Hamas released a video on Telegram on Monday showing six recently killed hostages speaking into a camera, followed by a message from the group threatening to release their “last messages to the world” before they were executed. The six hostages—Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino—were found dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip.
In the video, the hostages are seen confirming their identities before the footage cuts to a still frame, indicating Hamas’s intention to share the final statements of these individuals. The Israeli Health Ministry confirmed that the hostages were shot at close range and were likely killed between Thursday night and early Friday morning.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya has blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the deaths of these hostages, citing the Israeli leader’s “harsh demands” in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Al-Hayya, speaking to Al Jazeera, accused Netanyahu of imposing new conditions that led to the breakdown of the negotiations. He claimed that Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining control over key areas in Gaza and refusal to release elderly Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences were reasons for the executions.
Al-Hayya also stated that Hamas had agreed to a proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden but that Netanyahu’s subsequent evasiveness and additional demands resulted in the decision not to compromise further. According to al-Hayya, Hamas has decided to stand firm on its earlier positions, specifically rejecting the new terms put forward by Netanyahu.
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