"We looked death in the eyes", the voices of Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana were heard saying in a video released by Hamas yesterday (Monday). After 535 days in captivity, while being held along with 57 other hostages in Gaza, a sign of life emerged from the two who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023.

"I am prisoner number 21", began Yosef Haim Ohana in the video. Elkana Bohbot, who marked his 36th birthday in captivity, continued: "I am prisoner number 22, and until yesterday I had a name, I had an identity, and I had hope. Today I am just another number".

The video, published at the request of the hostages' families, shows the captives speaking about their difficult situation. It is likely that their words were dictated by their captors as part of Hamas's psychological terrorism, but the message of despair and suffering is evident in their words and overall appearance.

Yosef continued: "We are prisoners in Gaza who want to tell you about our situation. We also want you to know that these words were not asked of us by Hamas, and no – this is not just another video whose purpose is psychological warfare". He emphasized: "It is we who asked and begged to have our voices heard. So please, listen to it".

The two described the harsh conditions in captivity. "Until the last deal, until before January 19, when the crossings were closed throughout the war, the situation was very difficult. There was almost no food, and we had no safe place to be, and the conditions were difficult for living. And the worst, worst thing is that we didn't know if we would live or die", Yosef recounted.

He continued to describe a brief period of improvement in their situation: "When the deal began, and the crossings were opened for minimal aid and food, Hamas soldiers began to provide for what we needed and what we asked for and fed us, not just so we would live, but also so we would feel better. We really felt that the light was approaching, we saw the light, we started to breathe. We believed that all of this was going to end".

However, according to him, their situation worsened again following air force attacks: "And just then, when the end was near, we received the hardest blow of all. On March 18, the Israeli government decided to attack Gaza from the air. An attack that almost brought us to our end". Yosef added: "I know they tell you that they intend to bring us home, but know that that attack yesterday was the closest moment to the end for me and my friends. We looked death in the eyes".

Yosef warned that the situation continues to deteriorate: "And now, after the attack with the crossings closed, everything is returning to how it was. The food is about to run out, the conditions are starting to get difficult, and we have no safe place to be. We want you to know this".

In the video, Elkana Bohbot is also heard making an emotional appeal to the government: "Enough, enough with this government's silencing. Enough. Enough, come out and say let the prisoners speak, stop silencing them, let them speak, let the truth come out, let everyone who is allowed to leave this place open their mouth. Why is everyone keeping quiet? Why?".

The two personally addressed Ohad Ben Ami, a captivity survivor who was held with them and was released. Elkana said: "Open your mouths, speak, Ohad, speak, you were here with us, you sat with me and him. Speak for us, explain to everyone what we are going through, so everyone knows".

He continued with the emotional appeal: "You know how much suffering we go through here all the time, you know what it's like during war and what it's like during a deal, you know, you went out to your wife, to your daughters. You said that a few weeks later I would also go out to my wife and my son. I haven't gone out yet. Explain to them, explain to them how hard it is for me. Every day here is hard for me, without my son and without my wife, tell them how much I suffer, I know how different it is". The two ended the video with a joint call: "Tell them Ohad, tell them Ohad".

Elkana Bohbot's family responded to the sign of life with an official statement: "535 days that Elkana has been in an ongoing hell. We can see in the video that he is in a bad condition, he has lost a lot of weight from ongoing starvation, he suffers from skin and breathing problems in addition to being asthmatic, and he hasn't seen daylight for almost a year and a half".

The family emphasized: "This video is further proof that Elkana must return home to his family, to his wife Rivka and his son Raam David. Elkana is crying out for help and crying out for us not to forget him in the tunnels of hell".

In a personal appeal to the state's leaders and the President of the United States, the family added: "We appeal and beg Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Trump – please, think that this is your son, the father of your grandchild, who is waiting to see daylight, hearing the IDF bombs, and living in constant fear for his life".

The family spoke about the difficulty for Elkana's son: "Every day Raam asks about his father. When will we be able to tell him that he's coming back? This child is also in a dark tunnel and in captivity". The family concluded: "The video is a sign of life, but we want Elkana alive at home and the return of everyone! It's time to put an end to the suffering not only of the families but of the entire nation that wants them home".

The video comes amid efforts for negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, and at a time when the security system is working to locate the hostages. The publication also comes against the backdrop of growing public pressure in Israel to reach a deal that will lead to the release of the hostages, following a series of demonstrations and organizations in support of their return home.

Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, 251 people have been kidnapped. So far, 121 hostages have been released, 105 of them as part of the "Days of Grace" deal that took place in November 2023. 12 were released in separate deals, and four more hostages were rescued by IDF forces. During the fighting, the bodies of 36 hostages were located.

Now, with the release of the video, at least 57 hostages remain in captivity, but there is concern that some of them may no longer be alive. Israel's security services and the IDF continue efforts to locate the hostages and secure their release, while diplomatic negotiations continue in parallel.

The video of Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana sharpens the harsh reality of the hostages in Gaza, the daily suffering they experience, and the urgency of reaching an agreement that will bring them home. Meanwhile, tension is rising, and concerns about the physical and mental condition of the remaining hostages intensify with each passing day.

The families of the hostages continue to call on the government to do everything to bring back their loved ones, emphasizing that time is running out and the harsh conditions in which the hostages are held place their lives in constant danger.