On Monday, Hamas' armed wing announced that since June, they have been following new directives regarding the handling of hostages when Israeli forces approach their locations in Gaza. This announcement follows the recovery of the bodies of six hostages by the Israeli military from a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza, who were reportedly shot by their captors as Israeli forces closed in.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades, did not elaborate on the specifics of these new instructions. He stated that his group holds Israel accountable for the hostages' deaths. According to Ubaida, these instructions were issued to the hostage guards following an Israeli rescue operation in June that freed four hostages but resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians, including women and children.
In response to Netanyahu's continued push for freeing prisoners through military means rather than negotiation, Ubaida warned, "Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive." Later that day, the Hamas armed wing released a pre-recorded video of one of the six deceased hostages, though the exact timing of the video remains unclear.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a press conference, described how the hostages were shot in the back of the head and vowed that Hamas would face severe consequences. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, refuted Netanyahu's accusations, stating they were an attempt to evade responsibility for the deaths.
Ezzat El Rashq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, echoed this sentiment, stating that the hostages could return home immediately if not for Netanyahu's obstruction. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have stalled, with Hamas seeking an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for the release of hostages, while Netanyahu insists on defeating Hamas as a condition for peace.
