Hamas’s Armed Wing Releases Video of a Hostage Alive from October 7th

Hostage Criticizes Israeli Government for Failing to Secure His Release in Video Broadcast by Hamas’s Military Wing

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, released a video on Saturday showing a hostage who was captured during the Palestinian Islamist movement’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, alive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media identified the hostage as Israeli-American Edan Alexander.

The video, broadcast by the al-Qassam Brigades, is just over three minutes long and shows the hostage sitting in a cramped space, criticizing the Israeli government to the camera for not yet securing his release.

AFP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video or the date it was recorded. Addressing the camera, the hostage says he wants to go home to celebrate the holidays. Israel is currently celebrating Passover, which commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.

Frequently gesturing with his hands, he criticizes the Israeli government for not yet obtaining his release. Of the 251 people abducted during the October 7th attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 who have died according to the Israeli army.

A truce brokered by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, between January 19th and March 17th, facilitated the return of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for Israel’s release of some 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.