Hamas on Saturday released new undated video footage of two men, including a US citizen, taken hostage in Gaza. The video shows the two men alive and was posted on the Palestinian militant group’s social media channel, which the group routinely uses to post propaganda videos.
The hostages seen in the video were identified as Omri Miran and Keith Siegel by the campaign group Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Both men were kidnapped by militants during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 1. 7.
In the statement, the campaign group said the video shows the hostages “for the first time after 204 days in captivity.” CBS News cannot verify the date of filming or the content of the video, but the footage was posted to the channel where it posted other videos. showing hostages.
A U.S. official told CBS News that the FBI is reviewing proof-of-life propaganda video released by Hamas, which shows a U.S. citizen being held hostage along with an Israeli hostage. The White House received no prior notice of Siegel’s video before its release. US officials are in contact with the Siegel family.
Five U.S. citizens are still missing and presumed to be living as hostages in Gaza, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News. On Wednesday. The remains of three other American citizens are believed to be in his possession. Hamas released video footage of an Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin That day, as Jews celebrated Passover, he delivered a long statement clearly worded by Hamas.
It was the first time Hamas publicly released a video of a U.S. citizen being held hostage, the U.S. official said, until Saturday when Siegel’s video surfaced. He is the second American citizen to appear in a Hamas propaganda video. A representative for Siegel’s family told CBS News that this is the first such video the family has seen of the 64-year-old American since he was kidnapped.
Siegel’s wife, a woman named Aviva Siegel, who is not a U.S. citizen, was released by Hamas in November. during a temporary ceasefire in which the militant group released about 100 hostages taken during the militant group’s attack in October. 7 attacks against Israel. about 210 Palestinians In exchange, they have been released from Israeli prisons.
Hamas and associated terrorist groups are believed to be holding 133 hostages in Gaza.
“The proof of life of Keith Siegel and Omri Miran is the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything possible to approve an agreement for the return of all hostages before Independence Day. The living must return for rehabilitation , and those murdered should receive a “dignified burial”, the campaign group’s statement said.
– Tucker Reals, Margaret Brennan, Pat Milton and Haley Ott contributed reporting.