Hamas' military wing releases video of hostage held in Gaza

He introduces himself as Edan Alexander, Israeli-American soldier kidnapped during the October 7 attack.

The armed wing of Hamas published, on Saturday November 30, a new video of one of the Israelis taken hostage on October 7, 2023 during the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement in Israel from the Gaza Strip. The face of the young man appears in the middle of the darkness, in this video consulted by franceinfo, and filmed under duress. He introduces himself as Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier kidnapped when he was 19 years old during the October 7 attack.

In these images, the recording date of which cannot be verified, the young man addresses US President-elect Donald Trump and asks him not to reproduce the “errors” of his predecessor, Joe Biden. He enjoins the Israelis to pressure the government for his release and that of all hostages still held captive in Gaza. “Time here seems like an eternity”he adds in this document subtitled in Arabic and Hebrew.

“The shocking video of Edan, an Israeli-American citizen, is clear proof that despite the rumors, there are still hostages alive and suffering greatly”reacted the Hostage Families Forum, a collective bringing together the majority of families of hostages in Gaza. “A year after the first single agreement, it is clear to everyone: we can only bring back the hostages through an agreement”adds the Forum in a press release.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have already released hostage videos in the past. During the October 7 attack, 251 people were kidnapped on Israeli soil. A total of 97 hostages remain in Gaza, 34 of whom were declared dead by the army.