Israeli captive advocates for prisoner exchange in latest Hamas footage
On Wednesday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a video featuring an Israeli hostage urging for an immediate prisoner exchange. This move represents a new effort to initiate negotiations amidst the continuing conflict.
TroibNews 
Hamas's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Wednesday featuring an Israeli hostage who called for an urgent prisoner exchange, signaling a renewed push for negotiations amid the ongoing conflict.
In the video, the hostage identified as Omri Miran stated that he had been held in the Gaza Strip for a year and a half. Miran was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, during Hamas's incursion into southern Israel and has recently marked his 48th birthday in captivity.
"I passed my second birthday here and couldn't celebrate. There is no joy, only fear," Miran conveyed in the video, which was recorded under unspecified circumstances. He implored Israeli officials to expedite a prisoner exchange deal, emphasizing the risk of hostages being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.
"We live under the constant threat of bombardment, and without a deal, we may return in coffins," he cautioned.
Miran also directed his plea to the Israeli public, urging them to stage large protests outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. "Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is killing us. Only a prisoner exchange will bring us home," he urged, highlighting that the prime minister's supporters "do not care about our fate."
He appealed to former hostages who have been released to advocate for those still held captive, pointing to worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. "Crossings are closed, and food and supplies are not entering. We are receiving less food," he noted.
Miran's family reacted to the video on Wednesday, expressing their outrage that he remains in captivity ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which this year began at sunset on Wednesday and will run until nightfall on Thursday.
Israeli authorities report that 59 hostages are still in Gaza, including 58 of the 251 taken during the October 7 attack. The Israel Defense Forces have stated that at least 35 of those still held are believed to have died.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities and facilitated the release of 33 hostages in exchange for approximately 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
On Wednesday, Israeli strikes on Gaza resulted in at least 25 reported fatalities, including 11 in a strike on a location serving as a school-turned-shelter. "The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered," stated Gaza's civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal regarding the incident at Yaffa School in Gaza's Al-Tuffah district.
While talks for a new ceasefire have yet to yield results, a Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo engaging in renewed discussions with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
On the same day, Germany, France, and Britain urged Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death." Their foreign ministers collectively emphasized, "We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians."
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
In the video, the hostage identified as Omri Miran stated that he had been held in the Gaza Strip for a year and a half. Miran was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, during Hamas's incursion into southern Israel and has recently marked his 48th birthday in captivity.
"I passed my second birthday here and couldn't celebrate. There is no joy, only fear," Miran conveyed in the video, which was recorded under unspecified circumstances. He implored Israeli officials to expedite a prisoner exchange deal, emphasizing the risk of hostages being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.
"We live under the constant threat of bombardment, and without a deal, we may return in coffins," he cautioned.
Miran also directed his plea to the Israeli public, urging them to stage large protests outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence. "Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is killing us. Only a prisoner exchange will bring us home," he urged, highlighting that the prime minister's supporters "do not care about our fate."
He appealed to former hostages who have been released to advocate for those still held captive, pointing to worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza. "Crossings are closed, and food and supplies are not entering. We are receiving less food," he noted.
Miran's family reacted to the video on Wednesday, expressing their outrage that he remains in captivity ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which this year began at sunset on Wednesday and will run until nightfall on Thursday.
Israeli authorities report that 59 hostages are still in Gaza, including 58 of the 251 taken during the October 7 attack. The Israel Defense Forces have stated that at least 35 of those still held are believed to have died.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities and facilitated the release of 33 hostages in exchange for approximately 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
On Wednesday, Israeli strikes on Gaza resulted in at least 25 reported fatalities, including 11 in a strike on a location serving as a school-turned-shelter. "The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered," stated Gaza's civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal regarding the incident at Yaffa School in Gaza's Al-Tuffah district.
While talks for a new ceasefire have yet to yield results, a Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo engaging in renewed discussions with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
On the same day, Germany, France, and Britain urged Israel to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death." Their foreign ministers collectively emphasized, "We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians."
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
