Hamas Releases Photo of 47 Israeli Captives Amid Escalation

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, the Palestinian militant group on Saturday published a photograph showing 47 Israeli captives. Hamas claimed the image was taken during Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza City and accompanied it with an Arabic caption describing it as a farewell photo of the captives.

“Because of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s intransigence and [Chief of General Staff Eyal] Zamir’s submission, this is a farewell photo at the beginning of the operation in Gaza,” the caption of the image shared by Hamas read, Firstpost reported.

According to TRT World, Hamas posted the photo on its official website, stressing that the fate of the captives depends on the political decisions of Israel’s leadership, particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The group has previously expressed willingness to negotiate a comprehensive peace deal involving Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war, which is nearing its third year. However, Netanyahu has consistently rejected a ceasefire, reiterating that Israel’s objective is the total elimination of Hamas.

The post comes amid mounting international pressure, urging Netanyahu to end the war. European Union has proposed sanctions; and Britain, France and Canada have announced formally recognising Palestine as a state.

However, Israeli Prime Minister has intensified attacks on Gaza city, issuing evacuation orders, further exacerbating famine-like situation in the region.

Gaza has remained deprived of humanitarian assistance as the war nears the end of third year. Israel has seen protests at home as well, with family members of the hostages saying that the bombing of Gaza can lead to fatalities amongst hostages as well.

Of the 48 hostages believed to remain in Gaza, only 20 are thought to be alive.

As of now, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has killed over 65,000 Palestinians since the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel.