Israeli hostage says food running out in video released by jihadists

Palestinian terrorists have released a new video showing an Israeli hostage, in which the captive describes a shortage of food and water in the Gaza Strip and says he fears for his life.

Sasha Trufanov, 29, was kidnapped during the October 7 massacre from his hometown of Nir Oz, a kibbutz on the border with Gaza, along with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend, who were later released.

'I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my life, I miss my freedom,' the Israeli-Russian national says in the footage, which has not been independently verified.

His mother Yelena Trufanova, who was released from captivity in Gaza last November in a deal brokered by President Vladimir Putin, said her son and the other hostages still being held 'have no time left.'

Responding to the footage, the 51-year-old mother said: 'I am relieved to see my son alive, but I am very worried to hear what he is saying.

'I urge that every effort be made to secure his immediate release and that of all other hostages.'

The video, which his family gave permission to be circulated, was released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group (PIJ) on Wednesday, but it is unclear when it was filmed.

Trufanov says he is aged 28 in the clip, but the footage emerged two days after his 29th birthday - his second in captivity.

He also mentions Israel's ground invasion into Lebanon, which began on October 1. 

'Now, after a year of war here in Gaza, the government has moved on to Lebanon, as if to make people forget about us, and they have also opened war with Iran, as if to bury us deep in the ground and completely forget about us,' he said.

It is the third video released of Trufanov, an Amazon employee, since he was kidnapped by Hamas last year.

He had been visiting his parents' home when PIJ and Hamas terrorists rampaged through Kibbutz Nir Oz, killing or kidnapping 117 of its 400 residents.

His father, Vitali, was murdered while he, his mother and his grandmother Irena Tati and girlfriend Sapir Cohen, were taken hostage.

The PIJ and allies Hamas have released hostage videos throughout the past year. 

They are often considered to be scripted and focus on urging the Israeli government and armed forces to stop the war, which has seen more than 45,000 people killed in Gaza, according to health officials there.

Israeli leaders have denounced the latest video as psychological warfare and propaganda intended to divide Israeli society and put pressure on the government.

A large section of Israeli society argues that a ceasefire should be reached urgently if there is any hope of rescuing the roughly 100 hostages still believed to be in captivity a year on from October 7.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the video underlines the urgency of getting the hostages home.

'It's inconceivable and incomprehensible that almost a year has passed since the last hostage release deal,' a spokesperson said. 

'The hostages have no time left — a deal for their release is the only way to bring them all back to us: the living for rehabilitation, and those who were murdered for proper burial.'