Palestinian Islamic Jihad releases hostage video amid new proposal

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) released a video of the Israeli-Russian hostage Alexander Sasha Trupanov, 28, amid attempts to revive the dormant deal for the release of the remaining 125 captives.KAN News reported that Israel had sent a new proposal to the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, following Sunday night’s war cabinet meeting. It showed more flexibility with regard to the number of hostages that would be freed in the first part of what has in the past been framed as a three-part deal.Women, the sick, and the elderly had always been expected to be released in the first part of the deal, but in the past, there had been a dispute regarding how many live captives would be part of the deal in that first phase. Numbers that had been floated for live captives were as high as 33 and as low as 18.  The essential stumbling block for a deal for all the captives has remained the same, with Hamas insisting that it must remain in power in Gaza as well as demanding a permanent ceasefire and an IDF withdrawal from the enclave.Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that those demands are a non-starter, as he has stressed the need for complete victory over Hamas and its ouster from Gaza including in the Knesset on Monday. KAN reported on Tuesday, that there are dissenting voices in the war cabinet on the issue of a permanent ceasefire with some ministers believing that there can be some flexibility in that regard.International pressure against IDF moving forward in RafahThe IDF has simultaneously moved forward with its military operation in Rafah, despite strenuous objections from the international community. Israel has viewed that operation as an important pressure lever toward a deal. Gaza Hostage Alexander Trupanov appears in a Palestinian Islamic Jihad propaganda video, May 28, 2024 (credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)In an attempt to pressure Israel to move forward with a deal, the PIJ published a brief video in which Trupanov addressed the Israeli public as well as “all of the protesters.” “In the next few days, you will hear the truth of what happened to me, as well as the other prisoners in Gaza.”His message ends with the statement, “Wait patiently.”The video then flickers between footage of a rocket being launched, and two additional male figures. It is unclear who the male figures in the video are.After the publishing of the video, the Hostages & Missing Families Forum provided the following statement: “The proof of life from Alexander (Sasha) Trpfanov is additional evidence that the Israeli government must give a significant mandate to the negotiating team, which will be able to lead to a deal for the return of all the hostages.”Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel said on Tuesday, citing a senior official, that an Egyptian security delegation is trying in coordination with Qatar and the US to reactivate talks to reach a truce in Gaza and release hostages. The official was quoted by Al-Qahera News as saying Egypt had told all concerned parties that efforts to revive the talks had been undermined by Israel’s military operation  in Rafah in southern Gaza, which had brought “dire consequences.”Reuters contributed to this report.