Hamas releases video of Israeli-American hostage before death, calls for prisoner exchange

By Said Amouri

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Thursday showing an Israeli-American hostage appealing to the US president and the secretary of state to stop the war on Gaza and help secure his release through a prisoner exchange deal.

"I am asking you, Mr. President Joe Biden and Antony Blinken and all my fellow Americans, citizens – to do everything you can stop the war, stop this madness, and to bring me home now,” Hersh Goldberg-Polin says in his final message.

The date of the recording was not provided. Goldberg-Polin was later killed in Israeli airstrikes.

The release of the video follows heightened protests in Israel, especially among families of hostages, after the Israeli military recovered bodies of six people --including Goldberg-Polin -- from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza, earlier this week.

In the recording, Goldberg-Polin described the difficult conditions he faced in captivity, citing a lack of medical care, food, and water.

“Worst of all is that my own country Israel has been trying to bomb me nonstop,” he added, expressing his frustration over Israel's military response and perceived failure to secure his release.

Israeli media reported that three of the hostages had been part of a potential exchange deal two months ago, but negotiations were delayed following new conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Al-Qassam Brigades ended the video by warning that continued military action by Israel would lead to “death and failure,” reiterating that only a hostage exchange would secure the captives' freedom.

Israel currently holds at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas estimates that 101 Israeli captives are in Gaza. Many of these captives, according to reports, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Goldberg-Polin’s death, along with the deaths of other hostages, has drawn criticism toward Netanyahu, with accusations from opposition figures and families that he delayed negotiations to avoid political repercussions. Netanyahu’s stance, according to his critics, has resulted in a prolonged impasse in reaching a prisoner exchange agreement.

For months, US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators have been attempting to broker a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. However, these efforts have stalled due to Israel's refusal to meet Hamas' demand for an end to the war.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the conflict has claimed nearly 40,900 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, and left more than 94,000 injured, according to Gaza health authorities. The ongoing blockade of Gaza has caused severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, plunging the region into a humanitarian crisis.

Israel’s military actions in Gaza have sparked international accusations of genocide, with the International Court of Justice currently examining the case.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara