On Monday, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, revealed that new instructions have been given to the guards of Israeli hostages in Gaza. These new directives are aimed at managing hostages in the event that Israeli forces approach their locations.
This announcement follows the recent recovery of the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of being responsible for their deaths. Ubaida, however, placed the blame on Israel for the hostages' demise.
He stated that the new guidelines were issued to the guards after a rescue operation by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in June, during which four hostages were successfully freed and returned to Israel. Ubaida criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approach of using military pressure to achieve prisoner releases, suggesting that such tactics will only result in hostages being returned in coffins. He argued that families must now choose whether they want their loved ones dead or alive.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas to end the war and secure the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners have stalled. Hamas demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Netanyahu asserts that the conflict will only conclude with Hamas’ defeat.
