Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video Saturday that featured an Israeli hostage with U.S. citizenship in the Gaza Strip addressing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
"To President Trump, I am an American-Israeli citizen currently held captive in the Gaza Strip. As an American, I have always believed in the power of the United States, and now I am sending my message," Eden Alexander said in the video.
"Please use your influence and the full power of the United States to negotiate for our freedom. Every day here feels like an eternity, and the pain within us grows from day to day. Please do not make the same mistake Joe Biden has been doing," he said. "The weapons he has sent are now killing us, and the unlawful sieges are now starving us. I don't want to end up dead."
In a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alexander said: "I heard that you will give $5 million to whoever brings us back alive."
He added: "A prime minister is supposed to protect his citizens and soldiers, but you have neglected us."
Tel Aviv, which holds more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons. Estimates are that there are 101 Israeli captives in Gaza. Hamas announced that dozens of the captives were killed in random Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of refusing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza for fear of his coalition government collapsing, amid threats by extremist ministers to withdraw from the ruling coalition.
Hamas, however, said the conflict will end only when Israel stops its military campaign in the blockaded enclave, which has killed nearly 44,400 victims since October 2023.
The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants Nov. 21 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
