GAZA STRIP: Hamas’s wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, on Saturday released a video of a man held hostage in Gaza by Palestinian fighters and seen alive in the footage.
The captive, identified by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group as Nadav Popplewell, is seen speaking in the 11-second clip, which is superimposed with text in Arabic and Hebrew that reads: “Time is running out. Your government is lying”.
In the video the hostage, who is also a British national, has a black eye and is seen speaking under duress.
He showed no other visible signs of injuries.
Israel army says about 300,000 Gazans have evacuated east Rafah
Wearing a white T-shirt, he introduces himself as 51-year-old Popplewell, from kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel.
Popplewell was kidnapped from his home during Hamas’s October 7 attack along with his mother, Hanna Peri, who was released during a one-week truce in November – the only pause so far in more than seven months of war.
Popplewell’s older brother was killed in the attack.
The video posted Saturday on the Telegram channel of Hamas’s wing was the third time in less than a month that the group released footage of captives held in Gaza.
On April 27 Hamas released a video showing two hostages alive – Keith Siegel and Omri Miran.
Three days earlier it broadcast another video showing hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin alive.
The videos come amid growing domestic pressure on the Israeli government to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
“Every sign of life received from the hostages held by Hamas is another cry of distress to the Israeli government and its leaders,” the families’ group said in its statement on Saturday.
“We don’t have a moment to spare! You must strive to implement a deal that will bring them all back today.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are under immense pressure to strike a deal, but the two sides have so far failed despite repeated rounds of indirect negotiations.
Some 250 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel.
Israeli officials say 128 of them are still held captive in the Palestinian territory, including 36 who are dead.
In Israel’s aggression in Gaza, at least 34,971 people have been killed so far, most of them women and children, according the territory’s health ministry.
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