Gaza City – The Palestinian militant group Hamas has issued a stark warning that hostages held in the Gaza Strip may be killed if Israel continues its military offensive and attempts to retrieve them by force.
In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas claimed it was making every effort to keep captives alive but accused Israel’s intensified bombardment of putting their lives at risk.
“Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins,” the group stated.
Israel recently resumed heavy airstrikes and ground operations across the densely populated Gaza Strip, shattering a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 830 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed military campaign began. The broader conflict, ignited by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has resulted in staggering casualties. The attack killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. In response, Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza has claimed at least 50,183 lives, the health ministry reports.
The escalation has further deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region, raising international concerns over the fate of hostages and the intensifying violence.
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