Hamas’ Qassam Brigades has released a video that appears to show the release of a female prisoner and two children.
Hamas’ Qassam Brigades has released a video that appears to show the release of a female hostage and two children.
The footage, broadcast on Al Jazeera on Wednesday evening, was shot remotely and shows the unidentified woman and children from behind.
The men, believed to be Hamas fighters, are seen walking away after leaving them in an open area near a fence that could be the border between Israel and Gaza.
It is unclear when the video was filmed. Israeli authorities have not yet commented on the video.
In a statement, the Qassem Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said the woman was an Israeli citizen.
“An Israeli settler and her two children have been released after being detained during the clashes,” the statement said, according to a report by AFP news agency.
Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from West Jerusalem, said the Israeli media was treating the video with a “pinch of salt.”
“A reporter said Hamas was doing damage control and it was a media stunt. Other Israeli broadcasters say this release happened earlier. Some say it happened on Saturday and that Hamas was trying to improve its international image at that time,” she said.
“The images are still spreading across the country, they were just broadcast on Al Jazeera, people are just trying to digest what they saw,” she said, adding that there had been “conflicting” reactions so far.
An estimated 150 prisoners were captured by Hamas on Saturday during its unprecedented attack on Israel, which immediately declared war on Gaza.
Relentless Israeli bombing over five days has killed more than 1,050 people, including hundreds of civilians, and injured more than 5,000 others in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
According to the United Nations’ Palestinian Refugee Agency, 250,000 people have been displaced in the Palestinian enclave, which is under complete siege by Israel, in what observers say represents a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
According to the Israeli military, more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday.