Hamas says Israeli captives in Gaza are struggling to stay alive

A picture taken from a position in southern Israel on February 16, 2024, shows smoke billowing following Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)

Hamas's armed wing said on Friday that hostages in Gaza were "struggling to stay alive" as conditions across the war-battered Palestinian territory deteriorate due to relentless Israeli bombardments.

"The wounded and sick enemy prisoners are going through very difficult conditions and are struggling to stay alive," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a televised statement.

"This is not surprising because everything that our people are suffering from, be it hunger, thirst and lack of medical help, is also what the enemy prisoners are suffering from."

This week, mediators from the United States, Qatar and Egypt gathered in Cairo to try to broker a deal to halt the fighting and secure the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday he believed a deal was still "possible" but there has been no public announcement of any breakthrough.

Abu Obeida said it was Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip that was responsible for the situation.

"Time is running out fast," he said.

During the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, some 250 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip, of which roughly 130 are still being held there, according to Israeli officials.

Thirty of them are believed to be dead, while more than 100 had been freed during a one-week truce that ended on December 1.

Three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli soldiers in December, while some have been rescued in military operations.

Several hostages among those still captive in Gaza are suffering from various illnesses and attempts have been made to supply medicines to them.

The October 7 attack itself resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on Israeli figures.

In Israel's relentless military offensive since then in Gaza, at least 28,775 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

Source: AFP

哈馬斯稱加薩的以色列俘虜正在為生存而掙扎

哈馬斯武裝派別週五表示，由於以色列的無情轟炸，飽受戰爭蹂躪的巴勒斯坦領土的情況不斷惡化，加薩的人質「掙扎著生存」。

埃澤丁·卡薩姆旅發言人阿布·奧貝達在電視聲明中說： “傷病的敵方囚犯處境非常困難，正在為生存而掙扎。”

“這並不奇怪，因為我們的人民所遭受的一切，無論是飢餓、口渴還是缺乏醫療幫助，也都是敵方囚犯所遭受的。”

本週，來自美國、卡達和埃及的調解人齊聚開羅，試圖達成一項停止戰鬥的協議，並確保釋放剩餘的人質，以換取以色列扣押的巴勒斯坦囚犯。

美國國務卿安東尼·布林肯週四表示，他相信達成協議仍然“可能”，但尚未公開宣布任何突破。

阿布·奧貝達表示，造成這場局勢的是以色列在加薩走廊的軍事行動。

「時間很快就過去了，」他說。

據以色列官員稱，在 10 月 7 日哈馬斯武裝分子對以色列發動襲擊期間，約 250 名人質被劫持至加薩地帶，其中約 130 名人質仍被扣押在那裡。

據信其中 30 人已死亡，12 月 1 日結束的為期一周的休戰期間，有 100 多人獲釋。

12月，三名人質被以色列士兵誤殺，部分人質在軍事行動中獲救。