Hamas on Saturday released a video of American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, the first evidence that Siegel is still alive after being taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The 64-year-old appears gaunt and distressed in the clip as he pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a cease-fire and hostage release deal.
Israeli citizen Omri Miran, 46, also appears in the video and similarly begs for Netanyahu to reach an agreement.
“I want to tell my family that I love you very much,” Siegel says in Hebrew, according to NPR. “We are in danger here. There are explosions. It’s stressful and frightening, and it’s been going on for a very long time.”
It’s unclear when exactly the video was taken, though both men refer to the Jewish holiday of Passover, which began on Monday.
Miran says he has “been here for 202 days,” suggesting the video was filmed on Thursday.
Siegel has remained in captivity ever since he and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped by Hamas from the Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza Strip. Aviva was released on Nov. 26 during a seven-day ceasefire and hostage release agreement.
Miran was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the brutal attack. His wife and two daughters survived.
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the “proof of life from Keith Siegel and Omri Miran is the clearest evidence that we must do everything to approve a deal for the return of all the hostages” before Israel’s Independence Day on May 14.
The Siegel and Miran families have confirmed the release and publication of the video issued today (Saturday, April 27th) by Hamas, showing hostages Omri Miran and Keith Siegel for the first time after 204 days in captivity!
The proof of life from Keith Siegel and Omri Miran is… pic.twitter.com/ilSmetsvDB
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) April 27, 2024
Siegel’s family also reacted to the footage via the organization.
“Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home,” his daughter, Ilan, said. “I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see [my] father crying out for help.”
Saturday’s hostage video is the second from Hamas in recent days. On Wednesday, the terrorist group released footage of 24-year-old Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.
In the heavily edited video, which is clearly scripted, Goldberg-Polin criticizes Netanyahu and his government for abandoning the hostages still in Gaza.
He, Siegel and Miran are three of 133 hostages still in captivity by Hamas, though dozens of them are believed to be dead. Israel considers all unreturned people to be hostages, whether alive or dead.
Hamas and Israel for months have continued to negotiate a second cease-fire and hostage release deal, though they have yet to reach an agreement. Hamas on Saturday announced it was reviewing a new proposal from Israel for a cease-fire, which would include a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners.
