Jerusalem: On Saturday, Hamas released a video featuring Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American hostage, pleading for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to intervene in securing his freedom.

The 20-year-old, visibly pale and seated against a dimly lit wall, addressed his family, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Trump in the 3.5-minute recording. His mother, Yael Alexander, expressed mixed emotions upon seeing the video. “It gives us hope, but it also highlights the immense hardship Edan and the other hostages are enduring, desperately crying out for rescue,” she said at a rally in Tel Aviv urging for their release.

In a heartfelt message, she addressed her son, saying, “My dear Edan, we miss you terribly.” She also called on Israeli leaders to end the war in Gaza and negotiate with Hamas to secure the hostages’ release.

Netanyahu condemned the video as a form of psychological warfare but assured Alexander’s family that Israel was making every effort to bring the hostages home. Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to the situation.

Alexander, a soldier at the time, was captured during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages held in Gaza, about half are believed to still be alive.

Meanwhile, Hamas leaders were expected in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials to negotiate a possible agreement involving the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The United States has also renewed its efforts, with the Biden administration working “around the clock” to secure the release of American citizens held by Hamas.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said, “We have a critical opportunity to finalize a deal to release the hostages, end the conflict, and expedite humanitarian aid into Gaza. This deal is on the table now.”

The Hostages Families Forum urged both the Biden and incoming Trump administrations to intensify their efforts, warning that “the hostages’ lives hang by a thread.”