Key Takeaways
- Israeli hostage Omri Miran calls for prisoner swap in new Hamas video.
- The hostage warns of rising death risk in Gaza Strip due to Israeli airstrikes.
- 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 58 of the 251 taken during the Oct. 7 assault.
Gaza: Hamas‘s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, on Wednesday published a video showing an Israeli hostage calling for an immediate prisoner exchange, marking a fresh attempt to push for negotiations amid ongoing hostilities.
In the footage, the hostage identified himself as Omri Miran, saying he had been held for a year and a half in the Gaza Strip. Miran was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, during Hamas’s cross-border attack into southern Israel. He recently turned 48, his second birthday spent in captivity.
“I passed my second birthday here and couldn’t celebrate. There is no joy, only fear,” Miran said in the video, recorded under unclear conditions. He urged Israeli authorities to pursue a swift prisoner exchange deal, warning that hostages face the risk of being killed in Israeli airstrikes.
“We live under the constant threat of bombardment, and without a deal, we may return in coffins,” he said.
Miran directed his message at the Israeli public, urging mass protests outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is killing us. Only a prisoner exchange will bring us home,” he said, adding that supporters of the prime minister “do not care about our fate.”
He also appealed to former hostages who have been released to speak out on behalf of those still detained, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza. “Crossings are closed, and food and supplies are not entering. We are receiving less food,” he said.
Miran’s family responded to the video on Wednesday, calling it a “disgrace” that he remains in captivity on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The commemoration of this year began at sunset on Wednesday and will conclude at nightfall on Thursday.
A total of 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 58 of the 251 taken during the Oct. 7 assault. At least 35 of those still held are believed to be dead, according to the Israel Defence Forces.
