Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, made the claim, saying that “by committing horrific massacres,” Israel was “able to free some of its hostages, yet it killed some others during the operation”.
He stated that ” the first to be harmed by [the Israeli army] are its prisoners”, in a reference to the around 120 captives still held in the Gaza Strip, adding, “The enemy was able, by committing horrific massacres, to free some of his captives, but at the same time, it killed some of them during the operation.”
Obaida did not elaborate on the identities of who had died, or provide any evidence to back up his claim.
Obaida said that the rescue raid “posed a great danger” to the remaining hostages and “will have a devastating impact on their conditions and lives”, in his post on Telegram.
Hamas on Saturday accused Israel of committing “a horrific massacre” after the Government Media Office in Gaza reported at least 210 people were killed and hundreds more injured in Israeli attacks on central Gaza.
In a written statement, the militant group said Israel’s killing of scores of people as it mounted a hostage rescue operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp was a “brutal crime, devoid of the values of civilization and humanity.”
Hamas said the rescuing of four hostages alive would not change Israel’s “strategic failure in the Gaza Strip,” as the group still holds a large number of other hostages after eight months of fighting.
In a separate statement, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the “resistance will continue” following the deadly fighting.
“Our people will not surrender, and the resistance will continue to defend our rights in the face of this criminal enemy,” Haniyeh added.
