The video of the kidnapping of the three hostages

The video of the kidnapping of the three hostages

October 7, 2023: A day that turned into horror

New shocking images have just lifted the veil on the tragic events of October 7, 2023, during the attack on the Supernova festival by Hamas. A video, released by the families of the hostages, reveals the terrible fate of three young festival-goers: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Or Levy and Eliya Cohen.

This sequence, lasting two minutes, shows the three men, bloodied and terrified, forced into the back of a pick-up by Hamas members. The attackers can be heard chanting “Allahu akbar” while the vehicle speeds towards Gaza, weapons brandished in victory.

These images are part of a larger timeline of the events of that fateful day. They follow two sequences previously broadcast: one showing the grenade attack on the shelter where 29 festival-goers were hiding, and the other revealing Goldberg-Polin, with his mutilated arm, pushed into the kidnappers’ vehicle.

The personal stories behind these images are heartbreaking. Hersh Goldberg-Polin lost his friend Aner Shapiro, killed while trying to repel the attackers’ grenades. But Levy had just arrived at the festival with his wife Einav, who lost her life in the attack. Their son Almog will celebrate his third birthday without his parents. Eliya Cohen came with his girlfriend Ziv Aboud, who miraculously survived by hiding under the victims’ bodies.

The broadcast of these images, 262 days after the events, raises questions about the management of the hostage crisis. The Forum of Hostages and Families of the Disappeared described this video as “a severe charge against lasting abandonment”.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s determination to continue its military operations until the release of the 120 hostages still held. He stressed that these images highlight “the cruelty of the enemy that we promised to eliminate”.

This video, as difficult as it is to watch, reminds us of the urgency of the situation and the devastating human impact of this conflict. It also highlights the complexity of the issues facing Israeli authorities in their efforts to free the hostages while pursuing their military objectives.

Jforum.fr