Islamic Jihad Releases Clip Of Two Hostages It Claims It’s Willing To Release

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Islamic Jihad announced Thursday that it is willing to release two hostages for humanitarian reasons “when conditions allow”: An elderly woman and a 13-year-old boy. The terrorist group even aired a video in which the two hostages, Hanna Katzir (77) and Yagil Yaakov (13) from Kibbutz Nir Oz called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to do anything to free them.

Israeli media outlets didn’t air the video, viewing it as a form of psychological terrorism and torture to try and browbeat the Israeli public into submission via the hostages.

Katzir is a mother of three and a grandmother of six who was kidnapped from her home and taken to the Gaza Strip. Her husband, Rami Katzir, was murdered by terrorists. Her son Elad is also being held captive in Gaza.

Terrorists also broke into the home of the Yaakov family and kidnapped the two sons of Renana, 16-year-old Or and 13-year-old Yagil, who were home alone. It is not known whether Ohr is currently with his brother in captivity.

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF announced that infantry, armor, and engineering forces of the 162nd Division, with IAF air support and the assistance of special forces, raided the military quarter of the Hamas terrorist organization in the heart of Gaza City, near the Shifa Hospital.

The military quarter area is the heart of the intelligence and operational activities of Hamas and was used, among other things, to plan and prepare Hamas operatives for the murderous attack on October 7th. During the past few days, the infantry, armored, and engineering forces of the Givati Brigade worked to clear the area and neutralize terrorist infrastructure in the area, including a vast underground tunnel network, while also engaging in combat and eliminating dozens of terrorists. So far, over 50 terrorists have been eliminated in the quarter during intense battles. In addition, military intelligence documents were found, and a number of significant tunnel shafts, factories for the production of anti-tank missiles, and anti-aircraft rocket launch posts were destroyed.