Gaza, Sept 21: As Israeli forces continued their assault to capture and destroy Gaza’s largest urban center, Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, on Saturday released an online “farewell photo” of 48 Israeli hostages. The image also included Nepal’s Bipin Joshi.
The collage showed both living and dead hostages. Its caption referenced Israeli Air Force Captain Ron Arad, who disappeared in Lebanon in 1986, simply stating “Ron Arad.” Arad’s F-4 Phantom crashed in southern Lebanon due to a premature bomb explosion. He was captured by the Amal Movement and later handed to Hezbollah. He is believed dead, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced.
Hamas paired the image with a message: “Because of Netanyahu’s refusal and Zamer’s surrender, after the start of the military operation in Gaza City, here is the farewell photo.” This referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated rejection of any ceasefire deal with Hamas to end what critics call a genocidal war in Gaza, and Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi’s public objections to the government’s “victory” plan for Gaza, even as ground and air attacks intensified under his command.
Israeli officials say about 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has said the number could be fewer than 20. Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to bring home both the living and the dead and to “destroy” Hamas.
Hamas has warned that intensified Israeli ground and air operations endanger the hostages, some of whom it claims have already been killed in Israeli bombings. The group says the hostages are dispersed across Gaza City.
Saturday’s threat came just hours before hundreds of thousands of Israelis again flooded the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities, protesting against the government, demanding an end to the war, and calling for an immediate and comprehensive deal to bring the hostages home.
Earlier this month, Hamas released a video showing two Israeli hostages. That came about a month after footage of two other emaciated hostages was aired, one seen digging his own grave. These images have fueled anger among hostage families, Israeli officials, and U.S. and allied leaders.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel has killed at least 65,208 Palestinians and wounded 166,271 since the war began in October 2023. Since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18, 12,653 have been killed and 54,230 wounded.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment