Hamas threatened that no remaining hostages would leave the Gaza Strip "alive" unless its demands were met.
"Neither the fascist enemy and its arrogant leadership… nor its supporters… can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance," Abu Obedia, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said Sunday, referring to the demand for an exchange of Palestinians who were convicted of or suspected in terror and are being held by Israel, The Telegraph reported.
A one-week temporary ceasefire saw the release of 105 hostages held by Hamas, including foreign workers and 80 Israelis who were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Israel said Saturday that 137 captives remained in the Gaza Strip, as well as the bodies of 20 hostages who died in captivity.
Hamas took approximately 240 people captive on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people. Israeli forces responded by vowing to destroy Hamas and release all the captives, which has led to a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, where more than 17,700 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths.
The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, said Sunday that about 7,000 terrorists had been killed in Gaza, according to The Jerusalem Post.
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