In a televised statement on Sunday, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Obeida, indicated that many hostages held by the group in the Gaza Strip are likely to have been killed. He placed the blame for their uncertain fate on the Israeli leadership. According to Abu Obeida, the destiny of numerous hostages has become unknown in recent weeks, with the rest facing great peril due to what he referred to as Zionist aggression.
Abu Obeida suggested that, most likely, many of the hostages were killed recently, emphasizing that the remaining individuals are in great danger every hour, holding the enemy’s leadership and army fully responsible for their predicament.
The spokesperson stated that Hamas’ allies from the “axis of resistance” have informed them of plans to “expand their attacks” against Israeli troops in the coming days. Abu Obeida framed the past 100 days as a period of setbacks for the Israeli leadership, characterizing them as grappling with pain and navigating through failure.
Additionally, Abu Obeida accused Israeli forces of launching what he termed a “religious war” by allegedly destroying mosques in the Gaza Strip. According to him, within the span of 100 days, the majority of mosques in Gaza were destroyed. He claimed that Israeli forces desecrated, burned, and bulldozed the mosques within their reach on the ground, asserting that it was a clear manifestation of a religious conflict by preventing the call to prayer.