The Hamas terror group brought two additional hostages to the release point along with hostages Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, and Eliya Cohen - so that the two could watch the cynical "release" ceremony.
At the families' request, Israel National News - Arutz Sheva is publishing the video.
The two hostages were spotted in the ceremony and identified as Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, both of whom were kidnapped from the Nova festival on October 7. They succeeded in reaching their vehicle while police were clashing with the terrorists, and found themselves caught in the crossfire. They then abandoned their vehicle and hid in the brush along the main road for over an hour, until one of the terrorists discovered them. At that point, they were bound, their eyes covered, and they were placed on a truck which brought them into Gaza through Be'eri.
After the video was published, Guy Gilboa-Dalal's father told Channel 12 News: "This is the first time that I have seen my son in 16 months. This is the best sign of life I could have asked for, but on the other hand, there is nothing more cruel than this. This isn't surprising, but it is a new level - to torture people like this. This only shows the urgent and great need to get them out of there."
Yaela David, sister of Evyatar David, responded to the cruel sign of life published Saturday night by the Hamas terror group, writing: "They are alive, they put them both this morning in the most horrific and bad situation that they could be [in]. There is no end to the stupid cynicism of these animals. I admire you, my brothers."
The Families Forum responded to the video clip, saying, "Sixty-three hostages are held by these sons of evil for 505 days already. Other than the inhumane physical conditions of the captivity, as shown by the returnees' testimonies, the hostages are experiencing severe and cruel mental torture. They are out of time! The Israeli government and the person leading it must speed up the negotiations and bring the rest of the hostages home immediately - without delays and not in small groups."
Saturday morning's release was the last release of living hostages in the first stage of the deal; four more deceased hostages are expected to be released Thursday, concluding the first stage. Following their release, 59 hostages will remain in Gaza, 35 of whom have been declared deceased.
Hostages Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, and Tal Shoham, all kidnapped during the October 7 massacre, were released Saturday morning, alongside Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, who were held captive in Gaza for just under a decade and just over a decade, respectively.
The four hostages kidnapped during the massacre were tortured, starved, and suffered psychological abuse for 16 months. They lost dozens of kilograms of weight, and were held in tunnels in various areas of Gaza. All four learned Arabic during their time in captivity.
Omer Wenkert was not exposed to the media at all. Only after his release did he discover that his girlfriend, Kim Damati, who attended the Nova festival with him at Re'im, was murdered on October 7. Wenkert lost 30 kilograms. Omer Shem Tov was held in a tunnel and spent most of his time in captivity alone. He was exposed to the media very little, but was aware of the rallies for his release. "It strengthened me and gave me hope that I would be released in the end," he said.
Eliya Cohen was held alone for most of his time in captivity, and was not exposed to the media. Only on Saturday did he discover that his girlfriend Ziv survived the massacre and is still alive. He shared that only in the past few days was he exposed to daylight, when he was allowed to go outside.
Avera Mengistu, held since 2014, returned in poor condition and almost not communicating. His family is at his side and supporting him.
Hisham al-Sayed, held since 2015, returned in better condition than the defense echelon feared, though he was previously videoed wearing an oxygen mask.
