Hamas released a video in which he comes announced the death of two Israeli hostages, who according to the video were killed in an Israeli air attack in the Gaza Strip. The video shows an Israeli woman under duress reporting the killing of the two men who were held hostage with her. On Sunday 14 January, Hamas released another video, where the same three people held hostage asked the Israeli government to stop the air strikes and the ground invasion, in order to facilitate the release of the people still held hostage in the Strip. Hamas claims that the two hostages were killed by the bombings, but it is not yet clear where the video was shot and there is no independent confirmation of the claims it contains.
The three people were taken hostage on October 7, 2023 during the attack carried out in Israel by Hamas. In total, 240 people had been kidnapped: about half were freed during a brief truce last November, but according to the Israeli government there are still at least 132 people held hostage and it is estimated that 25 are dead.