US citizen appears as one of two hostages in new Hamas kidnap video in fresh proof that terror group have not yet killed him

A US citizen is one of two hostages speaking in a new kidnapping video released today by Hamas.

Keith Siegel, 64, appears alongside Omri Miran, 46, in the edited three-minute video, in which the pair call for a hostage deal between Hamas and Israel.

The proof of life appears to have been recorded recently, with Mr Siegel mentioning the Passover holiday, which began on April 22, and Mr Miran saying he was held captive for 202 days, suggesting he spoke on April 26.

Mr. Siegel was kidnapped by Hamas from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7 attacks.

His wife Aviva was also captured during the raid but released in November as part of a deal.

Mr. Miran, an Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the same day.

In the video, the hostages urge protesters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to continue protesting for the release of prisoners.

The pair said: “Only under pressure will the government make a deal with Hamas.”

Mr. Siegel and Mr. Miran added that they hope to be home for Independence Day, May 13. i24 News reports.

In a statement after the video’s release, the families’ headquarters said: “The sign of life of Kit Segal and Amri Miren is the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything in its power to approve a deal to save all returning kidnapped people even before Independence Day. the living must be rehabilitated and the murdered buried with dignity.”

Mr. Siegel, a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, moved to Israel 40 years ago.

According to Bring Them Home Now, the 64-year-old works as an occupational therapist.

Elsewhere, he and his wife are described as “humanitarian workers living in Kfar Aza.”

Siegel’s sister Lucy and niece Hanna attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last month as guests of Republican Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis.

Other American hostages, including Edan Alexander, Itai Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were represented by family members in the House of Representatives chamber, with a total of 17 family members attending the March 8 speech.

The two released hostages represented were Liat Beinin Atzili and Avigail Idan, who lived to be four years in captivity before being released during a ceasefire in November. The two murdered hostages represented were Judy Weinstein and Gad Haggai.

During a lull in the fighting in November, more than a hundred prisoners were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

The Biden administration is pushing for a second temporary ceasefire to trade some of the remaining hostages.

The latest video comes after a proof-of-life clip of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin was released Wednesday, nearly seven months after he was kidnapped following the brutal Oct. 7 invasion.

The 24-year-old, born in March 2000 in California, who was taken from the Nova Festival on October 7, was seen in the video blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leaving him with the terror group for 200 days.

Hamas said on Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli ceasefire proposal in Gaza, as Egypt has stepped up efforts to reach a deal to end the months-long war and halt a possible Israeli ground offensive against the city Rafah in southern Gaza.

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said the Palestinian militant group was evaluating Israel’s proposal, and “after completing its study it will submit its response.”

He did not provide details of Israel’s offer, but said it was in response to a proposal from Hamas two weeks ago.

Negotiations earlier this month focused on a proposal for a six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 civilians and sick hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Hamas’ statement came hours after a high-level Egyptian delegation concluded a visit to Israel, where it discussed a “new vision” for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity .

It was not immediately clear whether Israel’s latest response to Hamas on a ceasefire was directly related to Friday’s visit to Tel Aviv by Egyptian mediators.

The discussions between Egyptian and Israeli officials focused on the first phase of a multi-phase plan that would include a limited exchange of hostages from Hamas for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza. with minimal restrictions,” the Egyptian official said.

Hamas sparked the war with its attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 hostage. Israel says the militants are still holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Since then, 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli air and ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza, about two-thirds of them children and women, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel has reported that at least 260 of its soldiers have been killed since ground operations began in Gaza.