Hamas pressures Israel with hostages. Months later, they show Omri and Siegel, the men begging for help

The edited video is approximately three minutes long. In it, the two men introduced themselves and said they were hoping for a hostage release deal that would allow them to return home. It is not entirely clear when the footage was taken. However, Miran stated that he spent 202 days in captivity and Siegel mentioned the Jewish holiday of Passover, suggesting the video was filmed recently.

Siegel was kidnapped on October 7, along with his wife Aviva, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Aviva was released in November as part of a hostage exchange for Palestinians held in Israel. Miran was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October attack.

Hamas has repeatedly released footage of hostages in the past, which He called Israel a psychological war. Most Israeli media do not publish these videos, labeling them as Hamas propaganda.

The families of the hostages said after the release of the video, according to ToI, that the Israeli government had a choice between hostages and war. “Israel must choose: hostages or war. The raid on Rafah will bring more murdered hostages in captivity or their deaths in the war. The raid on Rafah will mean another way for the abductees to die. Israel must choose to return the hostages,” it says in the statement of the families.

Rafah is located in the south of the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, and more than a million Palestinians from other parts of the Strip have taken refuge there from the fighting. The Israeli government says Rafah is home to the remaining Hamas battalions, and the Israeli military has stepped up preparations for a ground operation in the city in recent weeks. The international community is urging the Israeli government to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians beforehand.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip began after the October 7 terrorist attacks, when Hamas and its allies attacked Israeli territory in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli authorities, 1,200 people died in the attack and another 250 were smuggled into the Palestinian territories. 129 hostages kidnapped by Hamas are believed to remain in the Gaza Strip.

In the first and so far only ceasefire at the end of November, less than half of the hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. According to the Health Ministry of the Hamas government, 34,388 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.

Efforts to end the war

Today, the Palestinian movement Hamas received Israel’s official response to its position regarding the end of the war in the Gaza Strip. He will now study it and then give his reaction, Khalil Hajja, a representative of the movement, said in a statement, according to Reuters.

“Today, Hamas received an official response from the Zionist occupiers to their position, which was communicated to the Egyptian and Qatari negotiators on April 13. The movement will study this response and then pass on its response.” the statement says.

In an April 13 communique, according to AFP, Hamas reiterated its demands, including a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of displaced Palestinians to the areas where they lived and an increase in humanitarian aid. Israel rejects key Hamas demands.

A senior Hamas official told Lebanon’s pro-Iranian station Al-Mayadeen that Hamas is unlikely to accept Israel’s proposal without significant modifications. “Israel’s submitted proposal does not reflect a fundamental change in Israel’s position. It does not give clear answers to the question of withdrawal and a complete ceasefire,” said the official, without giving details about the content of the proposal.