Hamas published on Saturday night a propaganda video showing signs of life from Israeli-American hostage soldier Edan Alexander.
In the three-minute video, Alexander says he has been held captive for 551 days, suggesting it was filmed on Wednesday.
“Our Edan, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Golani Brigade to defend the country and its citizens, is still being held captive by Hamas,” Alexander’s family said in a statement on Saturday.
“So, when you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other 58 hostages are not home,” it added.
Alexander’s family did not authorize the broadcasting or distribution of the video.
Alexander was kidnapped in uniform from a post near Kibbutz Nirim during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist invasion.
Originally from Tenafly, N.J., he is the only one of the five remaining American hostages believed to still be alive.
Former captives told Alexander’s family that he had been held in a tunnel for more than 500 days, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on March 6. He appeared severely malnourished and had been tortured and kept in chains for a long time, they said.
In November, Hamas released a video of Alexander that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as “cruel psychological warfare.”