The spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, Abu Obaida, said Friday that Israeli plans to seize Gaza City could put hostages’ lives at risk.
He said the Israeli government and military are responsible for the hostages’ fate, and warned that “any hostage killed in strikes will be identified by name and photo.” He added that Hamas will “keep the hostages as much as possible” alongside its terrorists.
Abu Obaida also claimed Israel intends “to halve the number of living hostages and conceal most of the bodies of the dead.”
He warned that the Israeli military “will pay in the blood of its soldiers” and raised the possibility of further abductions. He said Hamas terrorists “are on high alert and morale is strong, and they will teach the intruders harsh lessons.”
The statement came hours after the IDF and the Shin Bet announced that remains of two deceased hostages had been returned to Israel following an operation in central Gaza.
The remains include those of Ilan Weiss, 55, from Kibbutz Be’eri, who was abducted along with his wife Shiri and daughter Noga, and another deceased hostage whose identity has not yet been released.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains are being identified at the Forensic Medicine Institute and that families have been notified. Forty-eight hostages remain in Hamas custody.
While Hamas threatens the hostages’ lives, Israel is preparing for a Gaza operation that includes expanding humanitarian aid and planning for the mass evacuation of Gaza City residents to southern Gaza. The IDF said the measures are carried out under political leadership directives and involve the creation of additional distribution sites for food and aid. Once complete, five centers will serve hundreds of thousands of residents who need to leave the city.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Major-General Ghassan Alian, told residents on the unit’s Arabic-language Facebook page that “evacuation of Gaza City is inevitable” and assured that “every family moving south will receive maximum humanitarian assistance.”
IDF Arabic-language spokesman Brig. Gen. Avichay Adraee urged residents not to believe “false rumors” that there is no space in southern Gaza. He said large areas are available in the Mawasi region and central camps and that the military has begun erecting tents and preparing additional zones to accommodate evacuees.
Humanitarian aid remains a global concern amid reports of a worsening hunger crisis in Gaza. Israel has rejected claims by Hamas and some international agencies, saying images of emaciated children often show those with pre-existing conditions. At the same time, Israel has increased aid deliveries after a halt following the collapse of a March ceasefire. A UN report last week described Gaza as experiencing a “hunger pandemic,” a conclusion Israel dismissed, citing flawed methodology.
According to the IDF, since late May more than 2.3 million weekly food packages have been distributed through four GHF aid centers. The military said it will continue facilitating humanitarian aid while taking measures to ensure the aid reaches residents and not Hamas.
Eyewitnesses told Reuters that late Tuesday night into Wednesday, IDF tanks entered the Abd al-Rahman neighborhood in northwest Gaza, shelled homes and injured several people, forcing others to flee. The IDF later withdrew toward Jabalya. Saad Abd, a resident of the nearby Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, said, “Suddenly we heard tanks entering, explosions grew louder, and we saw people running. If a ceasefire isn’t achieved, we’ll see tanks outside our homes.”