Hamas armed wing releases new footage of Israeli hostages in Gaza

Hamas’s armed wing on Saturday released footage showing what appeared to be several Israeli hostages in Gaza, as the first phase of a fragile ceasefire neared its expiry amid uncertainty over the next steps.

The video released by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed three people whose faces were visible, two of whom appeared to be hostages released in February, with the third calling on the Israeli government to free him.

The video, which also showed two others with their faces blurred, was accompanied with the message: “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive.”