Hamas’s Qassam Brigades has released a video appearing to show the release of a female hostage and two children.
The footage aired on Al Jazeera on Wednesday night was shot from a distance, showing the unidentified woman and the children from behind.
The men, presumably Hamas fighters, are seen walking away after leaving them in an open area near a fence, which could be the frontier between Israel and Gaza.
It is unclear when the video was shot. The Israeli authorities are yet to comment on the video.
In a statement, the Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said the woman was an Israeli national.
“An Israeli settler and her two children were released after they were detained during the clashes,” said the statement, according to a report by the AFP news agency.
An estimated 150 captives were captured by Hamas on Saturday during its unprecedented assault on Israel, which immediately declared war on Gaza.
The relentless Israeli bombing over five days has killed more than 1,050 people, including hundreds of civilians, and wounded more than 5,000 others in Gaza, its health ministry says.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency says 250,000 people have been displaced in the Palestinian enclave put under a total siege by Israel, creating what observers say is a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
The Israeli military says more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday.
This story was produced by Al Jazeera.
