Hamas Releases Video of Israeli-American Hostage Edan Alexander; gives hope to a Tenafly family

JERUSALEM, Nov 30 (Reuters) – The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday released a video of an Israeli-American hostage from Tenafly pleading with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to secure his release.

The mother of hostage Edan Oleksandr Yaelsaid she was stunned by the 3.5-minute video, which showed the 20-year-old captive pale and sitting in a dark area against a wall. He introduced himself and addressed his family, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump.

The video “gives us hope, but it also shows how hard it is for Edan and the other hostages and how much they are screaming and begging us to save them,” his mother told a rally in Tel Aviv calling for the hostages’ release.

“My dear, beloved Edan, we miss you so much,” she said before calling on Israel’s leaders to end the war in Gaza and strike a deal with Hamas to release the hostages.

Netanyahu said in a statement that the video was brutal psychological warfare and that he told Alexander’s family in a phone call that Israel was working tirelessly to return the hostages home.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted on social media: “I join Alexander’s family in urging both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to do everything possible to quickly facilitate a deal that will bring him home safely.”

Reuters published an edited 1.5-minute version of the propaganda video.

Edan Oleksandr: A New Jersey father has a message for his son held by Hamas: “Be strong. survive’

About half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages still held incommunicado in Gaza are believed to be still alive.

Hamas leaders are expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials to explore ways to reach a deal that could secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The new bid comes after Washington said this week it was renewing efforts to meet that goal.

more: ‘Our hearts are held hostage’: The family of a Hamas captive from Tenafly tries to keep hope alive

The Biden administration, which was in office until Trump’s inauguration on January 20, said it was working “around the clock” to secure the release of US citizens held hostage by Hamas.

“We have a critical opportunity to reach an agreement to release the hostages, end the war and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said. “That deal is now on the table.”

The Hostage Families Forum called on the administrations of both outgoing US President Joe Biden and Trump, who will take office in January, to step up efforts to secure the release of the hostages.

“The lives of the hostages hang in the balance,” the message reads.

This article includes reporting from NorthJersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hamas released video of hostage Edan Alexander in New Jersey