The White House denounces the “cruelty” of Hamas and tells the Islamist movement that the war would end “tomorrow” if it released the kidnapped people
MADRID, 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Islamist movement Hamas published this Saturday a video starring a captured Israeli-American soldier who begs the American president-elect, Donald Trump, to make every possible effort to negotiate his release and the rest of those kidnapped by the group.
The hostage has been identified as Edan Alexander, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier who was stationed near Gaza when he was captured during the massacre committed by Palestinian militias on October 7, 2023 in Israel, as confirmed by his family to CBS. .
Alexander was among 250 people kidnapped during the Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people. About 100 hostages, including seven U.S. citizens, remain captive.
In the three and a half minute video, Alexander addresses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring his “disappointment” because the Israeli Government has “neglected” the hostages who remain in captivity.
“We want to return home. Fear and isolation are killing us. Don’t forget us,” he indicated before declaring the Israeli Government’s policies as a “mistake” and calling on the Israeli population to “demonstrate every day” to make pressure.
Next, Alexander calls on US President-elect Donald Trump to “not make the same mistakes” as his predecessor, Joe Biden, and to “use his influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom.”
Netanyahu’s office has spoken to Alexander’s family after the publication of what he described as a “brutal psychological warfare video.”
“The prime minister has conveyed to the family that he felt very well the agony that Edan, the hostages and their families are going through, and promised that Israel is working with determination and by all means to return them home, along with all the hostages that are in the hands of the enemy,” according to the note.
Shortly after, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett unequivocally condemned the video as a “cruel reminder of Hamas’ terror” and blamed the Palestinian Islamist movement for continuing the Gaza war.
“The conflict would end tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately, and would have ended months ago, if Hamas agreed to release the hostages,” the spokesman said.
“Hamas has refused to do so, but as the president (Biden) said last week, we have a crucial opportunity to conclude the agreement to free the hostages, stop the war and increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza. This agreement is on the table now,” Savett concluded.