By Smartencyclopedia with Agencies

On Monday, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that the group has implemented new directives for guards managing hostages in Gaza, particularly in the event of Israeli forces approaching their locations.

This announcement comes shortly after Hamas denied responsibility for the deaths of six Israeli hostages, whose bodies were discovered by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in a tunnel in Gaza. The victims, identified as Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi, were found shot in the back of the head. The bodies were recovered on Thursday, with the IDF suggesting that this was the second occurrence where Hamas had executed hostages before fleeing.

According to IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari, these incidents highlight a brutal pattern of behavior by Hamas. In response, Abu Ubaida mentioned that the new instructions for handling hostages were issued after an Israeli rescue operation in June, where special forces successfully extracted several captives from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The freed hostages included Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov.

Abu Ubaida also issued a stark warning, stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy of using military force to free prisoners rather than negotiating a deal could result in the hostages being returned to their families in shrouds. He emphasized that the fate of the hostages now lies in the hands of their families, urging them to decide whether they want their loved ones “dead or alive.”

The situation remains tense as both sides continue to grapple with the complex and volatile hostage crisis in Gaza.