Hamas has warned that hostages will be killed if the Israeli army nears locations where they are held in Gaza.
The announcement follows last weekend’s recovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages in a tunnel in the Gazan city of Rafah. The Israeli military claimed they had been shot dead by their captors as Israeli forces closed in.
Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, Al-Qassam brigades, told Reuters that the group had issued new instructions in June after an Israeli operation to rescue four hostages resulted in the deaths of 174 Palestinians.
Mr Obaida did not provide details on what the instructions were and said his group holds Israel responsible for the deaths of the six hostages. “[Israeli prime minister Binyamin] Netanyahu’s insistence to free [hostages] through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal means they will be returned to their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive.”
Later on Monday, the Hamas armed wing published a pre-recorded video of one of the six dead hostages. It was unclear when the video was made.
Mr Netanyahu said in a press conference on Monday that the hostages had been shot in the back of the head, and promised that Hamas would pay a heavy price.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Mr Netanyahu’s accusations against Hamas were an attempt to escape responsibility for their deaths.
“Netanyahu killed the six prisoners and he is determined to kill the remaining ones. The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu or the deal,” Mr Abu Zuhri said.
During a weeklong November ceasefire, 105 Israeli captives and 240 Palestinian detainees were freed. Israel estimates Hamas is holding 101 living hostages, and about 33-35 who are dead. The bodies of 37 hostages have been recovered, including three soldiers who were killed by Israeli troops when they tried to surrender after escaping captivity.
While Mr Netanyahu has promised to free remaining hostages by military means, only eight have been recovered alive. The first was a soldier in October, followed by two in Rafah in February and the four mentioned by Mr Obaida in the deadly commando raid in Nuseirat in June.
On August 27th, Israeli Bedouin security guard Farhan al-Qadi was found alive and alone in a tunnel. During that month, the army also retrieved seven bodies. – Additional reporting by Reuters.
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