close
close
newpress

Hamas released footage of a crying Israeli hostage, his mother’s reaction

Posted on by Josh L
Hamas released footage of a crying Israeli hostage, his mother’s reaction


New Delhi:

On Saturday, the Palestinian group Hamas released a video showing American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. While in Gaza following the devastating attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Alexander directly addresses US President-elect Donald Trump in English and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew, pleading for intervention and urging Israelis to pressure their government to release the hostages.

The video, released by Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has not been independently verified for authenticity or date. Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, spoke at a rally in Tel Aviv that evening.

“This video saddens me, but apart from the hope it gives us, it shows how bad the situation is for Edan and the other hostages and how they are screaming and hoping to be rescued now,” she said.

She said she spoke directly to Netanyahu, urging him to fulfill his commitment to secure the release of the hostages. “You must fulfill your promise and release them. This state is strong enough to end the war and bring them all back, including my Edan,” she said.

Netanyahu’s office later confirmed the conversation, reiterating that Israel remains firm in its determination to return all hostages. Describing the video as “brutal psychological warfare,” the prime minister said such tactics would not deter Israel from its mission.

The Hostage Families Forum, a human rights group for the captured, also spoke out, saying the only viable solution for the return of the hostages was an agreement reached. “One year after the first and only agreement, it is clear to everyone: the return of the hostages is possible only through an agreement,” the group said in a statement.

The October 7 attack, which killed 1,207 people, mostly civilians, led to the kidnapping of 251 hostages. About 97 hostages remain in Gaza, including 34 whose deaths have been confirmed but whose bodies have not been returned. A brief truce in November 2023 resulted in the release of 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, as well as the release of 25 mostly Thai prisoners. Since then, however, efforts to secure further exchanges or a ceasefire have largely failed.

Israel’s military response has killed 44,382 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.