'For them, this is no game': Israeli gaming industry release video calling for release of hostages

As part of the war effort, the civil defense branch of the protest group Brothers in Arms, released a video in collaboration with the Israeli gaming industry, calling for the release of hostages.

The video shows clips of the game Fortnite with voices teasing each other and asking for help from teammates as is common in online gaming communities. 

Before the camera pans over to a headset placed on the table, one of the voices asks "Or, are you here man?" and "Where are you, Or?"

"Or is AFK [away from keyboard]. He's been kidnapped by Hamas." reads the video.

The video shed light on one of the hostages from Israel, Or (16), and his younger brother Yagil Yaakov (13), who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

For them, this is no game

The video reads "For them, this is no game" and then encourages the viewer to retweet the video with the hashtag #FordstillAFK.

The video was created by the civil defense branch of the protest group Brothers in Arms in collaboration with the Israeli gaming industry and calls on the global gaming community to help spread awareness of the kidnappings.

Brothers in Arms is a well-known protest group originating in early 2023 to protest and oppose the judicial reform being carried out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

It became a prominent group often at the front of the protests with its members wearing t-shirts and holding banners bearing the group's name. 

On October 7, that all changed, the group's leadership called for an immediate halt to protests and a return of all available reservists to duty to help defend the country.

Members of the group have helped the war effort in multiple ways from helping the rehousing programs for displaced citizens to replacing foreign farm workers in the South to helping with the identification of missing persons in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre.