a ceasefire, the Democratic president, who has so far opposed that version, said: “No, no chance.”
Apparently referring to the four-hour “pauses” announced by Washington earlier, Israel’s defense minister said the military was taking “local precision measures” in the Gaza Strip to allow Palestinian refugees to flee and escape clashes with Hamas.
“These things will not distract us from the war,” Yoav Gallad said when asked by a reporter about the US announcement, which he did not directly comment on.
Gallant said he considers the children held hostage by Hamas “his own”, stressing that the war in Gaza will not stop until they are freed. Israel will get to every Palestinian involved in the October 7 attack, “even if it takes years,” he added.
According to the Israeli minister, the army is using “new methods” in its operations to locate and destroy Hamas’ underground tunnels.
At least 15 dead and 20 injured in Israeli army raid
At least 15 people were killed and at least 20 injured in raids by Israeli forces earlier on Thursday (09.11.2023) in the city of Jenin and the neighboring refugee camp, as well as in other Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank, the Ministry of Health said. Palestinian Authority.
Israel’s military earlier announced it was conducting counter-terrorist operations in Jenin, without elaborating further.
At the same time, Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, announced that an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza had been killed in an Israeli airstrike and a second wounded.
Thick black smoke was billowing over Jenin, an AFP reporter said. Many explosions and gunfire testified that the clashes were continuing. The reporter saw a gunman, who had been shot, lying on the ground until another man approached and took his gun to use.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that one of its rescuers was shot in the back in Jenin when an ambulance was targeted during Israeli military operations.
Since October 7 Israeli forces have arrested more than 1,400 Palestinians in the West Bank and say most of them are affiliated with Hamas.
All Gazans face malnutrition, according to the World Food Programme
All of Gaza’s 2.3 million people lack enough food and are facing starvation, a month after Israel began its siege of the enclave, a UN World Food Program (WFP) official said today.
Humanitarian aid has been trickling into Gaza since shelling of the densely populated Palestinian enclave began in retaliation for Hamas’ attack on Israeli territory on October 7. United Nations officials have already warned that supplies entering Gaza are not enough to meet the needs of the population.
“Before October 7, 33% of the population was food insecure. Today we can say that this figure has reached 100%,” said Kyung-nan Park, WFP’s director of emergencies. The Program needs $112 million to meet the needs of 1.1 million people in Gaza over the next 90 days. “They face the risk of malnutrition,” he said.
In addition to funding, WFP also needs safe and regular access to Gaza for its services to reach people in need.
Since the Rafah border crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt reopened, the number of trucks passing through is down from 19% of what it was before the war. “Right now there are 40-50 trucks coming in a day,” Kyung-nan said. “WFP food aid alone would require 100 trucks a day,” he explained.
information from APE BEE – photos: Eurokinissi
