Israeli citizens reported receiving disturbing voice messages overnight Friday and Saturday featuring the voices of hostages and sounds of explosions. Authorities say the calls are a psychological warfare tactic by Hamas aimed at spreading public panic.
The recordings, traced to anonymous numbers, were taken from a May propaganda video showing hostages Yosef-Haim Ohana and Elkana Bohbot, both abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. In the clip, Ohana pleads, “What will happen when I soon won’t be able to be near him and he will remain alone?”
The National Cyber Directorate confirmed the messages were part of an effort to instill fear. It emphasized that the calls do not harm phones but advised the public not to answer and to block the following numbers: 079-9444000, 074-7375311, and 072-2604986.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, whose members also received the calls, denied any involvement.
Since October 7, Hamas has routinely used videos of hostages to manipulate public sentiment. Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 58 remain in Gaza — including 35 confirmed dead and 20 believed alive.
To date, Hamas has released or returned the bodies of over 140 captives in various exchanges or truces. Eight hostages have been rescued alive, while 41 bodies have been recovered — including three mistakenly killed by Israeli forces during an escape attempt. The body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, killed in 2014, is also still held by Hamas.
Israeli officials warn the psychological campaign will likely continue, and stress the importance of national resilience in the face of Hamas’s tactics.
