Hamas’ military wing published video footage Thursday showing three Israeli hostages that it claims were killed in Israeli airstrikes, laying the blame for their deaths at the feet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and claiming: “We tried to keep them alive.”
The video released by al-Qassam Brigades appears to show Ron Sherman, Elia Toledano, and Nick Beiser alive in captivity before they were killed.
The bodies of those three men were recovered by the Israeli military in Gaza last week, according to the Kan news agency.
Beiser and Sherman, both 19, were IDF soldiers who were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 from their posts. Toledano, 28, was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival, along with his friend Mia Schem.
Schem was released during the weeklong ceasefire last month.
Beiser’s mother and sister had called on the Israeli government to make no distinction between the male and female hostages when they were negotiating the original ceasefire, saying they wanted him home “just as we want the women and children.”
Sherman’s parents were interviewed while he was in captivity, recalling how they were corresponding with their son, who suffered from severe asthma, on the morning of Oct. 7.
His last message read simply: “It’s over.”
