Hamas video: Gaza captives Herkin, Kupershtein say escaped death after Israeli strike

CAIRO – 5 April 2025: Hamas on Saturday released a new video, showing captives Maxim Herkin and Bar Kupershtein, held in Gaza since 7 October, 2023, while saying that they “miraculously escaped death” after an Israeli strike hit a building they were in.

“We went out for a moment to breathe fresh air and see the sky and the stars. The Israeli army decided to bomb us. It hit the building I was in,” Herkin said, sitting beside Kupershtein, who remained silent for most of the two-minute video but nodded in agreement.

“We survived thanks to God and thanks to Hamas fighters who risked their lives to get us out and brought us back into the tunnels, because of you, the Israeli government.”

Herkin expressed despair, stating, “I am once again returning 30 meters underground in a concrete box without seeing sunlight, without anything and without hope of returning home and seeing my children and family.”

Addressing the Israeli public, he called on them to “fight for us and do whatever is necessary to pressure the government and influence the prime minister.”

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“Bring us home. Bring us back to life. We are dead here,” he implored.

Kupershtein: ‘Don't Believe What the State Is Saying’

Kupershtein spoke briefly during the video, urging the people of Israel not to “believe what the state is telling you.”

“They say they are pressuring Hamas. That’s not true,” he asserted.

“This is the result of the pressure you are putting on Hamas,” both captives shouted in unison, pointing at themselves.

Kupershtein described their current situation as unsafe, lacking mattresses and blankets, with the risk of food and water shortages. He pleaded with the Israeli government to allow the returned captives to speak, stating, “Don’t gag them.”

Hamas concluded the video with the phrase, “Only a ceasefire agreement brings them back alive. Time is running out.”

Captives in Danger Zones

The video was released a day after Hamas asserted that half of the Israeli captives are located in areas recently designated for evacuation by the Israeli army, holding the Israeli government accountable for their safety.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced that they will not relocate the captives from these zones but will keep them under “strict security measures that are extremely dangerous to their lives.”

He urged the Israeli government to “immediately” negotiate for their evacuation or release if it is concerned about their safety.

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Spox of Al Qassam Brigades Abu Obaida says they will not relocate the captives from dangerous zones

Hamas currently holds 59 captives, with at least 22 believed to be alive, and has expressed a willingness to release all captives in one go in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent end to the war.

The group has repeatedly stated that Israel can only recover its captives through negotiations, while Israel insists on using military force.

“The Israeli government bears full responsibility for the captives’ lives,” Abu Obaida stated. “If it was truly concerned about them, it would have adhered to the agreement signed in January, and most of them might have been home by now.”

War Resumption

In March, Israel resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas, during which 38 captives, 30 of whom are alive, were released.

The Israeli military has ordered major evacuations in Gaza, including in Rafah city, near the Egyptian border, while attempting to divide the enclave and seize further territories.

Since the resumption of hostilities, Israeli forces have killed over 1,300 people, predominantly many women and children, raising the death toll since the war began in October 2023 to more than 50,600, according to Gaza health ministry.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas fighters attacked Israeli cities and took 251 captives, most of whom have since been released through exchanges and ceasefires brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.