Hamas on Saturday released a video purportedly of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since he was captured on October 7, 2023.
The man, who introduced himself as Edan Alexander in the undated video, stated that he has been held in Gaza for 551 days and asked why he is still being held and pleads for his release.
DAILY POST reports that Alexander is a soldier serving in the Israeli military.
The edited video was released as Jews began to mark Passover, a weeklong holiday that celebrates freedom.
Alexander's family released a statement acknowledging the video that said the holiday would not be one of freedom as long as Edan and the 58 other hostages in Gaza remained in captivity.
Recall that Hamas has released several videos over the course of the war of hostages begging to be released.
It released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that started on January 19.
However, in March, Israel's military resumed its ground and aerial campaign on Gaza, abandoning the ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.
Hamas insisted that it would free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.
The US, Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Hamas and Israel.
According to Israeli authorities, the war started when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people.
Health officials in the Hamas-run enclave said Israel's retaliatory assault has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, adding that most of the population has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.
