Hamas says a female Israeli captive has been killed in northern Gaza, holding Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet responsible for the lives of the captives.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, made the remarks on Saturday, as the Israeli regime continues it intensified bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
“The war criminal Netanyahu, his regime, and his military leaders bear full responsibility for the lives of their captives, as they insist on intensifying their suffering and causing their deaths,” Ubaida said.
Hamas says it has enough Israeli captives to swap them for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.
The spokesman went on to say that “after reconnecting with fighters tasked with guarding Israeli captives after weeks of lost contact, it was revealed that one of the Israeli female captives was killed in an area under the regime’s aggression in the northern Gaza Strip.”
“The life of another female captive who was with her remains in imminent danger,” he added.
Ubaida further stressed that Israel “must prepare to face the dilemma of the disappearance of the bodies of their dead captives, due to widespread destruction and the martyrdom of some of their captors.”
Around 250 people were taken captive on October 7 last year during Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance groups.
Hamas released 105 of the captives during a week-long truce last November.
Public and diplomatic pressure has been mounting on the Netanyahu regime to do more to strike a deal for securing the release of captives still held in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu has been obstructing mediation for a truce and a deal to release the 97 captives still held by Palestinian groups in Gaza. The Israeli military says 34 of them are dead.
Netanyahu has rejected a series of ceasefire proposals, including one from the US administration in May.
The Palestinian resistance groups have been seeking an end to the year-long Israeli aggression and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
At least 44,176 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 104,473 others wounded since the war began last October.
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