‘Hamas is trying to portray itself as a humane organization, while it is a murderous terrorist organization responsible for the murder and abduction of babies, women, children, and elderly.’
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
The IDF on Tuesday slammed a Hamas video released last week of a Jewish captive asking to be freed, calling the hostage film “psychological terrorism,” in addition to the physical acts of terrorism Hamas has inflicted over the last ten days on Israel in which more than 1,400 men, women and children have been murdered.
The clip shows 21-year-old Shoham resident Mia Schem getting her arm bandaged and saying that she was being treated well but asking to be returned home “as soon as possible.”
IDF Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, head of the army’s Spokesperson’s Unit, slammed the video as part and parcel of Hamas’ war tactics.
“This is their psychological terrorism against the citizens of Israel,” he said. “There will be more clips like this and we will deal with and fight against them.”
In a separate statement, the Unit said, “In the video, Hamas is trying to portray itself as a humane organization, while it is a murderous terrorist organization responsible for the murder and abduction of babies, women, children, and elderly.”
Israeli authorities have confirmed the identities of 199 people that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists kidnapped last Saturday, when some 3,000 fighters invaded Gaza envelope communities and commenced their killing spree. Hamas says it is holding 200 hostages alone, with some 50 others being held by other “resistance factions.”
These include foreign nationals, whom Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said Monday had been taken “by accident,” would be “protected” as the terrorists’ “guests,” and would be released “when circumstances on the ground allow.”
NBC correspondent Richard Engel pointed out that such an unconditional statement “could put a lot of pressure on Israel to perhaps take a pause in its bombing campaign to take up Hamas on this offer to see if it’s legitimate.”
The Israeli air force has been constantly attacking military targets in the Gaza Strip since the war began last Saturday.
Engel also reported that negotiations regarding the return of the hostages are being conducted by various parties on an ongoing basis.
Abu Obeida also claimed that the captives were being treated in accordance with humanitarian law, even though the very kidnapping of the civilians – including babies, women and the elderly – is considered a war crime.
Schem herself is a dual French-Israeli citizen. There are as many as 20 American citizens thus far unaccounted for according to the U.S. government and most, if not all, may be hostages in Gaza. Nationals of Germany and Thailand have been confirmed kidnapped as well.
The IDF “is working with all the intelligence and operational means for the return of the abductees” it said.
In his own message, Hagari said that the IDF is working hard to find all missing persons “on both sides of the border.”
It has been speculated that this might be the reason Israel is holding off its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip even though it has already massed hundreds of thousands of troops and hundreds of armored vehicles at the border.