Newly released videos show six Israeli hostages observing Hanukkah inside a Gaza tunnel in early December 2023. The footage — including a makeshift menorah, games, and a New Year’s countdown — was released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and first aired by Channel 12. The Israel Defense Forces said the six were killed by Hamas in August 2024 shortly before Israeli forces reached their position. The clips have deepened public sorrow and renewed criticism over hostage negotiations.
Haunting Footage: Six Israeli Hostages Celebrate Hanukkah in Gaza Tunnel Months Before Being Killed
One of the videos shows the six hostages celebrating Hanukkah in a tunnel in Gaza months before they were killed by Hamas in August 2024. - Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Newly released video footage shows six Israeli hostages observing Hanukkah inside a tunnel in Gaza in early December 2023, months before they were killed by Hamas in August 2024.
Two clips show the captives carefully lighting improvised candles on a makeshift menorah fashioned from disposable cups while reciting the traditional blessings. The prisoners are identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino and Alex Lobanov.
Ori Danino lights a candle. - Hostages and Missing Families Forum
In footage that appears to be from the second night of Hanukkah, Almog Sarusi faces the camera and says,
"Now it's the holiday of Hanukkah. Happy holiday to us and to all the people of Israel. We should celebrate every year and be happy and joyous, and with the help of this holiday's miracles, we'll get home with a great miracle, and return to a normal and happy life, and be happy — all of us."
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the six were killed as Israeli forces closed in on their location, adding they were "brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists, a short while before we reached them." The deaths were widely seen as one of the most painful incidents of the war for Israelis and renewed criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the handling of hostage negotiations; three of the six had reportedly been scheduled for release in an initial phase of a proposed ceasefire deal.
The hostages hug. - Hostages and Missing Families Forum
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released the videos on Thursday; Channel 12's investigative program UVDA first aired the footage in full. All clips carry a watermark reading "From materials captured by the IDF," and the forum says the material was filmed by Hamas.
Unlike previously circulated propaganda clips in which captives are shown making appeals, these recordings offer quieter, more personal moments: several hostages are seen playing cards or chess on mats, a Hamas member is filmed placing fruit nearby, and another clip captures the group counting down and exchanging a group hug at New Year’s Eve. In the New Year's video, Eden Yerushalmi says, "Happy New Year to everyone, all of the families, all of the people of Israel. We're very much waiting to come home."
The hostages play cards - Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, waves at the camera and says, "We're here, healthy, alive — they're taking care of us, we're ok. We want to return home." His left arm, which was partially severed in the attacks of October 7, 2023, is visible in the footage.
Accompanying the release, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said:
"Hamas filmed these videos as propaganda, but the humanity of the beautiful six shines through this footage. The entire world must see our loved ones in these moments, their unity, strength, and humanity even in the darkest times."
The videos have intensified public emotion in Israel and fed calls for renewed efforts to account for and secure the remaining hostages. The footage is being treated as both evidence of the captives' final months and a stark reminder of the human cost of the conflict.
