Daughter of Israeli held by Hamas discusses video showing him and 2 other hostages

Amna Nawaz:

Back in Israel, months after October 7, families of hostages held in Gaza still wait in agony. A pause could lead to another round of hostage deals, as videos released by Hamas this week sparked hope their loved ones were at least still alive.

Joining us now is one of the family members of the loved ones still held hostage. Noam Peri father, Chaim Peri, is 79 years old and was one of the three men featured in a video released by Hamas alongside 84-year-old Amiram Cooper and 80-year-old Yoram Metzger. We are not showing the hostage video, as part of our editorial policy.

Noam joins us now from outside Tel Aviv.

Noam, welcome back. It's good to see you.

Noam Peri:

Good to see you also, Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

So what was it like seeing this video, seeing your father in this way?

Noam Peri:

First and foremost, it's — I was so happy to just see him and know that he's OK and know that he's alive.

It's the first time that I saw him since October 6. And even if it's within this video, it was really great just seeing him.

Amna Nawaz:

How did he look to you? How did he seem?

Noam Peri:

He doesn't look good, to say the truth. He looks thin and tired and not himself.

He looks sad. It was hard. It was hard to see him like this.

Amna Nawaz:

And did you have any idea this was coming? I mean, how did you find out about the video?

Noam Peri:

No, just saw it in the media. Actually, Hamas send it out on Telegram. So it's just out in a minute. And we didn't have any prior notice.

Amna Nawaz:

Your father speaks in the video. He shares a message. Obviously, this is under duress. We should stress that. But he does talk about being abandoned.

I wonder if you understand that or if you share that sense. Do you feel like the hostages who are still there have been abandoned in some way?

Noam Peri:

I don't take the content of this video as — I'm sure my father has not said it in his own words. So I don't want to use any content of this video.

But I can say that it's obvious that we cannot accept that a person like my father or his friends, that an 80-year-old man kidnapped from his home and being kept more than 70 days in tunnels in Gaza, it's unacceptable in any way.

Amna Nawaz:

It has been more than two months, as you mentioned. And you have told me before your father relies on medication. He is 80 years old.

What is your sense among the government officials you talk to of why it's taking so long?

Noam Peri:

I don't have an exact answer for this.

I know it's complicated. I know Hamas doesn't necessarily want to release these hostages and keeps them as bargain for his own needs. And I am aware of it. Everything needs to happen together to allow his release. And yet I say again, it's just — it can't continue like this. I don't know how many days my father can survive in his age, in his health conditions.

I heard just a couple of hours ago President Biden and others saying, it's not going to happen soon.

And I can't accept it. I can't accept it. So if the sides are not willing to compromise yet, so we need to pressure them harder to make this agreement and to release my father and others, because we don't have this time to wait. Any day — any day can be his last day now.

We're so thankful for President Biden and the U.S. government for being so deeply involved and committed. But we genuinely ask to do even more and to pressure and to make my father come back even before Christmas. We don't have any time. We don't have any time left.

Amna Nawaz:

Noam, I have to ask you too. I know there's talk of a possible pause, but, meanwhile, the war does continue, and there's a war that's being waged in your name, in your family's name, in your country's name.

The death toll in Gaza is now nearing 20,000, mostly women and children. And I just wonder how you process all of that as it unfolds.

Noam Peri:

We talked before, and you know that my father is a man of peace, and this is how I grew up.

And I definitely would not want to see any war coming. But, again, we need to remember that we haven't chose this situation. My father was at his home. His friends that were slaughtered in Nir Oz were just living their life there on October 7. We didn't choose any of this.

So we can't continue the situation as it was before. That's clear. I wish that we had a solution that does not include these kind of bad results for all sides.

Amna Nawaz:

Noam Peri joining us tonight from outside of Tel Aviv.

Noam, it's always good to see you. Thank you. We're thinking of you and your family.

Noam Peri:

Thank you, Amna.