Former Hamas hostage's mom says daughter was forced to fake her death for a propaganda video
2025-02-14
Category: world

Former Hamas hostage Daniella Gilboa was apparently forced to fake her own death for a propaganda video. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Orly Gilboa, Daniella’s mother, detailed the horrifying ordeal. "One of the captors just came to her with a camera and said, ‘Daniella, today we’re going to film you dead.’ &nbsp;She of course pleaded for her life and asked him not to do it," Orly Gilboa told Channel 12. Gilboa also said that her daughter was covered in debris and powder to make it seem like she was killed in an Israeli airstrike. In November 2024, Hamas claimed that Gilboa was killed in an Israeli airstrike, producing the video of her "dead body" as proof. However, Gilboa was in fact alive and was released from captivity on Jan. 25, 2025, alongside Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev.  Following Hamas’ release of the video, the IDF said in a statement that it was investigating the situation. The IDF also condemned the release of the video, saying "Hamas continues to engage in psychological terror and act with extreme brutality." Hamas made videos of multiple hostages, including Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons were also kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023. Bibas is seen in the Hamas video, which was released in November 2023, breaking down as he is told that his family was killed. The fate of Bibas’ wife, Shiri, and their sons, Ariel and Kfir, remains unknown. Gilboa, Albag, Levy and Ariev were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from an IDF base in southern Israel during the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Agam Berger, who was taken hostage with the other female soldiers, was held for an extra week alone. She was released from Hamas captivity on Jan. 30, 2025.  HAMAS SAYS IT WILL FREE MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES ON SATURDAY AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED&nbsp; On the day she was taken hostage, Gilboa was shot in the leg, but the bullet was not removed during her time in captivity. In an exclusive interview with Ynet, Ran Gilboa, Daniela’s father, called his daughter "a hero who returned from hell." He also revealed that for two days after his daughter’s kidnapping, his family did not know if she was alive or dead. "Their captors gave them more food in the days leading up to their release. They were only told they would be freed three days before it happened," Ran Gilboa told Ynet. Israelis were stunned by the condition of three hostages released last week, Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami, as the men appeared emaciated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that this "would not be ignored." Additionally, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that the "emaciated and pained" men were a visual representation of a "crime against humanity."  ISRAELI CABINET BACKS TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES BY SATURDAY DEADLINE Hamas and Israel were engaged in a ceasefire. However, the terrorist organization threatened to stop hostage releases. President Donald Trump then gave Hamas a deadline of Saturday, Feb. 15, at 12 p.m. to release the remaining hostages. "If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Let all hell break out. Israel can override it." Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release "all of them, not in drips and drabs." &nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP&nbsp; Israel’s security cabinet backed President Trump’s threat, and Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement that if the hostages are not released by the deadline, they "will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated."&nbsp; On Thursday, Hamas announced it would free three more Israeli hostages as originally planned, according to the Associated Press. Greg Norman contributed to this report.