Hamas says Israel responsible for killing of captives in Gaza

Hamas made the announcement on Thursday, a day after the Israeli military claimed that a February strike on Khan Yunis in southern Gaza may have prompted resistance fighters to kill six Israeli captives.

“The Israeli army’s acknowledgement of its accountability for the killing of six captives proves that the Hamas narrative is true and that of the occupiers is false,” it said.

“Netanyahu is directly responsible for the killing of dozens of captives due to bringing the ceasefire efforts to a failure. There is no alternative other than a ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation forces, and the implementation of a prisoner exchange agreement.”

The resistance group also added that the killing of more captives by the Israeli military shows the failure of Netanyahu’s policy of releasing them through the use of force.

Israel unleashed a genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a surprise operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’ intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

During its operation, Hamas took 251 Israelis captive, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the occupation’s army.

After almost 14 months of the Gaza onslaught, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing captives, despite killing at least 44,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 105,500 others.