Hamas has launched a new appeal to kidnap Israelis to be used as ransom to free terrorists being held by the “Zionist enemy.”
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said Thursday night, the eve of “Prisoners Day,” according to the French news agency AFP:
We tell the Zionist enemy: you are all a target for us and the resistance, we will fight you until we finally get rid of you and take as many captives as possible to free our heroes
“Our men, our women, our children all envision kidnapping your soldiers and settlers, wherever they are, and it is our right because we have no other way to free our heroes, and it is the Zionist enemy responsible for this state of affairs.
Haya assured a crowd of hundreds that Arab terrorists will be freed from Israeli jails as they were in the 2011 swap of 1,000 terrorists for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
Hamas terrorists in the Hebron area last summer kidnappers and murdered three Israeli yeshiva youth in what may have been a botched attempt to keep them alive for ransom.
It is widely accepted in Israel, even by the liberal establishment media, that there is a broad consensus against freeing terrorists for kidnap victims. The public finally has begun to accept the fact that doing so endangers Israeli b encouraging more abductions.
The latest Hamas threat to kidnap Israeli should be taken seriously. Hitchhikers, especially should be especially careful before accepting a ride with someone they do not know.
They also should not hitchhike alone and should always have their mobile phones prepared to press an emergency number.