Hamas threatens to 'neutralize' hostages if Israel launches rescue op, claims intelligence of planned action

Hamas has claimed that it had intelligence that Israel intended to carry out a hostage rescue operation similar to one conducted in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp in June and threatened to “neutralize” the hostages if such an operation took place, according to a Reuters report_._

According to a Reuters report, in an internal statement dated November 22, Hamas instructed its operatives to disregard potential consequences for following the orders and said that Israel would be held responsible for the hostages’ fate.

The statement, which was circulated to its factions by the intelligence unit of the group’s military wing Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, did not say when any Israeli operation was expected to take place, reported Reuters, citing a senior Hamas source.

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There was no immediate response from Israel to the statement, added the report.

On Wednesday, Israeli media quoted Defence Minister Israel Katz saying that pressure on Hamas was increasing, and this time “we will really be able to advance a hostage deal”.

Israel’s Nuseirat rescue operation on June 9 successfully freed four hostages who had been held by Hamas since October 2023. The raid, which Palestinian officials reported resulted in over 200 deaths, was one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults of the war.

In its statement, Hamas instructed its operatives to “tighten” the living conditions of the hostages, in line with guidelines established after the Nuseirat operation.

Under a section titled “recommendations,” Hamas also ordered operatives to “activate neutralization orders… as an immediate and swift response to any adventure by the enemy.”

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Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

The ongoing Israeli offensive has since resulted in the deaths of more than 44,500 Palestinians and left many others injured, according to Palestinian figures. The campaign has caused widespread destruction across Gaza.

With inputs from agencies