the Islamist movement publishes a video of an Israeli hostage kidnapped on October 7

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas broadcast, on Wednesday April 24, on its Telegram channel, a video of one of the Israeli hostages it kidnapped during its October 7 attack and taken to Gaza. The hostage, who appears alone on screen, sitting on a plastic chair in front of a white wall, introduces himself as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, aged 23, kidnapped during the Nova music festival. His family authorized the publication “from their son’s video”according to a press release from the Hostage Families Forum, an association representing some of the hostage families.

“This heartbreaking video is an urgent call to take rapid and meaningful action to resolve this terrible humanitarian crisis and ensure the safe return of our loved ones”added the Forum in its press release. “Hersh’s cry is the collective cry of all the hostages. (…) With each passing day, the fear of losing more innocent lives increases.” The date on which the video was filmed could not be officially established, but the hostage claims to have been a prisoner since “nearly 200 days”.

On camera, he addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Israeli government, asking them to think about the people captive in Gaza, who are “still (…) in hell”. He accuses them having “abandoned” thousands of Israelis on October 7 and also having “abandoned” the hostages since. He claims that the hostages are “underground”, lack water and food, as well as medical care. He also states that he was seriously injured on October 7 and shows his left forearm amputated just below the elbow.