Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized a video released by the Palestinian militant group Hamas as “cruel psychological propaganda.” In the video, three hostages, captured by Hamas, criticized Netanyahu’s leadership.
The video, released on Monday, features three hostages who were abducted during the Hamas terror attacks on October 7. One of the captives, a woman, accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of political and military negligence, holding him responsible for civilian casualties, and called for the release of hostages. It remains uncertain whether the woman made these statements voluntarily or under duress.
In a separate development, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced in a social media post that Israeli soldier Private Ori Megidish had been reunited with her family after being kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
The IDF said Monday it is expanding its ground incursion into Gaza, as the country enters a second phase of its war against Hamas.
Israel has committed to continuing “large scale, significant strikes” in pursuit of Hamas militants responsible for the October 7th attacks. The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank has reported a death toll surpassing 8,000 due to Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, based on data from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The IDF has also updated the number of hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza to 239. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, UNICEF officials revealed that more than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza every day. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini informed the council that nearly 70% of those reported killed in Gaza were children and women. Save the Children reported that nearly 3,200 children were killed in Gaza in just three weeks, surpassing the number of children killed annually across the world’s conflict zones since 2019.