Hamas’s armed wing said on Monday (2) that since June the group has been operating under new instructions on how to deal with hostages if Israeli forces attempt to carry out a rescue operation.
The announcement comes days after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying they were shot dead by Hamas militants as Israeli forces approached.
Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the group, did not elaborate on what the instructions were. He said Hamas held Israel responsible for the hostages’ deaths.
The new instructions, Ubaida said, were given to the guards after an Israeli rescue operation in June. At that time, Israeli forces freed four hostages in a raid in which dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed.
“Netanyahu’s insistence on releasing the prisoners through military pressure rather than sealing a deal means they will be returned to their families in coffins. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive,” he said.
Netanyahu told a news conference on Monday (2) that the hostages were shot in the back of the head, and vowed that Hamas would pay a heavy price.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior official with the Palestinian group, said Netanyahu’s accusations against Hamas were an attempt to escape responsibility for his death, adding that threats against their leaders did not scare them.
“Netanyahu killed the six prisoners and is determined to kill the rest. Israelis must choose between Netanyahu or the deal,” Abu Zuhri said.
Israel and Hamas have been at an impasse for months over a deal that would provide for a ceasefire in the war in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.
This content was originally published in Hamas says hostage guards in Gaza have been operating under new instructions on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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