Al-Qassam Brigades say half of the remaining Israeli captives are in evacuation zones, warning their lives are at risk as Israel stalls negotiations.
Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades—the armed wing of Hamas—said on Friday that “half of the living enemy captives are currently located in areas the Israeli army has recently ordered to evacuate.”
In a statement, he added, “We have decided not to move these captives from those areas, keeping them under tight security measures, although this poses significant risks to their lives.”
He warned that if the Israeli government “is genuinely concerned about the lives of its captives, it must immediately negotiate either their evacuation or release. We have given fair warning.”
Abu Obeida also held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government responsible for the captives’ fate, saying that if it truly cared about them, “it would have honored the agreement it signed. Most of the captives would have been home by now.”
His remarks come amid a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz, citing a senior Israeli official, stating that at least 21 Israeli captives in Gaza are still alive, while 36 have been confirmed dead out of a total of 59.
“Israeli official says 36 hostages are dead, despite confirmation of only 35 deaths so far,” the paper reported, adding that the fate of two others remains unknown.
Israeli estimates suggest that 24 of the 59 captives held in Gaza are alive.
Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are currently imprisoned in Israeli prisons, according to rights groups and media reports.
A temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal had ended in early March after lasting 42 days.
However, on March 18, Israel pulled out of negotiations for the second phase of the agreement and resumed its military campaign on Gaza.
Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades:
Half of the living Israeli prisoners are located in areas in which the Israeli occupation army has requested to be evacuated in recent days.
We have decided not to transfer these prisoners from these areas, and to keep them… pic.twitter.com/Qv7y7DmNOR
— الأخ الكبير (@BIG__Brother7) April 4, 2025
Ongoing Genocide
The renewed Israeli violence on March 18 has broken a ceasefire that began on January 19. The latest military actions have killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured many more, primarily civilians, including women and children.
While the violations have been condemned by numerous countries and human rights groups, the US has continued its support for Israel, asserting that the military campaign was carried out with prior knowledge and approval from Washington.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.
(PC, AJA)
Good to see the rumors of his death were false. He’s labeled a terrorist, but then, Nelson Mandela was on America’s terror watch list until 2008. So that tells you it’s all bullsh!t. Besides, him and all the freedom fighters have tried to bring peace to Palestine, only to be side-lined by the real terrorists in ” Israel ” , and in my American government. Anybody can see that, it’s plain as day if you ignore Main Stream Media lies. Israelica does not care about captives, and their safety. If they die in Israeli/American airstrikes, it will be blamed on Hamas. The IDF is full of savages. They are the real terrorists here.