A newly released video, found in a Gaza tunnel where six hostages were killed, reveals Hamas operatives watching TV and discussing one of the hostages, Almog Sarusi. The video, recovered from a flash drive found in the tunnel beneath Rafah in southern Gaza, captures the operatives watching an Al Jazeera broadcast covering the families of the captives. They can be heard identifying Sarusi, whose picture is being held by a protester at a rally advocating for the hostages’ release.
This video, published by Kan public broadcaster with the Sarusi family’s permission, offers insight into the hostages’ final moments. In August, six Israeli hostages, including Sarusi, were executed by their captors as Israeli forces approached. These individuals had been taken from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and held in the Gaza tunnel system for nearly a year.
In the video, the broadcast shows a protest scene with a demonstrator holding Sarusi’s photo. Two men, speaking Arabic off-camera, discuss the broadcast. Hebrew subtitles translate their conversation, which aired on Kan Wednesday night. While it’s unclear who is speaking, the exchange appears to be between two men:
“Yes, there he is — Almog Sarusi,” says one, pausing the TV report.
“Yes, he has long hair,” responds the other.
“They set up a sort of encampment,” one voice adds, referring to the families protesting for a deal to secure their loved ones’ release.
“The ones lifting up the photos of [the hostages] — those are their families,” another voice says.
This video was released two months after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discovered the bodies of the six hostages—Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Ori Danino, 25; Alex Lobanov, 32; Carmel Gat, 40; and Almog Sarusi, 27. Forensic analysis revealed they had been killed less than 72 hours before their bodies were recovered on September 1. Reports suggest the hostages, possibly used as human shields for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, had survived for months on minimal food like energy bars before their eventual execution.
The situation remains critical, with 97 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 believed to be still in Gaza, along with the bodies of at least 34 hostages confirmed dead by the IDF.
In a late-November truce, Hamas released 105 civilians, following the earlier release of four other hostages. Eight hostages were rescued alive by Israeli forces, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three killed unintentionally by Israeli military efforts during escape attempts. Additionally, Hamas is believed to be holding two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.
