Hamas shocked the world by releasing a video featuring the late Ori Danino, one of six Gaza hostages who were executed by Hamas and found in a tunnel in Rafah on Saturday afternoon, August 31. The other murdered hostages were identified as Eden Yerushalmi, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

The heartbreaking footage surfaced on Hamas’ Telegram channel. The video opens with a montage of photos of the six hostages, followed by Danino introducing himself. He states his name, where he is from, and where he was taken hostage.

"Our living conditions are very difficult, there is no food, no water, no electricity," Danino says in the video, adding that there is non-stop shooting and bombing.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet, Danino accuses them of having "failed us on October 7." He further adds, "Today, you are trying to kill us one after another in failed rescue attempts."

Danino asks, "Where were you when they shot me?" He also asks several other questions about the government's absence on and after October 7.

Danino then addresses the people of Israel, and pleads, “Keep doing everything until we get out of here alive. Get us out of here alive because at this pace no one will survive."

Danino then went on to tell his family how much he loved them. “There is not a day that I do not think of you,” he says. The video concludes with him saying, "People of Israel: Do not neglect us."

A clip of a sand timer then reveals the words "time is running out." "Exchange deal... freedom and life. Military pressure... death and failure” can be seen written in the end.

The 25-year-old helped other Nova attendees survive the attack and escape the scene. After driving himself and the survivors away from the music festival, Danino decided to turn back in hopes of rescuing more attendees. It was during this return that he was abducted by Hamas terrorists.

“He ran away from the party, got out of hell, came back to save more people, and was kidnapped with them. He survived more than 300 days in captivity to return full of hope and faith,” Liel, his partner, said, “he excelled in everything he did.

Danino’smother, Einav Danino, told Reshet Bet radio that her son was “a true warrior. Ori served in a significant position in the army, which we could not reveal," she said. "After three months in captivity, we started receiving signs of life from him almost every month. We knew that our army was doing everything for him. He was a special person, we were sure it would end differently. He was a true warrior."

Einav also revealed the moment they received the news of Danino’s death. "We were informed about it in the early hours of the morning, around four o'clock in the morning. We could not believe that this had happened. Ori served in a very important position in the army, and he loved the army with all his heart. We kept a watchful eye on him, and when we received signs of life from him, it gave us great hope that we would see him again,” she said.

Talking about her son’s actions on October 7, Einav said, "Ori met Maya and Itay Regev that evening at the party. When he realised they were in danger, he went back to save them, even though his friend tried to convince him not to go in there. Ori didn't think twice, he acted with rare courage. Unfortunately, the terrorists shot at his car, and he was kidnapped. During all this time, we hoped to see him again, but unfortunately it ended differently."

Image source: Reuters