The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has released a fourth video of hostage Sasha Trufanov, marking another instance of what Israeli officials condemn as psychological warfare. The nearly two-minute clip, whose recording date remains unclear, features Trufanov appealing for his release, in a statement almost certainly scripted by his captors in Gaza.

In the video, Trufanov says that he is 28 years old, though he recently turned 29, marking his second birthday in captivity. Addressing Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri, Trufanov urges him to persuade the Israeli government to negotiate for the release of hostages, invoking the Jewish obligation to free captives.

Trufanov was abducted along with his grandmother, Irena Tati, his mother, Yelena Trufanova, and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen, during the October 7 Hamas massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz. Tati and Trufanova were released on November 29 following intervention by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Cohen was freed a day later under the terms of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli authorities and media outlets have largely refrained from broadcasting such hostage videos, describing them as exploitative tools designed to manipulate public sentiment.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)