American-Israeli captives featured in Hamas footage for the first time
A recently unveiled video by Hamas showcases the presence of Keith Siegel alongside Israeli Omri Miran in what seems to be newly recorded scenes.
Hamas released a video on Saturday featuring two hostages, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Omri Miran. In the video, Siegel, who seems to be speaking under pressure, asks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss a deal with Hamas for their release. This is the first video of Siegel since he and his wife were taken by Hamas from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.
The hostages in the video mentioned that they were not able to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover, which ends on Tuesday. One of the hostages, Miran, stated that he has been in captivity for 202 days, indicating that the video was likely filmed on a Thursday.
CNN has not been able to confirm the location or date of the video. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office has chosen not to provide a comment on the situation.
Aviva Siegel, who was previously held hostage by Hamas, visited the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 28, 2024. She was wearing a T-shirt displaying a photo of her husband, Keith. Aviva Siegel was released from captivity on November 26, 2023.
Former Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel wears a T-shirt showing a her husband Keith during her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 28, 2024. Aviva Siegel was released on November 26, 2023.
Hamas has recently released a second hostage video. The video features Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7th.
In the video, Goldberg-Polin is seen missing part of his left arm, a few inches above the hand.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed that Siegal and Miran are in the video, according to a statement from their families.
The statement emphasized the importance of the Israeli government approving a deal for the return of all hostages before Independence Day. It highlighted the need for the living hostages to come back for rehabilitation and for the murdered hostages to receive a dignified burial.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American civilian kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza on October 7, appear on CNN during an interview with Anderson Cooper on Thursday, April 25.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza on October 7, were featured in an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN.
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The statement emphasized the importance of the government and its leader demonstrating their dedication to the citizens of Israel by taking action to bring back the hostages. This is a crucial opportunity that should not be missed to reunite them with their families.
On October 7, Hamas gunmen invaded the residence of Omri Miran, where he was abducted, but fortunately, his wife and two daughters managed to survive the ordeal at Nahal Oz Kibbutz.
Siegel's wife was released in November as part of the final hostage deal. Officials from Egypt and Israel shared with CNN that an Egyptian team visited Israel to help move forward the talks on releasing hostages and establishing a ceasefire in Gaza.
