Hamas has released a video showing two Israeli hostages, one of whom says he is being held in Gaza City, where the IDF has launched a major offensive.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel were kidnapped during the October 2023 massacre and are two of 48 captives still believed to be held by Hamas, with 20 thought to still be alive.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his military to occupy the whole of Gaza, with troops and armour currently assaulting Gaza City, where around a million people lived before the war broke out.
On Friday, the IDF bombed a high-rise building in the city’s west that – without providing evidence – it said was being used by Hamas. The military claimed that civilians were warned beforehand.
Pictures from Gaza City show Palestinians running for safety as the building collapses.
Hostages appear in video released by Hamas
The video was edited and featured an exhausted-looking Mr Gilboa-Dalal speaking for around three-and-a-half minutes.
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He appears in a car for some of the video and says that he is being held in Gaza City along with other hostages.
He says that he is afraid of being killed by Israel’s latest assault.
The video is dated 28 August. Sky News could not independently determine the date of recording.
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Mr Gilboa-Dalal appears to be in the backseat of a car that is being driven around. At one point, he identifies a passing building as one belonging to the Red Cross.
Hamas has refused to allow the Red Cross to see the hostages.
At one point, Mr Ohel, 24, is also seen.
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Family mark ‘sign of life’
In a statement, Mr Gilboa-Dalal’s family said: “We have received a sign of life from our Guy after six months since the previous video in which he was seen with Evyatar David watching their friends being released.
“Guy, Alon, and other hostages were transferred to Gaza, and we are deeply concerned for their lives. They must be brought home.”
But talks between Israel and Hamas via mediators – aimed at stopping the fighting and freeing the hostages – collapsed in July.
After the release of the video, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Israeli negotiators to resume talks on a deal to free the hostages.
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Strike on high-rise building
The release of the hostage video comes as the Israeli military continues its attack on Gaza City, where residents say it bombed a high-rise tower on Friday.
The building’s management said it was being used for displaced people and denied it had been used for anything other than civilian purposes.
Footage of the strike showed the building collapsing and sending thick clouds of smoke billowing over nearby tent camps.
Father-of-two Ismail, from the city’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, told Reuters that his family feared they would not be able to return if they fled.
“We pray for a ceasefire,” he said.
More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, Gaza health authorities say.
The war was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.
