CNN
—
When Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, released its propaganda video showing the release of three Israeli hostages on Sunday evening, a striking detail emerged.
As Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari boarded a Red Cross SUV in Gaza City, a Hamas activist handed each of them a paper bag bearing the Qassam Brigades logo – a sort of “bag gift “.
The masked activist then held up a certificate on which, in Hebrew and Arabic, one could read “release decision”.
Each of the three women carried the bag in images released later Sunday by the Israeli military – although this time with the Qassam Brigades logo blurred.
A representative for Gonen’s family told CNN on Monday that the bag she received contained the certificate, a necklace and photos – and said Israel’s Internal Security Agency (the Shin Bet) confiscated the materials .
They would not go into detail about the photo, but Israeli media reported that the photos depicted the women’s time spent in captivity.
During the handover, a representative of the Red Cross was invited to sign a document in Arabic. “Acknowledgment of receipt from Israeli prisoners,” the document reads. “I, the representative of the International Red Cross, acknowledge having received from the Izz Eddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, a total of three prisoners, who are…” then the names of the hostages.
After 471 days of forced captivity, the idea of a hostage receiving a gift bag is undoubtedly bizarre.
At its core, there is an attempt by Hamas to present itself as a serious and undefeated governing body. Fifteen months after staging its audacious and devastating attack on Israel in October 2023, Hamas knew it would be an important moment for the militant group.
The message was clear, to Israelis, to people in Gaza, and to those watching around the world: we are a legitimate governing body, still in power, that has serious and legal protocols – even if they concern Israeli civilians forcibly removed from their homes. .
It was also on display at Al Saraya intersection in Gaza City. A row of Qassam militants lined the street — a message to the Israeli public, whose government is committed to destroying the group.
The gathering of a few dozen activists in Gaza City is hardly evidence of a serious military threat.
But these images will fuel both the Israeli far right, who see the ceasefire as a capitulation, and those who favor dialogue, who will say that if 15 months of incessant war have not succeeded in dislodging the Hamas, further bloodshed would be madness.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar admitted Sunday that Israel “has not achieved the goal” of dismantling the Hamas army and government. “We had a breakthrough,” he said.
The Israeli military and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families, declined to comment on the video.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Israel was far from achieving its goal.
“We estimate that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. This is a recipe for sustained insurgency and perpetual war,” Blinken said recently.
Abeer Salman and Mostafa Salem contributed to this report.