Thursday 12 / December / 2024
A video of a man identifying himself as an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel has been released by the military wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In the video, the date of which cannot be verified, a man addresses US President-elect Donald Trump in English and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew.
Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage, also pleads with Trump to secure his release from captivity. There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities, who have previously described such videos as cruel psychological warfare.
About half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are believed to be alive, according to Israeli estimates.
Hamas is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states. Egypt to host renewed Gaza ceasefire effort
Hamas leaders were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, two officials from the group told Reuters news agency.
The meeting comes days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon.
It's the first visit from Hamas officials to Egypt since the United States announced earlier this week it would revive efforts for a Gaza ceasefire in collaboration with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
Any truce between Hamas and Israel is expected to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza and would likely see the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. A short break in fighting in November 2023 saw the release of 105 hostages from Gaza and about 240 Palestinians from Israel.
Hamas is seeking a ceasefire deal that would end the war while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would stick to its stated goal of eradicating Hamas.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with the family of Hamas hostage Edan Alexander after the terror group released footage of the 20-year-old captive earlier this evening, the Times of Israel quoted the prime minister's office as saying.
During the call, Netanyahu told the family that he "really feels the anguish that Edan, the hostages and their families are going through."
He also reassured the family "that Israel is working resolutely and in every way possible" to bring about the release of the hostages."
Defense Minister Israel Katz also said he spoke with Alexander's family. "The cruel video that was published is part of psychological warfare, but it is an important and moving sign of life for us and his family," Katz wrote on X.
"The hostages and their families are enduring terrible suffering. I know this, and guarantee that in the security establishment, we are working tirelessly to bring all the hostages home," he added.
