Hamas spokesperson, Abu Obeida, on Monday announced there are currently between 200 and 250 hostages being held in Gaza following the terror group’s brutal attack on October 7.
Abu Obeida, who is spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, admitted that obtaining a precise figure is challenging due to “security and logistical issues” but confirmed that at least 200 of these individuals are directly in Hamas’ custody.
Obeida also revealed that around 50 additional hostages are under the control of various other “resistance factions and in different locations”.
He referred to foreign hostages as “our guests”, and pledged to safeguard their lives and assured their release when the “situation on the ground permits”.
In his televised address, Obeida also dismissed the potential threat of an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza, stating, “It doesn’t scare us, and we are prepared for it”. He also reported an Israeli hostage’s death, allegedly resulting from recent Israeli airstrikes.
In a separate interview, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashal, who still wields considerable clout with the organization despite residing overseas, compared the number of hostages with the 6,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
He claimed that the high-profile captives in Hamas’ hands — including senior officials from the IDF’s Gaza Division — are sufficient leverage to negotiate the release of all Palestinian detainees, according to remarks carried by AFP.
Mashal also touched upon the broader regional implications, emphasizing that any forced displacement of Gazans would not only threaten Egyptian national security but could also create a dangerous situation for Jordan. He inferred that a large-scale movement of Palestinians into neighboring countries might establish a precedent for Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.
Additionally, Mashal hailed Lebanon’s Hezbollah for its actions against Israel, though he signaled that Hamas requires more backing.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem Post in a report said, the Palestinian Authority will pay families of dead Hamas terrorists a combined total of around $2.8 million, according to a report by the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a nongovernmental organization and media watchdog group.
In the current “Pay-For-Slay” system, called the “Martyrs’ Fund” by the PA, terrorists receive monetary payments as a reward for acts of terror. The more damage an attack causes, the higher the terrorist or the terrorist’s family is paid. The PMW reported that a terrorist’s family would be rewarded NIS 6,000 (around $1,500) and an NIS 1,400 ($353) allowance monthly for life. Both come up to about NIS 7,400. The families that the terrorists married into will receive an even higher amount, the report claims.
The authority will also pay $17,590 to approximately 50 new Hamas prisoners this month, the report said.
Joe Biden arrives in Israel today
US President Joe Biden is gearing up for a significant visit to Israel, as confirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a late-night meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speculation had been rife about Biden’s possible trip to Israel, with three US officials earlier hinting at the likelihood of such a visit as early as this week.
Detailed preparations were said to be underway, even on the ground in Israel, in anticipation of the potential visit.
The White House remained tight-lipped on the matter, declining to comment, and the National Security Council spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for information.
Earlier on the same day, Hebrew media had reported that President Biden had accepted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to visit Israel, with his arrival scheduled for Wednesday.
Before this announcement, a senior administration official had shared with The Associated Press that the President had been contemplating a visit to Israel in the coming days, though nothing had been set in stone.
This followed reports in Israeli media that Prime Minister Netanyahu had extended an invitation to President Biden for a solidarity visit amidst the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu had a fifth conversation on Saturday night, reflecting the President’s unwavering support for Israel throughout the recent tensions and conflict with Hamas.
King Abdullah II refuses to accept Palestinians
Despite the fact that Jordanian King Abdullah II has been very enthusiastically granting refuge to a large number of Palestinian terrorists, including one of Hamas kingpins Ahlam Tamimi, now Abdullah is refusing to accept Palestinians who are currently evacuating Gaza and heading towards a number of countries including Jordan.
According to Arutz Sheva, King Abdullah II said that neither Jordan nor Egypt will agree to absorb “Palestinian” refugees, and that such a demand is a red line.
“There will not be refugees in Jordan, and there will not be refugees in Egypt”, Abdullah said in a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He added that there needs to be help for the “humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank”.
Regarding the evacuation of Gaza residents southwards, Abdullah said, “This is something which is inconceivable, which will push the entire region into another disaster and a new cycle of violence and destruction”.
It may be mentioned here that, Jordanian queen Rania is a Palestinian while she has been openly showing bias towards her fellow Palestinians, including Hamas and other terrorist groups.
