The militant group Hamas has released footage of 64-year-old American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, still alive after more than 200 days in captivity.
In the video, Siegel and Israeli hostage Omri Miran, 46, appear gaunt and clearly emotionally distressed as they address the camera. The two men speak in Hebrew to identify themselves and say they’re hoping for a hostage deal that could allow them to return home, according to a translation by The Times of Israel.
Siegel has been missing since he and his wife, Aviva, were kidnapped by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 from the Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Aviva Siegel was released during the seven-day November ceasefire and hostage deal.
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The video of Siegel and Miran is undated but includes details that suggest the clips were filmed very recently. Siegel mentions the Passover holiday, which falls between April 22 and April 30, and Miran says he’s been held captive for 202 days.
As of Saturday, the hostages were kidnapped 204 days ago.
The video is the first evidence released by Hamas that Siegel is alive, and comes just days after the extremist group released a video of another American-Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. In that video, Goldberg-Polin criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for abandoning the hostages still in Gaza.
These propaganda videos, which Israel describes as “psychological warfare” and are almost certainly filmed under duress, come as Hamas and Israel continue to negotiate terms of a ceasefire and hostage exchange. Hamas’ political arm has said it is “serious” about releasing the hostages if Israel agrees to a ceasefire, while also attempting to avert a full-scale invasion of Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million people are seeking refuge.
