Hostages in video released by Hamas share message to families: ‘I miss you all’

Hamas on Saturday released another video showing two hostages in their captivity in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian Islamist group’s October 7 attack on Israel. Keith Siegel, 64, an American-Israeli, and Omri Miran, 47, an Israeli, appeared in the video separately and spoke in front of an empty background.

This was the first time that Hamas released a video of Keith Siegel since he was kidnapped by the Islamist group along with his wife from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. His wife, Aviva, was released in November 2023 as part of the last hostage deal with Israel after 51 days in captivity.

Omri Miran was taken hostage from his home in the community of Nahal Oz in front of his wife and two young daughters by Hamas. His family survived the attack.

In the latest undated video, Siegel and Miran send love to their families and say they reminisce about last year’s memories of Passover (a Jewish holiday). Both men appear in a grey t-shirt and say they miss their families. Keith Siegel was seen breaking down at the end of his speech.

This was the second hostage video released by Hamas within a week. On Wednesday (April 24), the Islamist group released a video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been kidnapped from the Nova music festival held near the Israel-Gaza border on October 7.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to Goldberg-Polin’s video, calling it a “psychological terror”.

The latest video of Siegel and Miran was published during the Passover holiday, when Jews celebrate the biblical story of gaining freedom from slavery in Egypt.

Keith Siegel’s wife responded to the video. “Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return,” CNN reported, quoting Aviva.

His daughter, Ilan, demanded Israeli leaders to “watch this video and see (our) father crying out for help”. “Seeing my father today only emphasises to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home,” she said.

Around 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage by Hamas during their October 7 assault, which killed some 1,200 people. In response, Israel launched an attack on Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top leaders vowing to destroy Hamas and bring the hostages back home. The counterattack has so far killed over 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-led Gaza health ministry.

Around 133 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip as a fresh truce deal remains deadlocked. The families of these hostages and their supporters, along with anti-government activists, have flared up lately as they accuse Netanyahu of escalating the war in order to avoid agreeing to terms that might be unpopular with his right-wing base.

Support for Israel’s war with Gaza has also been dwindling, with the Jewish nation’s strongest ally, the US, also issuing warnings over the magnitude of destruction and humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.