This terrifying new October 7 footage shows an Israeli soldier being hauled from his smouldering tank and frogmarched towards the Gaza strip.
The parents of 20-year-old tank gunner Nimrod Cohen, taken hostage in the Hamas-led atrocity in 2023, released a video of his capture on Monday.
Its publication coincided with a nationwide ‘day of struggle’ in Israel, where thousands demanded the release of those still held captive by the terrorist group.
The day began at 6.29am, the exact time Hamas launched its October 7 attack, and saw protesters flooding Tel Aviv, closing down highways and blocking pavements outside politician’s homes.
Cohen’s parents, Viki and Yehuda Cohen have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of missing chances to free their son and the other 49 hostages to shore up his own political survival.
The footage of Cohen’s capture was recovered by the IDF during ground operations in Gaza. Viki Cohen told local media she became aware of it about two months ago.
‘When I, as a mother, saw the video, I felt feelings of upheaval, fear, terror, that reminded me of October 7,’ she told Channel 12.
‘We don’t know Nimrod’s situation, what conditions he’s held in… We’re very worried and fearful for his fate.’
Yehuda Cohen said at the time: ‘I knew something bad had happened because he was not responding to my WhatsApp messages.
‘And then I saw him on a clip being dragged on the floor from his tank, that’s when I realized he had been abducted.’
The family previously claimed that the army was preventing publication of the video and said the IDF is still holding more footage of Cohen that it will not release.
The clip shows Cohen being roughly pulled from an armoured vehicle by Hamas gunmen before being marched on his feet toward Gaza by armed terrorists.
A voice in the video tells him that he will be returned to Israel and will not be harmed.
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 explosive devices on the border on October 7.
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 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 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 echoed this sentiment talking to 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.’
It comes as protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza and the return of hostages being held there took to the streets in Israel early Tuesday morning ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.
Organised demonstrations will be held in Tel Aviv throughout the day, with marches scheduled nationwide from 2pm local time, according to The Times of Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced that it would lead a national ‘day of struggle’ today to secure the release of the people taken hostage by the Hamas-led militants on 7 October 2023.
‘An absolute majority of the Israeli people want to bring our loved ones home,’ the forum said over the weekend.’
‘The deliberate delay in signing a deal for their return goes against the will of the people and our fundamental values — mutual responsibility and friendship. This is the Israeli ethos — this is our duty.’
The protesters will gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv at 5pm today and write notes to send to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military chief.
AFP journalists saw protesters blocking roads in Tel Aviv, waving Israeli flags and holding up pictures of the hostages.
Dramatic aerial images show black smoke rising from burning tires on Highway 2, which was blocked by Israeli protesters during the demonstration.
Israeli media reported others rallying near a US embassy branch in the city, as well as outside the houses of various ministers across the country.
‘There is an offer on the table. We demand that our leaders sit at the negotiation table and not get up until there is an agreement,’ said Hagit Chen, whose son was abducted by militants in October 2023, according to a statement released by a forum representing the families of hostages.
The agenda of the security cabinet meeting has not been officially disclosed, but local reports suggest it could be to discuss renewed negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The cabinet approved in early August a plan for the military to take over Gaza City, triggering fresh fears for the safety of the hostages and a new wave of protests that has seen tens of thousands take to the country’s streets in recent weeks.
Netanyahu last week had ordered immediate talks aimed at securing the release of all remaining captives in Gaza, while also doubling down on the plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza’s largest city.
That came days after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators that would see the staggered release of hostages over an initial 60-day period in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.