A previously unseen video of the capture of Nimrod Cohen, a solider taken hostage in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, was released by Monday by his family, who called on the government to do everything they could to secure the release of the captives.
Following the publication of the video, Cohen’s parents, Viki and Yehuda, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of passing up opportunities to free their son and the other 49 hostages held by Hamas in order to ensure his own political survival. The video’s broadcast, and their comments, come on the eve of a “day of struggle” by relatives of the captives meant to ramp up pressure for their release.
The footage was recovered by the IDF during ground operations in Gaza, and Viki Cohen told Channel 12 that she was first made aware of it about two months ago. The family previously claimed that the army was withholding publication of the video and said the IDF is still holding more footage of Cohen that it will not release.
“When I, as a mother, saw the video, I felt feelings of upheaval, fear, terror, that reminded me of October 7,” she told the network. “We don’t know Nimrod’s situation, what conditions he’s held in… We’re very worried and fearful for his fate.”
The video shows Cohen being pulled from a tank by Hamas gunmen and being marched on his feet toward the Strip by armed terrorists. A voice in the clip tells him that he will be returned to Israel and will not be harmed.
Previously aired footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around the tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists.
Cohen, 19 at the time of his capture, was the only survivor among four soldiers who were in a tank that was attacked by Hamas terrorists with RPG fire and explosive devices on the border on October 7. The three other soldiers, Omer Neutra, Shaked Dahan, and Oz Daniel, were killed by terrorists who abducted their bodies to Gaza.
The most recent sign of life for Cohen came in early March, when his family identified him in footage via a tattoo on his arm.
Both Viki and Yehuda Cohen have been vocal critics of the government and its approach to the hostages, at least 20 of whom are considered by Israel to be alive. They, like many other hostages’ families, have called for an end to the war with the captives’ return.
On Monday, Yehuda alleged that the military was not releasing additional footage of his son to lessen pressure for a deal to free the hostages.
“These videos are just part of what we were shown [by the IDF]. There’s a cache of videos of Nimrod in Gaza speaking to the camera, and the army is refusing to give it to us,” Yehuda Cohen said in a brief press conference.
He claimed the footage was suppressed to serve Netanyahu’s goal of avoiding reaching a deal that releases the hostages and ends the war.
“The army needs to give us everything to fight for Nimrod against the Netanyahu government, which refuses to reach a deal, in order to press Netanyahu and his government to reach an agreement and free all the hostages,” he added.
He struck the same chord in comments to the Israeli news site Ynet on Monday.
“Netanyahu wants to extend the war because that’s his path to survival,” he said. “The only thing that motivates him is Netanyahu’s personal survival. Nothing else interests him. That’s our problem.”
Yehuda Cohen also criticized US President Donald Trump as being too closely aligned with Netanyahu. “He’s made all sorts of declarations… We know that essentially Trump is interested in Netanyahu being the leader of the State of Israel.”
And he appeared to praise European countries’ recent efforts to pressure Israel, including by recognizing a Palestinian state, reducing trade with Israel and weighing the imposition of sanctions — all moves the Israeli government has decried.
Citing those tactics, Yehuda Cohen said, “What can you do? When an irresponsible person leads a country, you need to do everything possible to push him out so we can finish this thing.”
He said the family’s goal is to “advance as much as possible the release of Nimrod.” Earlier in the interview, he said, “What hurts me is what’s happening to him.”
Less than a day following the video’s publication, on Tuesday, relatives of hostages plan to lead a “day of struggle,” aiming to push Netanyahu to accept a temporary ceasefire, agreed to earlier this month by Hamas.
The deal would see 10 living hostages exchanged during a 60-day truce, but Netanyahu’s cabinet has delayed formally discussing it. The government advanced plans for the military conquest of Gaza City and said it would only consider a comprehensive deal to end the war. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly also urged the government to accept the 60-day deal on the table.
Tuesday’s events will come after another day of protest more than a week ago that saw hundreds of thousands rally for the captives’ release.
“We’re calling on the public to take a stand,” Viki told Channel 12. “This is a day to stand with us, the families, to show solidarity and support, and sound a call from all of us to the prime minister to end the war and bring back all the hostages that are still in hell in Gaza.”