Hamas releases video showing Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander alive

Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing an Israeli-American captive alive, in which he criticises the Israeli government for failing to secure his release.

Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum identified him as Edan Alexander, a soldier in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border when he was taken captive by Hamas during their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

AFP was unable to determine when the video was filmed.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, published the more than three-minute clip showing the captive seated in a small, enclosed space.

In the video, he says he wants to return home to celebrate the holiday of Passover.

Alexander, who turned 21 in captivity, was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in the US state of New Jersey, moving to Israel after high school to join the army.

"As we begin the holiday evening in the USA, our family in Israel is preparing to sit around the Seder table," Alexander's family said in a statement released by the forum.

"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."

The family did not give a green light for the media to broadcast the footage.

Hostages' fate 'uncertain'

Alexander appears to be speaking under duress in the video, making frequent hand gestures as he criticises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for failing to secure his release.

The video was released hours after Defence Minister Israel Katz announced military control of what it called the new "Morag axis" corridor of land between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

Katz also outlined plans to expand Israel's ongoing offensive across much of the territory.

In a separate statement earlier Saturday, Hamas said Israel's Gaza operations endangered not only Palestinian civilians but also the remaining captives.

The offensive not only "kills defenceless civilians but also makes the fate of the occupation's prisoners (hostages) uncertain", Hamas said.

Israel renewed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on 18 March - effectively ending the ceasefire put in place sine January - killing at least 1,563 Palestinians and taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,933.

During the most recent ceasefire that ended on 18 March, Hamas released 33 hostages, among them eight bodies.

Fifty-eight hostages remain in captivity, including 34 whom the Israeli military says are dead.