JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Palestinian militant group Hamas released a video on Saturday of an Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, who pleads for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to secure his release.
The 3-1/2-minute video shows Alexander, 20, looking pale and seated in a dark space against a wall, identifying himself and addressing his family, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Trump.
The video was shown to Alexander’s mother, Yael, at a Tel Aviv rally, where she pleaded with Israeli leaders to end the war in Gaza and make a deal with Hamas to release the hostages. “This video gives us hope, but it also shows how difficult it is for Edan and for the other hostages, and how much they are crying out and praying for us to rescue them,” she said.
Netanyahu described the video as cruel psychological warfare and assured Alexander’s family that Israel was working tirelessly to bring the hostages home. The Trump transition team did not immediately comment.
Alexander was taken to Gaza during a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Around half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages still being held incommunicado in Gaza are believed to be alive.
Hamas leaders were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials to explore ways to secure the release of the hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. The bid comes after the United States said it was reviving efforts towards a deal.
The White House National Security Council spokesperson, Sean Savett, said, “We have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza. This deal is on the table now.”
The Hostages Families Forum urged the administrations of outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump to step up efforts to secure a hostage release, saying, “The hostages’ lives hang by a thread.”