Hamas released a teaser of a propaganda video on Saturday afternoon that showed hostages Bar Kupershtein and Maxim Herkin.
Originally, the terrorist group had published a teaser video with two blurred figures.
Shortly after, Herkin’s family confirmed that he was one of the hostages in the video. “We recognized his voice,” the family said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has requested that the propaganda video, or parts of it, not be published or shared without their permission.
Hamas previously "considered" releasing Herkin
Hamas has previously said that it has “considered” Herkin as part of the second phase of the currently paused hostage deal as a sign of consideration for its friendship with Russia.
“As for Maxim Herkin, Russian friends did indeed request his release,” said senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk back in February. “We treated Russia’s request with respect, but at this moment, we cannot disclose information about the hostages included in the second phase of the deal.”