Two Israeli Captives Held in Gaza Speak Out as Israel Resumes Assault: ‘There’s No Safe Place’

Gaza (Quds News Network)- The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, released a new video of two Israeli captives who have been held in Gaza for over 530 days. In the footage, the captives criticized the Israeli occupation government and called on previously released captives to speak out for them, especially after Israel resumed its deadly offensive.

The two are Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana. Hamas released the video on Monday, as Israel resumed its genocide war on Gaza on March 18. The video appears to have been made after the resumption of war.

Since the resumption of assault, Israeli attacks targeting multiple areas across the Gaza Strip have killed more than 730 Palestinian civilians, the majority children and women.

Message to Israelis and Families

“We, the Prisoners in Gaza, want to tell you about our situation. We want you to know that Hamas did not ask us to say this. That this video clip is not intended for psychological warfare. We are the ones who asked and begged to be heard. Please hear our voice,” Yosef-Haim Ohana said.

“Before the latest ceasefire deal on January 19, when the border crossings were closed throughout the war, there was almost no food, the situation was difficult, and there was no safe place. Living conditions were difficult. What was even worse was that we left neither dead nor alive.”

“When the ceasefire began and the crossings were opened to allow humanitarian aid in, Hamas fighters were keen and concerned to provide everything we needed and everything we asked for. Not just to feed us, but to make us feel well. Indeed, we began to feel that there was no more hunger and we began to breathe fresh air. We believed that this would end. Just as the end was approaching, we were dealt a severe blow.”

“The Attack Could Have Killed Us”

The two captives said that Israel decided to attack Gaza from the air on March 18, noting “the attack could have killed us.”

Addressing their families, the two said, “We know that they are telling you that they intend to send us home, but know that an attack like the one that happened yesterday was the closest thing to my death and the death of those with me.”

The two captives, prisoner number 21 and 22 as they named themselves in the footage, pleaded, “We saw death before our eyes.”

“Now, after the attack and the closure of the crossings, things have returned to the way they were. Food is running out, conditions have become difficult, and there is no safe place. We want you to know that,” Elkana Bohbot said

Message to Israeli Occupation Government

“Enough with this government silencing our voices. Give them a chance to speak and express their opinions,” Bohbot said, referring to former captives released in a prisoner exchange deal during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

“Stop silencing their voices. Let them speak. Let the truth come out.”

The two said that former captives “who have left here should be allowed and be granted the right to speak,” asking “why is everyone being silenced?”

A Plea to a Former Captive

The two addressed Ohad, a former captive who was released on February 8, 2025, as part of the ceasefire agreement.

“Ohad, why don’t you tell them? You were with us. You were sitting with us. Speak for us. Explain to everyone what we’ve been going through… You know how much suffering we’re going through here. You know how it was during the deal and during the war. Tell them, Ohad… Tell them, Ohad.”

Family Responds

The family of Bohbot made a plea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump after Hamas released the video.

“Please, imagine this is your son, the father of your grandchild, waiting to see daylight, hearing IDF bombs, and living in constant fear for his life,” the family said in a statement.

Bohbot’s family said he appeared to be in “poor condition, having lost a significant amount of weight due to persistent starvation.”