Hamas military wing sends message to families of Israeli prisoners

By Abdul-Jabbar Aburas

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Hamas military wing al-Qassam Brigades addressed on Sunday evening the families of Israelis held hostage by the movement in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks.

Al-Qassam shared a video featuring some of the hostages sending messages to the Israeli government, demanding an end to the war and their return to their families.

The video ended with the Qassam Brigades stating: "Wait for us... we will inform you of their fate tomorrow. Your government is lying."

Hamas said Sunday that the fate of many hostages held by the group is unknown amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

“Many of the hostages may have likely been killed, while the rest are in imminent danger every hour,” Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded speech marking 100 days since Israel launched its onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

Hamas is believed to be holding nearly 136 Israelis following its cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attack, killing at least 23,968 Palestinians and injuring 60,582 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​ in Ankara