Gaza: Hamas has warned Israel that its "insistence" on getting hostages released through military pressure "will result in them returning to their families in coffins". "New instructions have been issued to the fighters charged with guarding the prisoners regarding how to deal with them if the Israeli army approaches the detention site," Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a statement this week.
Obeida said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli army alone "bear full responsibility for the deaths of prisoners after they deliberately obstructed any prisoner exchange deal for narrow interests, in addition to their deliberate killing of dozens of them through direct aerial bombardment", IANS reported, citing Xinhua news agency.
"Netanyahu's insistence on releasing the prisoners under military pressure instead of closing a deal will result in them returning to their families in coffins and their families having to choose whether they are dead or alive," he added.
The statement came after the recovery of the bodies of two women and four men from Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were killed in a Hamas tunnel shortly before soldiers arrived.
US charges Hamas leaders for 'Terrorist Atrocities'The US Justice Department announced that six high-ranking leaders of Hamas, including the militant group's political head, Yahya Sinwar, have been formally charged with terrorism and other related crimes. These charges stem from the deadly October 7 attacks on Israel. The indictment also targets key figures within the organization, including Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammad al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal, and Ali Baraka. The charges against these leaders are extensive and include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, and other severe criminal allegations. The indictment suggests a coordinated effort among these individuals to carry out actions that led to significant loss of life and posed a direct threat to U.S. nationals. |
