Israeli captive in Gaza says Netanyahu prefers hostages returned as 'corpses'

The military wing of the Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, released a video Thursday that features an Israeli hostage who accuses the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of preferring to recover prisoners in the Gaza Strip as corpses.

“I am in good condition despite the Israeli army trying to kill me several times,” Alexander Turfanov said in the video.

Addressing the Israeli public, Turfanov stated, “The government and Netanyahu are lying to you when they say they are working to retrieve us (captives in Gaza) through military pressure, but in reality, they are searching for us to kill us,” he said. “They don't want to pay the price to bring us back alive; they prefer to bring us back as corpses.”

Turfanov urged protesters in Israel to continue sit-ins and pressure the government to agree to a prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian resistance groups, which would include a cease-fire in Gaza.

“I don't want to be the next number of captives killed in Gaza,” he said. “You know exactly how many captives have been killed in Gaza by the army.”

He added: “Thanks to al-Quds Brigades for taking care of me and preserving my life.”

According to Israeli media estimates, Palestinian resistance groups captured 239 Israelis during a surprise attack on military sites and settlements near Gaza in early October.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,240 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,777 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.