Hamas releases 'farewell photo' of 47 Israeli captives amid escalation in Gaza City

Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Saturday released a photo showing 47 Israeli captives, saying it was taken at the start of Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza City.

The image was accompanied by a caption in Arabic and Hebrew saying: “Because of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s intransigence and [Chief of General Staff Eyal] Zamir’s submission, this is a farewell photo at the beginning of the operation in Gaza.”

Hamas published the picture on its official website, underscoring its position that the fate of the captives lies with the political decisions of Israel’s leadership.

Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to conclude a comprehensive deal with Israel to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, end the war on Gaza, and ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

However, Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such proposals, insisting instead on partial arrangements that would allow him to delay and impose new conditions at each stage of negotiations.

Many in Israel and elsewhere have accused Netanyahu of dragging out the war for the sake of his own political survival, ignoring the hostages’ survival.

On Sept. 9, Israel attacked a residential compound in Doha killing five Hamas leaders as they were discussing a US proposal to end the war in Gaza, where nearly 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.