Hamas releases 'farewell picture' of Israeli captives amid Gaza City offensive
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has released a “farewell picture” of 48 Israeli captives still being held in Gaza, reiterating that the regime's ongoing ground offensive in Gaza City endangers their lives.
Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, published a compilation photo on Saturday, in which each captive is labeled “Ron Arad” — the Israeli air force pilot who was captured in Lebanon in 1986 and died in custody two years later.
The release was accompanied by a statement saying, “Due to the obstinacy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the submission of Chief of Staff Eran Zamir, [here is a] farewell photo at the start of the operation in Gaza.”
Israel launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday to capture the territory’s largest urban center.
According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, nearly half of Gaza City’s population — about 450,000 people — have been forced to flee since August.
Meanwhile, at least 51 people were also killed across Gaza on Saturday, including 43 in Gaza City, according to health officials.
In a separate statement on Thursday night, the al-Qassam Brigades said that Netanyahu’s ground incursion in Gaza City means Israel has lost any chance of retrieving the captives, dead or alive.
It added that Netanyahu had effectively issued a death sentence for the captives. “Your prisoners are distributed within the neighborhoods of Gaza City, and we will not be concerned for their lives as long as Netanyahu has decided to kill them.”
The Israeli regime’s offensive in Gaza City has sparked widespread fears in Israel for the safety of captives captured when Hamas launched its unprecedented Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu has come under increasing scrutiny by the international community for repeatedly undermining peace efforts aimed at ending Tel Aviv’s genocidal war, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 65,000 people, most of them women and children.
He is also under mounting pressure at home for obstructing the release of Israeli captives.
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