From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 15, 2024
IDF says it notified families of 2 hostages with concerns over their wellbeing after Hamas propaganda video
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says that several days ago, the military notified the families of two hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip that it has concerns regarding their well-being.
Hamas over the past day published videos showing hostages Itay Svirsky, Noa Argamani, and another hostage, whose family asked not be named. The latest propaganda video, published this evening, raises concerns regarding Svirsky and the other hostage. Argamani is believed by the IDF to be alive.
Hagari says Hamas’s claim that the military targeted a building where three Israeli hostages were being held, killing Svirsky, is a lie. However, he indicates that it is possible that the hostages were located close to a building that was targeted by the IDF and may have been endangered.
“Itay was not killed by our forces. This is a Hamas lie,” Hagari says. “The building where they were held was not a target and was not attacked by our forces.”
“We did not know their exact location in real-time. We do not strike where we know there are hostages. In retrospect, we know that we attacked targets close to the location where they were held,” Hagari says.
He adds that the IDF is investigating the footage published by Hamas.
“In recent days, IDF representatives met with the families of Itay and the other hostage, and expressed grave concern for their fate, due to information we had,” he says.
Svirsky, 38, was abducted from his parents’ home in Kibbutz Be’eri, where he had been to celebrate the Simchat Torah holiday. Both his parents were murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Argamani, 26, was abducted from the Supernova music festival on the morning of October 7, and a video of her abduction was one of the first to be published online as Hamas terrorists massacred some 360 partygoers and abducted dozens more.
In the video shared online, Argamani is seen on the back of a motorcycle being driven by her captor, screaming “Don’t kill me!” As she is driven away, she attempts to reach for her boyfriend Avinatan Or, who was also taken captive.
“Even in these difficult times, 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 detail of verified information we have, and then the public as well,” Hagari says.
He says Hamas is “trying to take advantage of the fact that Israeli society sanctifies the lives of its people to sow fear.”
“Yes, Israeli society sanctifies the lives of its people, this is our strength, our concern for our citizens, and how we are determined to return the hostages. We work on all the means to return them home and avoid harming them. This is our compass, this is our moral duty,” Hagari added.
He also asked the public to avoid sharing rumors and unverified information.
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