Netanyahu condemns Hamas hostage video, rules out ceasefire

The Star

Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire following the release of a video that shows three of the hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00 Israel's Prime Minister condemned a video that Hamas had released on Monday that shows

00:06 three female hostages seized by the Islamist movement on October 7th.

00:11 In the video, which is being watched on this phone, one of the hostages criticizes Benjamin

00:16 Netanyahu for failing to protect Israeli citizens during the deadly attack and failing to get

00:22 them back home.

00:24 She purportedly calls for a deal to secure their release in exchange for Palestinian

00:30 prisoners.

00:31 Netanyahu, in a statement, condemned the clip from Hamas as "cruel propaganda."

00:36 Israel's leader is coming under pressure over his handling of the crisis.

00:40 Dozens of people attended a protest in Tel Aviv to call for the hostages' release.

00:45 Shiri Grossbard is a close friend of one of the hostages, Yelena Tripanov.

00:50 "I'm not a political person.

00:52 I'm not the one with the answers, but I do know this.

00:55 No other country in the world would have 239 of their people being kept hostage and not

01:02 do anything about it.

01:03 No politics.

01:05 Just bring them home now.

01:07 24 days is way too long for these people to be kept in captivity."

01:12 According to Israeli authorities, at least 239 hostages were taken captive by Hamas gunmen

01:19 during the October 7 attack, which killed at least 1,400 people.

01:24 The presence of the hostages in Gaza has complicated Israel forces' ground operation in the enclave,

01:31 but Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire.

01:35 Gaza health authorities say more than 8,300 people, many of them children, have been killed

01:39 in Israeli attacks since Hamas' assault.

01:43 "The ground action actually creates the possibility, not the certainty, but the possibility of

01:49 getting our hostages out because Hamas will not do it unless they're under pressure.

01:56 They simply will not do it."

01:58 On Monday, Israel said its forces had freed their first hostage during its Gaza ground

02:03 offensive, a female soldier who Hamas captured in its October 7 raid.

02:09 Israel's security agency released a photo of the soldier, Ori Megadish, surrounded by

02:14 family members after her rescue.

02:17 In her hometown of Kiryat Gat, residents cheered after news of her release.

02:25 Since the October 7 attack, Hamas has released four hostages through back-channel efforts

02:30 coordinated by Qatar.

02:32 For more UN videos visit: www.un.org/webcast

02:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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