The terrorist organization Hamas has once again released recordings of kidnapped Israelis. Israel’s Foreign Minister Katz has announced that he will postpone the planned offensive in Rafah if the hostages are released.
The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas has again released video footage of hostages kidnapped from Israel. In the video, two kidnapped men advocate a deal between Hamas and the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages.
The recordings of the two men, who according to the Hostage Families Forum are Omri Miran and Keith Siegel, are not dated. It is also still unclear under what circumstances the video was made and whether the two men spoke of their own free will or under pressure and threats.
Hostage calls out Demonstrations on
Miran, who according to Israeli media also has US citizenship, said in the video that he had been in captivity for 202 days. As of Saturday, 204 days had passed since the Oct. 7 kidnapping.
Miran expresses his hope to be able to celebrate Israel’s Independence Day on May 14 with his family again. He also called for demonstrations for the release of those abducted from Israel to continue in the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
In the video, Siegel regretted not being able to celebrate Passover with his family this year.
Katz wants to join Hostage release Postpone Rafah offensive
“The sign of life from Keith Siegel and Omri Miran is the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything possible to conclude an agreement for the return of all hostages before Independence Day,” said the Hostage Families Forum.
According to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, if the hostages are released, Israel would postpone an attack on the city of Rafah. “The release of the hostages is our top priority,” Katz told Channel 12. When asked whether this would also include a postponement of the announced military operation in the city in the southern Gaza Strip, Katz replied: “Yes.” He added: “If there is an agreement, we will suspend the operation.”
Will WEF talks in Riyadh lead to a solution?
Hopes that there could be progress in the negotiations, which have been sluggish for weeks, were recently increased by a statement by the President of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Borge Brende. Regarding an upcoming special meeting of the WEF in Riyadh, Brende said there was “some kind of new momentum in the talks about the hostages and (…) also a possible way out of the impasse that we find ourselves in in the Gaza Strip.”
Among the approximately 1,000 participants who will meet in the Saudi Arabian capital on Sunday and Monday are twelve heads of state and government, as well as numerous foreign ministers from the Middle East and Europe. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Riyadh on Monday, and the foreign ministers of the USA, France and Great Britain are also taking part in the talks.