Hamas has released a video providing the first evidence of life for two additional hostages held in Gaza. In the video, Omri Miran states he has been captive for 202 days, while Keith Siegel references the recent Passover holiday, suggesting the footage was taken recently. Both were taken during the October 7 attacks.
The families of the hostages have responded by pressing the Israeli government to negotiate a new release agreement. Keith Siegel, a U.S. citizen, was abducted along with his wife, Aviva, who was released during a brief ceasefire in November.
Aviva Siegel expressed her determination in a video statement, saying, “Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return.” She shared in an earlier BBC interview that the couple had been moved frequently by their captors, including being left in a tunnel, and at that time she was uncertain of Keith’s status.
Keith’s daughter Ilan urged swift action following the video, stating, “Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home. I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see their father crying out for help.”
Another daughter, Shir, mentioned her father’s awareness of their efforts, saying, “If you watched the video, you saw that my father knows we are all coming to the rally every week and fighting for him and all the captives.”
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Omri Miran’s father, Dani, has appealed directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to any feasible deal to end the bloodshed and the suffering.
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters stated that the video underscores the need for the Israeli government to do everything possible to secure the hostages’ return. This follows another video released earlier showing Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, severely injured in the initial attack.
As the situation remains dire, both families continue to call for more effective actions to secure a new hostage release agreement. Meanwhile, discussions and proposals for a truce continue, with international mediators involved in attempting to restart stalled negotiations. However, a previous ceasefire proposal was rejected by Hamas, which demands a permanent end to the conflict and other concessions from Israel.
