Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday (Feb 16) said hostages held in Gaza territory were “struggling to stay alive” as the besieged territory reels under intense Israeli bombardment.
“The wounded and sick enemy prisoners are going through very difficult conditions and are struggling to stay alive,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a televised statement.
“This is not surprising because everything that our people are suffering from, be it hunger, thirst and lack of medical help, is also what the enemy prisoners are suffering from,” he added.
Efforts underway to reach truce
As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, the efforts are being made to reach a truce by mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt. The provisions of the truce deal would be the same as previous ones: Israel will release prisoners in exchange for hostages held by Hamas.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday (Feb 15) he believed a deal was still “possible” but there has been no public announcement of any breakthrough.
Hamas maintains only Israel and its military campaign is responsible for the miserable situation in the Gaza Strip. “Time is running out fast,” Abu Obeida added.
What’s the status of hostages in Gaza?
Some 250 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip during the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Out of those 250 hostages, roughly 130 are still being held there, according to Israeli officials. 30 of them are believed to be dead, while more than 100 had been freed during a one-week truce that ended on December 1.
Watch: Israel-Hamas war: Israel army video shows ‘Hamas’ Sinwar in tunnel’
Three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli soldiers in December, while some have been rescued in military operations. Several hostages among those still captive in Gaza are suffering from various illnesses and attempts have been made to supply medicines to them.
(With inputs from agencies)
