Hamas releases video showing Israeli hostage marking his 48th birthday
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas's armed wing released a video Wednesday showing an Israeli-Hungarian hostage walking through a tunnel in Gaza and lighting a candle to mark his birthday.
In the nearly three-minute clip published by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the hostage – who identifies himself as Omri Miran – addresses the camera in Hebrew.
His family confirmed his identity in a statement issued through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, while requesting that the media refrain from publishing the footage.
AFP was unable to verify when the footage was recorded, but in it, Miran says he is marking his 48th birthday, which fell on April 11.
He is initially shown walking through a tunnel, then seated on a mattress in a confined space, acknowledging protesters in Israel who have been demonstrating against the government and demanding the hostages' release.
He states that hostages are living in constant fear of bombings and urges a deal be reached as soon as possible to secure their release, adding that he missed his wife and daughters.
"On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we say 'never again,' an Israeli citizen cries out for help from Hamas's tunnels," his family said in a statement.
"It is a moral failure for the state of Israel. Our Omri is strong and will not break, but our hearts are broken," the family added.
"We will continue to fight until Omri returns to us, and especially to his two daughters who are waiting with all their hearts to hold him again."
During the Oct 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters on Israel, Miran was seized from his home in kibbutz Nahal Oz in front of his wife Lichay Miran-Lavi and their two small daughters.
He previously appeared in an undated video released by Hamas on April 27, 2024.
In that footage he urged his family to pressure the Israeli government to strike a deal with Hamas on freeing the hostages.
After seeing that video of a bearded Miran, apparently unable to shave, his father Dani Miran told AFP he was letting his own beard grow in solidarity.
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