Hamas’s armed wing has said hostages would return to Israel “inside coffins” if military pressure continued, warning new instructions were issued in June to militants guarding the captives on what to do if Israeli troops approached.
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement: “[Israeli prime minister Binyamin] Netanyahu’s insistence on liberating the prisoners through military pressure instead of concluding a deal will mean that they will return to their families inside coffins.”
The announcement comes days after Israeli Defence Forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
According to Israel’s health ministry, they had been shot at close range about two days before their remains were discovered.
The new instructions, Obeida said, were given to guards of hostages after a rescue operation by Israel in June. At that time, Israeli forces freed four hostages in a raid in which scores of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed.
In a press conference on Monday, Mr Netanyahu said: “Israel will not accept the massacre of six hostages, Hamas will pay a heavy price.”
Elsewhere, US president Joe Biden said a “final” deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza was “very close” but that he did not think the Israeli prime minister was doing enough to secure such an agreement.
Mr Netanyahu said he did not believe that Mr Biden made those comments.
Mr Netanyahu insisted Israeli forces must retain control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border that has emerged as a primary sticking point in Gaza ceasefire talks. He described it as “Hamas’s oxygen pipe”.
Protests against the Israeli leader’s government suffered a blow yesterday when a court ordered an early end to a general strike called by Israel’s biggest trade union, Histadrut, which said hundreds of thousands of people joined its strike.
Israel’s labour court ruled that the strike – which affected many businesses, schools and transport routes – had to end at 2.30pm local time.
The demonstrations were prompted by the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, and brought tens of thousands of Israelis out on to the streets to protest against the government’s handling of the war in Gaza and efforts to release dozens of hostages who remain in captivity.
A large-scale vaccination campaign to inoculate children against the newly emerged threat of polio in the Gaza Strip has continued into its third day.
Israel has agreed to limited pauses in fighting to facilitate the campaign, according to the World Health Organisation. But despite this pledge, there are reports of Israel continuing to launch air strikes on Gaza. – Guardian