Israeli hostage slams Netanyahu government in Hamas video

Palestinian group Hamas on Wednesday published a video of an Israeli hostage assailing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and appealing for his release.

The video shows Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old dual US-Israeli citizen, who was held captive by Hamas following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves for neglecting us along with thousands on Oct. 7," Goldberg-Polin, who is seen missing one of his hands, addressed the Israeli government in the video.

"All the army's efforts (to release the hostages) have failed, and Israeli airstrikes have even caused the death of 70 prisoners like me," he said.

"Do what is expected from you and return us home immediately, or is that too much for you to handle?"

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its Oct. 7 attack. The Palestinian group demands an end to Israel's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage-prisoner deal with Tel Aviv.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.