By Mohamed Majed and Rania Abu Shamala
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - An Israeli hostage held by the Al-Qassam Brigades urged his family and Israelis on Saturday to continue protesting until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signs the second phase of a prisoner exchange deal to secure their release.
The appeal was made in a video released by the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, via Telegram.
Footage showed Israeli prisoners bidding farewell to each other, including two brothers -- Iair and Eitan Horn. Iair was released in the first phase of the exchange deal, while Eitan remained and urged protests.
"I am very happy that my brother will be released tomorrow, but this is not logical in any way to separate families,” he said. "Get everyone out and do not separate families. Don’t destroy all our lives. Tell my mother, tell my father, tell everyone to continue the demonstrations and not to stop, and for this government to sign the second phase of the deal and return us home.”
The hostage calmly continued: "I don’t want to scream. I am talking calmly. My brother will leave and I will stay. I don’t want to hear that you don’t want to complete the second phase."
The prisoner then addressed Netanyahu’s government directly, and asked: "How many more people do you want to kill? It does not matter who is killed -- a Palestinian, an Israeli, a Muslim! You say: 'Let’s kill everyone.’"
The hostage urged: “Sign the second and third phases. Enough war, enough death, enough destroying the lives of others. Enough.”
“True, sometimes I eat and sometimes I drink and sometimes I’m fine and not fine. But here, I am not fine."
“Hamas is protecting me, but enough. Get me out of here. Get everyone out. I can’t stay. Enough. Sign the agreement, Netanyahu,” he added.
“If you have a heart, a little conscience, sign, sign today.”
Iair Horn appeared in the video, asking: "Do you want to leave my little brother to die?"
The family of the Horns urged the Netanyahu government on Saturday to continue with the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian factions.
The Yedioth Ahronoth said the family released a statement that said: "Do not stop the agreement that has already brought back dozens of captives. Their time is running out."
A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place since Jan. 19, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 48,400 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.