Some Gaza hostages speak to families by video call before release

Some hostages held by Hamas were able to speak with their families by video call shortly before their release on Monday, Israeli media reported, as recordings of the conversations also circulated on social media.

For many of the hostages, it was their first contact with relatives in more than two years of captivity, during which they were completely cut off from the outside world.

The videos are seen as propaganda for Hamas, allowing the Islamist group to present itself as humane. In some footage, Hamas members can be seen in the background.

The group also faced propaganda accusations during macabre handover ceremonies of hostages earlier this year.

To avoid such publicity, Monday’s handovers were occurring without ceremonies or media presence.

“You are coming home — all of you are coming home,” said Einav Zangauker, the mother of a hostage, in tears, according to the Times of Israel. “There is no more war.”

Media also shared images of other hostages, including brothers David and Ariel Cunio and Nimrod Cohen, speaking with their families via video call. “I could not hear anything, but I saw them and that is enough,” said the Cunio brothers’ mother.