Hamas Releases New Video of Hostage as Egypt Warns of Stalled Talks
Hamas on Saturday released a new video purportedly showing Israeli hostage Maxim Herkin, one of the 59 individuals still held captive in Gaza. Israeli media quickly identified Herkin, who appeared bandaged and claimed to be recovering from an airstrike in a tunnel, as the same individual featured in prior Hamas propaganda videos.
The video, which was edited and undated, included references to Israel’s Independence Day, suggesting it was filmed within the last week. Herkin, a 35-year-old dual Russian-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack while attending the Nova music festival. He has a young daughter and is the sole provider for his mother and younger brother.
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Israeli officials and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have condemned such videos as psychological warfare. Of the 59 hostages believed to remain in Gaza, Israel estimates that 24 are still alive.
Meanwhile, ceasefire negotiations appear to be at an impasse. An unnamed Egyptian official involved in the talks told Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese outlet affiliated with Hezbollah, that “there is nothing new to negotiate” and blamed the lack of progress on “an American-Israeli unwillingness to end the war.”
According to the same report, Egypt supports a full hostage-for-truce exchange: a total Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza in return for the release of all hostages. However, other options are also reportedly being discussed, including a phased agreement backed by US guarantees that would begin with the release of half the remaining hostages and some bodies.
Hamas has rejected any proposal that doesn’t include a permanent end to the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has dismissed any deal that halts the conflict before Hamas is dismantled militarily and politically.
