Hamas spokesman Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, known by his nom de guerre Abu Obaida, posted on the Hamas Telegram that the guards of Israeli hostages in Gaza have been instructed to kill their wards when IDF soldiers come close.
“We say this quite unambiguously: After what happened in Nuseirat, fighters guarding the captives received new instructions on how they should deal with the hostages in case the Israeli military approaches their place of detention,” Abu Obaida said, referring to the IDF’s successful rescue of four living hostages from Nuseirat in June.
“Continued attempts to free the captives through military pressure instead of an agreement will only mean that the hostages will return to their families in coffins,” he warned.
May Allah furnish him with a nice coffin of his own and the mandatory 72 virgins.
On the left is a photo of Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida taken during our 2019 interview in Khan Younis.
On the right is a photo that my colleague @GriffJenkins took today in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/F0hfEPB8tH
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) July 24, 2024
Abu Ubaida also repeated the manipulative lie that Israel “purposefully killed several dozen of their hostages in bombardments” in Gaza, and addressed the useful idiots on Kaplan Street, saying, “Now let the families of the hostages decide whether they want to see their loved ones dead or alive.”
On August 31, the IDF found the bodies of six hostages in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area. The following day, militants claimed the captives had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. However, an examination by Israel’s Health Ministry revealed that the hostages had been shot at close range by Hamas fighters. The findings suggest that the killings occurred 2-3 days before the bodies were discovered.
The same Abu Obaida stated after October 7 that 85% of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ recruits are orphans avenging their parents who were killed by the IDF.
He also said Hamas will kill one hostage, on live TV, every time Israel bombs Gaza. “We announce that for every targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, we will meet with the execution of our enemy’s civilian hostages.”
The United States announced sanctions on Abu Obaida in April 2024.
