Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, issued a threat on Sunday to kill all of its remaining hostages unless its demands were met.
The group's demands include more aid for Gaza and prisoner exchanges. Israel has confirmed that Hamas is still holding the bodies of 20 hostages who died in captivity. Hamas has warned that unless their demands are met, not a single hostage will leave Gaza alive, as per New York Post.
Hamas Continues Demands Amid Israeli Offensive in Gaza
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, made the threat in a televised broadcast, emphasizing the need for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. He stated that the resistance demands the exchange and negotiation for the release of their prisoners.
The war between Hamas and Israel saw a temporary truce that lasted for one week, during which 105 hostages were released by Hamas, including 80 Israelis who were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners. However, the truce collapsed on December 1, and Israel confirmed on Saturday that 137 captives remained in Gaza.
A resolution to address the worsening health situation in Gaza was approved by the executive board of the World Health Organization. Humanitarian aid was to enter the region immediately and without hindrance, according to the resolution.
The Israeli military has launched a major offensive in Khan Younis, the main city in the southern Gaza Strip. Tanks have reached the center of the city after intense combat throughout the night. Warplanes continue to target the area, causing widespread destruction and displacing many Palestinian families. The situation has left Gaza's 2.3 million people with nowhere to hide, according to international aid organizations.
The White House has pledged to increase its engagement with lawmakers to provide military aid for Ukraine and Israel. A bipartisan deal is being sought, but negotiations have made little progress due to the Republicans' insistence on linking funding for Ukraine with major US border security changes. Senator Chris Murphy described the current demands as unreasonable and accused Republicans of playing games with global security.
Hamas's armed wing has declared that Israel will not be able to recover any of its hostages without engaging in talks over conditional swap deals. The group's spokesman, Abu Ubaida, emphasized that Israel's attempts to recover the captives by force have failed.
Speaking on the ongoing situation in Gaza, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed the importance of protecting Palestinian civilians and called for a durable peace leading to a Palestinian state, according to The Telegraph.
Israel-Hamas Conflict
According to IDF reports, since the battle started on October 7, 425 troops have been killed and 1593 soldiers have been injured.
In a separate incident, France revealed that one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted by two drones coming from Yemen. Both drones were intercepted and shot down.
Meanwhile, Israel has been assisting Cyprus in foiling an Iranian-ordered attack against Israelis and Jews on the island. The Mossad intelligence service stated that such plots have increased since the start of the Gaza war.
As the conflict rages on, Hamas has vowed to continue fighting Israeli forces, stating that they have no choice but to resist the occupation. On the other hand, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called on Hamas militants to lay down their arms, claiming that the end of Hamas is near. Netanyahu cited the surrender of dozens of Hamas terrorists to Israeli forces in recent days, although Hamas has rejected these claims.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a brutal attack carried out by Hamas militants against southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. In the retaliatory assault by Israel, at least 17,700 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, The Straits Times reported.
