Hamas has released a disturbing new video showing armed men playing with and clutching kidnapped Israeli children and babies in an apparent attempt to spin a narrative about how the terrorist group is treating its captives.
The video features a number of unidentified men wearing fatigues and tactical vests appearing to dote on the young hostages at what appears to be a typical suburban home.
In one segment, the older child, no older than 5, sits in the lap of one of his captors as the terrorist slowly rocks the baby in a carriage, an assault rifle clearly visible on a nearby table.
At one point a different militant cradles the baby in one arm while holding an automatic weapon with the other. All of the adult’s faces are blurred out in the footage.
Near the end of the clip, a man wearing a balaclava and a green headband holds a child in each arm and directly addresses the camera in Arabic.
When it comes to war crimes, those involving children are considered particularly egregious in the international community.
The UN has identified abducting children in war as one of its six “grave violations” the international organization condemns alongside atrocities like attacks against hospitals or schools and recruiting child soldiers.
On Friday, Israel began dropping thousands of fliers in Gaza, imploring citizens to “leave immediately” while Hamas urged residents to disregard the orders.
Israel has directed the massive evacuation of up to 1.1 million Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip within the next 24 hours ahead of a potential ground invasion targeting Hamas.
Meanwhile, Hamas dismissed the warning, telling citizens to “remain steadfast in your homes,” and to “stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war.”
Hamas is believed to have captured at least 150 hostages during Saturday’s surprise attack against Israel and taken them back to Gaza, including an unknown number of Americans.