# Hamas releases video of two Israeli hostages as families warn of Gaza operation
*Event date: 2025-09-05*
Hamas released a video on 2025-09-05 showing Gaza hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal hugging fellow hostage Alon Ohel, in a fresh sign of life that quickly became part of the political fight over Israel's next military steps in Gaza City.
According to the Jerusalem Post report, Gilboa-Dalal said in the footage that he could not believe he was still alive after 22 months of war and that he was being held in Gaza City. The group posted the video to its Telegram channel and attached the warning, "Time is running out." The clip also showed him saying that the remaining hostages would stay in Gaza City during an upcoming Israeli operation.
The material immediately fed into a larger dispute over whether expanding the war would put the captives in even greater danger. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the Israel Defense Forces did not have precise information about where the hostages were being held. In a statement quoted by the Jerusalem Post, the forum said a Gaza operation could lead to the captives' murder and disappearance in the ruins of the territory.
The forum also compared the risk to the killing of six hostages whose bodies were later found in tunnels under Rafah. It said 48 hostages were at risk of being murdered and disappearing forever. The group's language showed how the hostages' families continue to see any expansion of fighting through the prism of personal survival, not only military strategy.
The video appeared on the same day as renewed debate over the next phase of Israel's campaign. Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote that the sign of life was another painful reminder that Israel must return to negotiations to secure the hostages' release. That reaction reinforced the divide inside Israel between military pressure and a negotiated deal.
The Jerusalem Post report said Gilboa-Dalal's footage may have been recorded on August 28 because the date appeared in the video. It also said that another Israeli outlet had reported that Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida may have been planning psychological warfare around hostages before his death, though that was presented as a separate report rather than established fact in the excerpt.
The hostage video underscored how Hamas continues to use captives as both bargaining chips and instruments of messaging. It also showed how fragile any talk of a ground operation becomes when families and politicians are still searching for ways to bring the remaining hostages home.
For now, the clip provides evidence that at least some captives remain alive and in Gaza City. It also leaves unresolved the central question facing Israeli leaders: whether an expanded offensive can pressure Hamas without putting the remaining hostages at even greater risk.
