Hamas Releases Video of American-Israeli Hostage Held in Gaza
The armed wing of Hamas has published a video of an American-Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In the video, Alexander, who is being held alongside 96 other hostages, addresses US President-elect Donald Trump in English and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew, calling on them to put pressure on their governments to secure his release.
The video has been met with widespread condemnation, with the White House National Security Council describing it as "a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror." In response, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office stated that the release of the video is "cruel psychological warfare" and that Israel is determined to take every action to bring the hostages back home.
Alexander’s family has also spoken out, with his mother, Yael, urging Netanyahu to keep his promise to free the hostages. "This state is strong enough to end the war and bring them all back, including my Edan," she said.
The plight of the hostages has been a contentious issue, with some calling for a deal to be made with Hamas to secure their release. The Hostage Families Forum campaign group has reiterated its calls for a deal, stating that "returning the hostages is only possible through a deal." The video’s release comes just days after another Israeli hostage, Sasha Trupanov, was featured in a video published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas.