A
video
of Israeli
hostages Keith
Siegel
and
Omri
Miran
was
released
by
Hamas’
military
wing,
Al-Qassam
Brigades,
on
Saturday.
In
the
video,
Siegel,
64,
and
Miran,
47,
spoke
about
not
being
able
to
celebrate
Passover
with
their
loved
ones
because
they
are
in
Hamas
captivity.
This
is
the
second
video
of
Israeli
hostages
Hamas
has
shared
this
week,
having
released
a
video
of
Israeli
American Hersh
Goldberg-Polin on
Wednesday.
NBC
News
has
not
been
able
to
independently
verify
when
or
where
the
video
was
filmed,
and
it’s
not
clear
if
Siegal
or
Miran
are
still
alive.
Siegel,
who
is
a
U.S.
citizen,
spoke
directly
to
his
family,
letting
them
know
that
he
is
doing
OK.
His
wife, Aviva,
was
held
captive by
Hamas
for
51
days
before
she
was
released,
according
to
a
statement
from
the
Hostages
and
Missing
Families
Forum.
In
an
interview
with
NBC
News
in
February,
Aviva
Siegel,
62,
said
she
believes
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
is
prioritizing
his
own
political
survival
and
his
bid
to
crush
Hamas
over
efforts
to
return
the
hostages.
“I
think
that
Bibi
Netanyahu
is
thinking
about
himself
more
than
thinking
about
us,”
she
said.
In
a
video
statement
shared
by
the
Hostages
Forum
after
Hamas
released
the
video,
Aviva
Siegel
and
the
couple’s
two
daughters,
Ilan
and
Shir,
shared
a
message.
The
women
are
seen
holding
hands
and
wearing
shirts
with
Keith
Siegel’s
picture
and
the
caption,
“BRING
KEITH
HOME
NOW.”
“Seeing
my
father
today
only
emphasizes
to
all
of
us
how
much
we
must
reach
a
deal
as
soon
as
possible
and
bring
everyone
home,”
Ilan
Siegel
said.
“I
demand
that
the
leaders
of
this
country
watch
this
video
and
see
their
own
father
crying
out
for
help.”
Aviva
Siegel
directed
her
message
at
her
husband,
saying
that
she
loves
him.
“We
will
fight
until
you
return,”
she
said.
Protests
against
the
Israel-Hamas
war
have
sprung
up
at
college
campuses
across
the
United
States,
with
many
offering
online
classes
through
the
end
of
the
semester.
In
the
Al-Qassam
video,
Keith Siegel
and
Miran
both
encouraged
people
advocating
for
the
return
of
all
Israeli
hostages
to
continue
protesting
until
a
deal
is
reached.
“If
you
watched
the
video,
you
saw
that
my
father
knows
we
are
all
coming
to
the
rally
every
week
and
fighting
for
him
and
all
the
captives,”
Shir
Siegel
said
in
the
family’s
statement.
“Thank
you
for
being
with
us.
We
will
not
stop
fighting
together.”
In
a
statement,
the
Hostages
Forum
said
the
“proof
of
life”
from
Siegel
and
Miran
“is
the
clearest
evidence
that
the
Israeli
government
must
do
everything
to
approve
a
deal
for
the
return
of
all
the
hostages
before
Independence
Day.”
Independence
Day
in
Israel
is
commemorated
on
May
14,
and
marks
the
day
the
Jewish
state
declared
itself
a
country
in
the
Middle
East.
“Now
is
the
time
for
the
government
and
its
leader
to
prove
through
actions
their
commitment
to
the
citizens
of
Israel
who
await
the
return
of
the
hostages,”
the
organization
said.
This
article
first
appeared
on
NBCNews.com.
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more
from
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News
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