TEHRAN- Hamas has said seven more captives have been killed by Israeli airstrikes after contact was lost with the group responsible for safeguarding them.

The military spokesman for the al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas resistance movement, has offered new insight into the fate of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Abu Ubaida pointed out the movement had previously announced it has lost contact with its members who were responsible for safeguarding a number of Israeli captives being held in the besieged coastal enclave. 

At the time, he indicated that some of the captives may have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes.

Abu Ubaida underlined that after several weeks of “thorough investigation and verification”, the al-Qassam brigades can “confirm the martyrdom of several of its members along with the death of seven enemy captives in the (unspecified) area as a result of Zionist airstrikes”. 

Three of the captives who have been killed were identified as Chaim Ben Nechama, Yoram Ben Miriam and Amiram Ben Sara. 

Hamas says it will announce the names of the other four fatalities once their identities have been fully verified.

Abu Ubaida also revealed that the number of captives killed as a result of the Israeli military’s indiscriminate assault in the Gaza Strip may have “exceeded 70”. 

He emphasized that while the Palestinian resistance consistently tried its utmost to keep the captives alive since October 7, this was in direct contrast with “the deliberate intention” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “to kill its prisoners”.

“Throughout this time, we have sought to preserve the lives of the prisoners. However, it is evident that the enemy’s leadership deliberately intends to eliminate this issue by killing its captives.”

The al-Qassam spokesman noted that Hamas would exchange the same number of Israeli captives for the equivalent number of Palestinian prisoners if the captives are alive or dead because of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. 

Throughout this time, we have sought to preserve the lives of the prisoners. However, it is evident that the enemy’s leadership deliberately intends to eliminate this issue by killing its captives,” Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida says. Following the publication of Abu Ubaida’s statement, the al-Qassam military media shared a video clip of the captives alongside three statements written in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.

The footage was accompanied by phrases addressed to the Israelis that stated, “We tried to keep them alive, but Netanyahu insisted on killing them. All 7 killed by your army’s weapons.”

The al-Qassam brigades also posted an image on social media indicating that one of the deceased captives was a close friend of Netanyahu.

The image shows the Israeli prime minister drawing a line across the picture of his “buddy” Yoram Itak Metzger with a red marker.

“Netanyahu abandoned his buddies to face their fate alone without saving them,” a caption read in English. 

The ongoing Israeli air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip and attempts by the occupation to infiltrate the enclave have left dozens of Israeli captives dead.

There is strong evidence that the Palestinian resistance has made huge sacrifices to ensure the safety of the captives, yet the Israeli political and military command has made intense efforts to eliminate the captives after nearly five months of failing to achieve the stated goal of recovering them. 

Some experts believe that this approach comes in line with the Netanyahu government’s attempts to lower the price it has to pay in a prisoner exchange deal, which is expected to eventually occur through indirect negotiations.

However, the strategy will not sit well on the streets of Tel Aviv. There is a growing protest movement demanding the overthrow of Netanyahu, whom Israeli demonstrators blame for the fate of the captives and Operation al-Aqsa Storm on October 7. 

The protesters are demanding the implementation of an immediate prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, which they believe will only occur with an end to the Israeli war on Gaza that has so far killed more than 25,000 Palestinian women and children according to the Pentagon.
The regime's war on Gaza has also seen the image of Tel Aviv has been strongly damaged in the eyes of in the international community.

Families and friends of the captives were set to arrive in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem) after the conclusion of a four-day march in protest to Netanyahu’s handling of the war and his government’s inability to “recover the hostages” in the Gaza Strip. 

According to Israeli media, the crowd was expected to swell into the thousands in occupied al-Quds on Saturday. It comes one week after violent clashes erupted between Israeli protesters and police in Tel Aviv over the same issue. 

More demonstrations are set to be held across Israeli cities against the regime’s prime minister. Organizers say protesters will once again pour their anger on the streets of Tel Aviv and elsewhere throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.