The hostages will be stuck in Gaza for years if the war against Hamas ends without their release, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, as Hamas upped its psychological warfare against Israel, publishing a video claiming that two of the hostages are dead.
“If the war ends now, the fate of the hostages will be sealed for many years – in Hamas captivity,” Gallant told reporters during a Monday night press conference.
“Without military pressure, no one will talk to us, without the military pressure we will not be able to achieve any agreements – only from a position of strength can we ensure the release of hostages,” he said.
He spoke after relatives of the hostages completed a 24-hour cycle of intense protest actions to mark the 100 days the 136 captives seized during the October 7 led attack on Israel had been held in captivity.
Hamas released footage
On Monday night, Hamas published a video in which it claimed that Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, both of whom were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, had been killed.
The camera showed their bodies looking as if they were dead, with a shot of Svirsky in what looked to be a body bag and one of Sharabi, with his head back in what appears to be a death pose.
Hamas had previously claimed in a video that hostage Hanna Katzir, 77, had died in captivity, but she was then released.
In the video, captive Noa Argamani described how Sharabi had been killed when IDF missiles hit the building they were held in. She then described how Svirsky had been killed by IDF fire when they were transferred to a second location.
IDF chief Spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari said: “Itai was not shot by our forces – this is a Hamas lie. The building where they were being held was not a target, and it was not struck by our forces. We did not know their real-time location; we do not strike in places where we know there may be hostages. In hindsight, we know we struck targets near the location where they were being held. We are investigating the event and its circumstances, examining the images distributed by Hamas, alongside additional information at our disposal."
“Nevertheless,” he added, “I wish to update you that in recent days, IDF representatives met with the families of Itai and the additional captive and expressed grave concern for their fate, due to information available to us. Even during these difficult hours, we are in constant contact with the families, updating them with the details we know about their loved ones. We will continue to update them with every piece of verified information we have before then notifying the public.”
Sharabi was captured with his son Oren, 13, who was later released. Svirsky, from Tel Aviv, seized from the same kibbutz, was visiting his parents, Orit and Rafi, both of whom were among the 1,200 victims of October 7.
Argamani was taken hostage from the Nova music festival in kibbutz Re’im and has been among the high-profile captives, in part because she was among those photographed as she was taken, and because her mother Liora who is dying of cancer and wants to see her daughter released while she is still alive.
Liora was born in China; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appealed to the country’s President Xi Jinping to assist Israel in securing her release.
The video was the second one Hamas has released in the last 24 hours. In the initial video released late Sunday night, all three captives, Argamani, Sharabi, and Svirsky, were filmed speaking, with Hamas stating that it would publish information about their fate on Monday. Neither video had a timestamp or an indication as to when they were filmed.
The videos were released as reports of Egyptian and Qatari proposals, including some for interim deals to free the remaining elderly and female captives, appeared to have hit a dead end.
Hamas has insisted that any agreement must include a permanent ceasefire, while Israel has remained determined to destroy the terror group and oust it from the Gaza enclave, which it has forcibly ruled since 2007.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have both said that the military campaign in Gaza is the best pressure lever to secure a deal for the remaining captives.
The relatives of the hostages and their supporters have urged Israel to make a deal now, even at a high price, fearing that every day in captivity endangers the lives of the captives. It’s already presumed that some 23 of the 136 hostages are no longer alive.
On Monday night, Gallant noted that 110 of around 250 captives seized on October 7 and been freed, pleading that “we will return the remaining hostages. We will make every effort to achieve this goal.”
“Both our enemies and friends are following the war in Gaza – they are watching us. The future of the State of Israel here in our land depends on the results of this war,” he stated.
He referenced his plan for the day after the war in Gaza, when Hamas will no longer rule the enclave and will be replaced by an alternative Palestinian government.
“Palestinians live in Gaza – and therefore Palestinians – will govern Gaza in the future.
“The future governing authority in Gaza must arise from within the Gaza Strip and be based on actors that are non-hostile to the State of Israel. These will serve as a civilian alternative [to Hamas], which will care for the well-being of Gaza residents, instead of focusing on causing harm to the people of Israel,” he said.
Gallant took issue with Netanyahu’s leadership, now that Israel is entering a new phase of the war, warning that indecision could harm the outcome of the war.
“The end of the military campaign must be anchored in policy. It is policy that leads military action,” Gallant said, as he called on the government to agree to a day-after plan for the war.
“Political indecision may harm the progress of the military operation. I have submitted a plan to the cabinet. It is the duty of the cabinet and the government to discuss the plan like any other plan, and to determine the goal.
“This is a war [that requires] determination – our success, from the soldier in the field to the cabinet, and the government of Israel – is the determination to win,” he stated.
The absence of a day-after plan for Gaza has also created friction between Israel and its allies, primarily the United States.
Biden promises to continue efforts to free hostages
On Sunday, however, US President Joe Biden put that division aside as he promised to continue efforts to free the hostages.
“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100,” Biden said.
“On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families – we are with you,” he stated.“For each of those 100 days, the hostages and their families have been at the forefront of my mind as my national security team and I have worked non-stop to try to secure their freedom,” Biden stressed.
The US has been Israel’s main ally in working with Egypt and Qatar on a hostage deal.
Biden met with representatives of the hostage families when he visited Israel in October. About twelve of them were American, out of whom six are still in captivity.
In his statement, Biden summarized US efforts to free the hostages through aggressive diplomacy.
“We saw the first results of that effort in late October when two Americans were reunited with their loved ones. In November, working in close coordination with Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, we brokered a seven-day pause in fighting that resulted in the release of 105 hostages – including a 4-year-old American child – and allowed us to surge additional vital humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said. "An additional four hostages were released separately, and one was freed by the IDF."
“I was deeply engaged to secure, sustain, and extend that deal. Sadly, Hamas walked away after just one week. But the United States and our partners have not given up. Secretary Blinken was back in the region this past week, seeking a path forward for a deal to free all those still being held," he added.
“I look forward to maintaining close contact with my counterparts in Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to return all hostages home and back to their families,” Biden concluded.