On the 100th day of the war, Hamas released a video of three Israeli prisoners in their custody in Gaza, in which they demanded Israel stop the bombing for them to be released.
The 37-second video featuring Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, was undated and finished with the chyron: "Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate."
Earlier on Sunday, Hamas stated it had lost communication with some hostages as Israeli forces bombed Gaza and that they could have been murdered in the process. It also vowed to execute hostages in retribution for Israeli military operations at the start of the war.
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Officials in Israel have refused to respond to Hamas' public messaging about the hostages, characterizing it as psychological warfare. On December 31, Hagar Mizrahi, a forensic official with Israel's Health Ministry, told local TV that examinations of deceased captives recovered indicated reasons for death inconsistent with Hamas' claim that they perished in air strikes.
However, Israel has made it plain that it is cognizant of the threats to hostages posed by its offensive and is taking precautions.
"The military operation takes time. It obligates us to be precise, and we are adapting it in accordance with the threats and the hostages who are in the field," said Chief Armed Forces spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Around half of the 240 persons detained by Hamas in an Oct. 7 cross-border killing spree that launched the war were released in a November truce. Israel claims that 132 people remain in Gaza, with 25 of them dying in captivity.
