Israeli hostages on video

(JNS) — On Saturday, Hamas released a video of two hostages—Omri Miran, 46, and Keith Siegel, 64.

While the edited, three-minute-long video is undated, Miran says in it that he has been held captive for 202 days and Siegel mentions the Passover holiday, indicating that the video was filmed recently.

The two men identify themselves, speak directly to their families and express their hopes for a deal to release the rest of the hostages.

Siegel, a dual Israeli and U.S. citizen, was kidnapped along with his wife, Aviva Siegel, from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7. Aviva Siegel was released as part of a hostage deal in November. Miran was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas during the assault on the northwestern Negev.

In a video message released on Saturday in response to the Hamas video, his wife said, “Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return.”

She was joined in the video by the couple’s two daughters.

At a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, Omri’s father, Dani Miran, gave an emotional address to the crowd, expressing his excitement at seeing his son, knowing that “he was hopefully alive.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that the proof of life means it is necessary for the Israeli government “to do everything to approve a deal to return the hostages before Independence Day, for the living to be rehabilitated and the murdered to be buried with dignity.”

On April 24, Hamas released another propaganda video of 23-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, where Hamas attacked, murdered, raped and burned 364 people and kidnapped 40 others. His left arm was blown off at the elbow during the assault.

The video is the first proof of life provided by the terrorist organization since it abducted him and dragged him back to Gaza, except for a video of him on Oct. 7 being marched out of a shelter into a Hamas vehicle.

His parents, John and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, said on April 24 in a video statement that it was “overwhelming” to see their son alive.

“We’re relieved to see him alive, but we are also concerned about his health and well-being, as well as that of all of the other hostages and all of those suffering in this region,” they said.

“And we’re here today with a plea to all of the leaders of the parties who have been negotiating to date—that includes Qatar, Egypt, the United States, Hamas and Israel. Be brave, lean in, seize this moment, and get a deal done to reunite all of us with our loved ones and to end the suffering in this region.

“And Hersch, if you can hear this, we heard your voice today for the first time in 201 days. And if you can hear us, I am telling you, we are telling you we love you. Stay strong, survive.”

An estimated 133 hostages remain in Gaza, 129 of whom were among the 253 kidnapped by Hamas during its Oct. 7 onslaught of the northwestern Negev. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 34 of the 129.