PALESTINE Gaza: Hamas shows an Israeli prisoner hooked up to oxygen

This is Hisham al-Sayed, in the hands of the extremist movement since 2015. In seven years it is the first proof that he is still alive, although his health conditions seem precarious. They assume that the images are recent and have been published with the purpose of forcing negotiations with the prisoners. Israeli soldiers killed a 25-year-old Palestinian in Jenin.

Jerusalem () – Hamas militiamen yesterday released a video showing, for the first time in seven years, the image of an Israeli citizen kidnapped by the group that controls the Gaza Strip. This is Hisham al-Sayed, in the hands of the Palestinian extremist movement since 2015, who is in poor health, semi-conscious, lying in bed and connected to an oxygen tube. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett commented on the posting of the video of a sick person, calling it a “reprehensible and desperate” gesture.

At the moment there is no independent confirmation on the authenticity of the images or on the fact that they are recent. However, some details show that there is no manipulation and that it was recorded no more than a month ago, considering a program that can be seen on the television in the back of the room.

According to Hamas, al-Sayed was a soldier who was captured inside the Palestinian enclave. The version of the Israeli government and his family is different, according to which he would be a civilian suffering from serious mental disorders. At the time he was kidnapped, the activist group Human Rights Watch (HRW) intervened, speaking of the “arbitrary detention” of a person who was last seen “in April 2015 when he was walking into the Fringe” for unknown reasons. Previously, the man had already tried several times to cross the border.

In the video released by Hamas, the 34-year-old man, a member of the Bedouin Arab minority, can be seen lying on a bed and wearing a respirator, next to what appears to be his identity document issued by the Israeli authorities. In the background is a television showing footage from an economics conference that took place in Qatar in early June.

The Palestinian militant group has not provided any information on the state of health of the detainee, except for a vague reference to a “worsening” of his conditions on June 27. Israeli authorities confirm that he is one of two citizens currently held by Hamas; the second is Avera Mengistu, who has not been heard from since September 2014, when he was arrested by militiamen after entering the Strip. International activists and NGOs also speak in this case of detention in a state of “prison”, in clear “violation” of international law. Both deliberately entered Gaza in violation of a specific Israeli provision that prohibits its citizens from entering the Palestinian enclave.

Analysts and experts report that the timing and methods of the video’s release could indicate an attempt by Hamas to pressure Israel to resume negotiations on the prisoner exchange. In 2011, the extremist group released the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for a thousand Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Meanwhile, a new Palestinian victim is registered, who died in the early hours of today during a shooting in Jenin, West Bank. Mohammad Marei, 25, fell under fire from the Israeli military, hit by a bullet in the chest during a patrol operation. The soldiers claim they were attacked and responded by opening fire. “Several suspects – explains the army in a note – launched explosive devices”.

The new victim confirms the climate of tension that has existed in the region for weeks: since March, nearly 19 Israelis have died – mostly civilians – in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs; the army’s response with the Star of David, which now occurs daily, has caused 48 Palestinian casualties (both militants and ordinary people). Most of the deaths were in the West Bank.