Chapel Hill native held hostage appears in Hamas video for first time

(CNN) -- Hamas on Saturday published a video of two hostages, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Omri Miran.

Posted 5:48 p.m. Apr 27 — Updated 2:07 a.m. Apr 29

Lauren Izso

and

Eyad Kourdi, CNN

CNN — (CNN) — Hamas on Saturday published a video of two hostages, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Omri Miran.

In the video, Siegel, who appears to be speaking under duress, pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate a hostage release deal with Hamas. This is the first video released of Siegel since he was kidnapped by Hamas alongside his wife from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.

CNN cannot verify where or when the video was shot, but the hostages said they were unable to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover, which ends Tuesday. Miran said “I have been here for 202 days,” which suggests the video was filmed on Thursday.

This is the second hostage video released by Hamas in recent days. On Wednesday, the terror group released a video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7.

In the undated video, Goldberg-Polin is shown with part of his left arm missing several inches above the hand.

The video featuring Siegal and Miran had been confirmed by their families, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

“The proof of life from Keith Siegel and Omri 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. The living should return for rehabilitation, and the murdered should receive a dignified burial,” the statement said.

“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 Israeli government must not miss this opportunity to bring them all home!” the statement added.

Alon Tal, a friend of Siegel, said he was relieved that his friend is still alive, but is concerned at how much he aged since he last saw him.

"He looks like he aged 20 years, but he's obviously gone under an ordeal we can only image," he said. "We all know Hamas is a cruel and barbaric oragnization and the conditions the hostages have been held in is unimaginable."

Hamas gunmen broke into the home of Omri Miran, his wife, and two daughters at Nahal Oz Kibbutz on October 7. Miran was abducted, but his family survived.

Siegel's wife, Aviva, and daughters released a video tonight after seeing him saying:

"Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we must reach a deal as soon as possible."

Aviva saying: 'Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return."

Officials from Egypt and Israel told CNN on Friday that an Egyptian delegation was in Israel as part of an effort to advance the stalled negotiations aimed at releasing hostages and implementing a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Looks like this will the critical weeks [to] find a way to bring him home and give him some semblance of a life after what hes has suffered," Tal said.

Suggest A Correction