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The spokesman for the military wing of the Hamas Movement, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said on December 21 that Israel’s objective to eliminate the group in the Gaza Strip was “doomed to fail.”
In an audio message, Abu Obeida also said that any further release of hostages held in Gaza depended on a “cessation of aggression.” Neither Israel’s continued offensive nor “direct military operations” would bring the hostages home, he stressed.
“It is not possible to release enemy prisoners alive except by entering into negotiations,” Hamas spokesman said.
Some 132 hostages remain in Gaza out of the 240 taken during the October 7 surprise attack, which was planned and led by Hamas.
Abu Obeida said that there was “no alternative” to negotiations, warning that Israeli fire could lead to the deaths of more hostages. He took aim at Israel’s leader, whose “decision… evades facing and recognizing the truth.”
Touching on battles in Gaza, the spokesman said Hamas fighters had destroyed or damaged 720 Israeli military vehicles since the start of the war. He also alleged that more than 15 Israeli troops were targeted by the group’s snipers over the past week.
After Abu Obeida’s audio message, Hamas released a video showing three Israeli hostages, claiming they had since been killed in Israeli strikes.
Separately, the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, released a video showing the wreckage of a Skylark 3 reconnaissance that was recently shot down over Gaza and another showing mortar attacks on Israeli troops in the Strip.
Overall, Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza appear to be determined to fight until the end without making any compromises.
