The whereabouts of the kidnapped people remain uncertain, as Hamas continues to conceal their location.
Despite the small size of Gaza, heavily patrolled by the Israel Defense Forces, it remains a challenge for Israeli intelligence agencies to penetrate the terrorist organization’s operations.
However, one fact remains irrefutable: those taken hostage, including children, Israeli soldiers, the elderly, and women, are in immediate and grave danger.
al-Qassam Brigades issues warning
On Monday, Hamas’s military arm, al-Qassam Brigades, declared its intent to execute prisoners if the Israeli government persists in bombing Palestinian territories without warning. Abu Obeida, a Qassam Brigades spokesman, issued the ominous warning, stating, “Any targeting of innocent civilians without warning will be met regretfully by executing one of the captives in our custody, and we will be forced to broadcast this execution.”
The toll of the conflict continues to rise, with over 700 Israelis dead, more than 2,150 wounded, and at least 100 held hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared, “We are at war,” promising that Hamas will face “a price it has never known.”
