Hamas releases ‘farewell photo’ of 47 Israeli captives amid escalation in Gaza City

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Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in Khan Yunis, Gaza on February 15, 2025. [Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Saturday released a photo showing 47 Israeli captives, saying it was taken at the start of Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza City, Anadolu reports.

The image was accompanied by a caption in Arabic and Hebrew saying: “Because of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s intransigence and [Chief of General Staff Eyal] Zamir’s submission, this is a farewell photo at the beginning of the operation in Gaza.”

Hamas published the picture on its official website, underscoring its position that the fate of the captives lies with the political decisions of Israel’s leadership.

Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to conclude a comprehensive deal with Israel to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, end the war on Gaza, and ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

READ: There is a path to stop ‘genocide still happening daily before us’ in Gaza: Ex-New Zealand premier

However, Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such proposals, insisting instead on partial arrangements that would allow him to delay and impose new conditions at each stage of negotiations.

Many in Israel and elsewhere have accused Netanyahu of dragging out the war for the sake of his own political survival, ignoring the hostages’ survival.

On Sept. 9, Israel attacked a residential compound in Doha killing five Hamas leaders as they were discussing a US proposal to end the war in Gaza, where nearly 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Berlin concert held in memory of children killed in Israel’s genocide in Gaza

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Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that his active support and that of UK's air force has been essential in Israel's mass-murdering genocide.
Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that his active support and that of UK’s air force has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingHamas releases ‘farewell photo’ of 47 Israeli captives amid escalation in Gaza City

Hamas: Netanyahu trying to end captives’ case by starving them

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A group of people, gathered at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, stage a demonstration demanding the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza on August 2, 2025. [Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency]

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to “end the issue of the captives held in Gaza by starving them to death after failing to locate and kill them through bombing.”

In a statement published on Telegram, al-Rishq expressed regret that “hunger has reached the Israeli captives,” but held “Netanyahu and his Nazi-like government fully responsible,” accusing them of launching “a starvation and thirst war against our people, the effects of which have now reached their captives.”

On Friday, al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, released footage of Israeli captive Evyatar David, who appeared severely underweight due to what was described as Israel’s ongoing starvation policy in Gaza.

Similarly, on Thursday, al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, released a video it said was the last footage of captive Rom Braslavski before contact was lost with the group holding him. In the video, Braslavski appeared to be in an extremely frail physical condition, allegedly due to the starvation imposed by Israel on Gaza.

Commenting on this, al-Rishq said, “Our resistance fighters treat their captives according to our religious teachings and human values. They feed them from what they eat and give them water from what they drink, just as all our people do.”

READ: Netanyahu asks Red Cross to help care for Israeli captives in Gaza

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Continue ReadingHamas: Netanyahu trying to end captives’ case by starving them

Hamas, Ansar Allah launch attacks on Israel in retaliation for resumption of genocide in Gaza

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Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

The spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree giving a press conference.

The two resistance movements launched their attacks after Israeli warplanes killed hundreds of Palestinians in the span of a few days.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah announced on Thursday, March 19 that its armed forces targeted Ben Gurion Airport with a Palestine 2 hypersonic missile, affirming that the operation “successfully achieved its objective.”

On Friday, March 21, Ansar Allah announced that its forces carried out yet another strategic operation, targeting an Israeli military site south of the occupied city of Jaffa. The movement reaffirmed that its operations, alongside the blockade on Israeli navigation, would continue until Israel halts the aggression against Gaza and lifts the siege on the war-torn enclave. 

Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv on Thursday, March 20, and the coastal city of Ashkelon on Friday, March 21. The rockets and missiles launched from Yemen and Gaza reportedly disrupted flights at Ben Gurion airport. 

In the early hours of Saturday, March 22, Ansar Allah announced the targeting of Ben Gurion Airport for the second time within 48 hours, as well as a number of warships affiliated with the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman.

Ansar Allah further warned all airlines that “the so-called Ben Gurion Airport has become unsafe for air traffic and will remain so until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.”

Both Ansar Allah and Hamas confirmed in statements that their attacks on the cities occupied by Israel were carried out in retaliation for Israel’s renewed genocidal aggression on Gaza that has left over 700 people dead and more than 1000 injured since Tuesday, March 18. 

With the toll of the renewed aggression, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the Gaza strip since October 2023 has surpassed 49,617

Yemen’s attacks on Tel Aviv prove that Gaza is not alone: says Abu Obaida

The spokesperson of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaida, issued a statement via his Telegram channel on Thursday, praising Ansar Allah for their continuous support to the people of Gaza. 

“We salute our loyal brothers in Yemen for their honorable stance and direct support for their brothers and sisters in Gaza, despite the heavy price they pay for their unwavering commitment to Al-Aqsa and Palestine,” Abu Obaida wrote.

“Today, Yemeni missiles intersected with those from Gaza in the skies over Tel Aviv, reaffirming that Gaza is not alone.” He added. 

Furthermore, Al-Qassam’s spokesperson urged the free people of the Arab and Islamic nations “to engage in the battle to defend Al-Aqsa and to continue their support for Gaza, to break the back of the criminal zionist enemy and force it to halt its aggression.”

Hamas reaffirms that ceasefire talks are underway 

Although Al-Qassam launched retaliatory attacks on Israel, Hamas reaffirmed on Thursday that it is still committed to the Gaza ceasefire agreement.  

“Talks are underway with mediators to stop the aggression against our people and pressure the (Israeli) occupation to adhere to the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou said in a statement.

“We are working with mediators to permanently spare our people war and to ensure the occupation’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” Al-Qanou added.

Original article by Aseel Saleh republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Continue ReadingHamas, Ansar Allah launch attacks on Israel in retaliation for resumption of genocide in Gaza

Israeli army deliberately bombed site to kill hostages inside: Al-Qassam Brigades

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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241215-israeli-army-deliberately-bombed-site-to-kill-hostages-inside-al-qassam-brigades

Hundreds of demonstrators, holding Israeli flags and photos of prisoners, gather at the streets and march from Jaffa Street in Jerusalem towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence, to demand a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal in Gaza in Jerusalem on December 14, 2024. [Saeed Qaq – Anadolu Agency]

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, said Saturday that the Israeli army bombed a location in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli hostages were held, confirming that the bombing was repeated to ensure their death, Anadolu reports.

Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the group, said on Telegram: “The occupation army recently bombed a location where some enemy prisoners were present and repeated the bombing to ensure their death.”

“We have intelligence confirming that the enemy deliberately bombed the location with the aim of killing the prisoners and their guards,” Obaida noted.

He added: “Our fighters attempted to rescue the enemy prisoners and succeeded in retrieving one of them, whose fate remains unknown.”

Obaida held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his government, and the Israeli army “fully responsible for this event and the lives of their prisoners.”

A video released by al-Qassam Brigades showed the bombed location and a person without clarifying whether they were killed or injured, with no facial features shown.

The video included a statement: “Netanyahu and [Chief of General Staff Herzi] Halevi seek to get rid of their prisoners in Gaza by all means.”

Israel estimates that there are currently 101 Israeli prisoners held in Gaza.

Read: Hamas reiterates efforts to end Israeli aggression in Gaza

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed due to Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the ongoing conflict.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 44,800 victims, mostly women and children, since an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on 7 October 2023.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and the blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Continue ReadingIsraeli army deliberately bombed site to kill hostages inside: Al-Qassam Brigades