In a newly released video, an Israeli hostage held by Hamas urges for an immediate prisoner exchange, highlighting the dire conditions faced by captives in Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, published the video on Wednesday, featuring 48-year-old Omri Miran, who identified himself and revealed he has been held in Gaza for a year and a half. Miran was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, during a cross-border attack by Hamas into southern Israel.
“I passed my second birthday here and couldn’t celebrate. There is no joy, only fear,” Miran said, expressing the hardships of his captivity. He appealed to Israeli authorities to pursue a swift prisoner exchange deal, warning that hostages risk being killed in Israeli air strikes. “We live under the constant threat of bombardment, and without a deal, we may return in coffins,” he cautioned.
Miran called on the Israeli public to protest 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 asserted, accusing supporters of the prime minister of indifference toward the hostages’ fate.
He also urged former hostages who have been released to advocate for those still detained, citing 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 responded to the video, calling it a “disgrace” that he remains in captivity on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which began at sunset on Wednesday and concludes at nightfall on Thursday.
Israeli authorities report that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, including 58 of the 251 taken during the October 7 assault. The Israel Defense Forces believe at least 35 of those still held may be deceased.
Hostilities intensified as Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had 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 deaths, including 11 people in an attack on a school-turned-shelter. “The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered,” said Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense, regarding the attack on Yaffa School in Gaza’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood.
Despite efforts, talks on a new ceasefire have yet to yield results. A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo for renewed negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Germany, France, and Britain have called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease, and death.” In a joint statement, their foreign ministers urged, “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.”
