Hamas armed wing releases new hostage video

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has released a video showing hostage Alon Ohel, one of several dozen captives still held in Gaza since October 2023. Israel continues to press forward with its military campaign in the enclave after recently targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar.

In the footage shared Monday by the Al-Qassam Brigades, Ohel, 24, is seen criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while a televised address by the Israeli leader plays beside him. He also appeals to his family and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to help pressure the Israeli government.

Earlier this month, Ohel, who holds Serbian and German citizenship, appeared in another Hamas video, which primarily featured fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal. That video was released on the 700th day of the conflict.
Palestinian militants seized more than 250 people during the October 7, 2023 raid into southern Israel. Forty-eight of them are believed to remain in Gaza, though the Israeli military says as many as half may already be dead.

Israel responded to the raid, which also killed more than 1,200 people, with a large-scale military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas. The Gazan health authorities say the death toll in the enclave has surpassed 65,300, though some observers believe it could be significantly higher given that many bodies are likely buried under rubble from Israeli strikes.

Earlier this month, Israeli air forces struck a location in Doha, Qatar, where senior Hamas political leaders were reportedly meeting to discuss a US-backed ceasefire proposal.

The Israeli military is now pushing to fully seize Gaza City, which it has threatened to destroy unless Hamas surrenders. Critics contend that West Jerusalem’s strategy amounts to an effort to make the Palestinian enclave unlivable and ethnically cleanse its population.

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