The captives appeared in the video sending messages to the Israeli government, demanding an end to the war and their return to their families.
The Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, has said that the fate of many Israeli captives held by the group is unknown amid Israel’s deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
“Regarding the issue of Zionist prisoners, we want to say that the fate of many enemy prisoners and detainees has become unknown in recent weeks,” Abu Obeida, the military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced in a televised appearance on the 100th day of the Israeli war on Gaza, on Sunday.
“The rest have all entered the tunnel of the unknown due to the Zionist aggression, and most likely, many of them have been killed recently,” Abu Obeida added.
The spokesman said Israel is wholly responsible for the safety of the Israeli captives.
The "Q.S.M. Brigades" broadcasts a video clip entitled 'Wait for us.. Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate. Your government is lying' pic.twitter.com/M5a6TbcS1f
— Muhammad Yousaf (@MuhammadYo95978) January 14, 2024
“The rest remain in imminent and significant danger every hour, and the enemy’s leadership and its army bear full responsibility for this issue,” he stressed.
On Sunday, the Al-Qassam Brigades posted a video featuring three Israeli captives who are allegedly held in the Gaza Strip.
The captives appeared in the video sending messages to the Israeli government, demanding an end to the war and their return to their families.
The video ended with the Qassam Brigades stating in Arabic, Hebrew and English: “Wait for us… we will inform you of their fate tomorrow. Your government is lying.”
On Monday, the Al-Qassam Brigades published another video, featuring the three captives and ending with a message in Arabic, Hebrew and English: “Tonight we will inform you of their fate”.
Hamas is reportedly believed to be holding nearly 136 captives taken on October 7.
The Al-Qassam Brigades published a second video, featuring three Israeli captives and ending with a message in Arabic, Hebrew and English: "Tonight we will inform you of their fate". pic.twitter.com/EmVTMyoAsA
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 15, 2024
A temporary ceasefire deal in late November, saw the release of 105 captives held by Hamas, while Israel freed 240 imprisoned Palestinians. Among the freed Palestinian detainees were 107 children, of whom three-quarters had reportedly not been convicted of a crime.
Many more Palestinians have been arrested since then.
Meanwhile, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 24,100 Palestinians have been killed, and 60,834 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
