According to the report, Hamas fears Israel and the United States could be cooperating indirectly on potential rescue efforts, following comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff—all of whom hinted at “alternative options” for freeing the hostages held in Gaza.
Trump said earlier this week, “Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die... Now we're down to the final hostages, and they know what happens after you get the final hostages. And basically because of that, they really didn't want to make a deal.”
Hamas field sources told the newspaper that the terrorist group has heightened surveillance to detect any suspicious movements, including those by suspected Israeli collaborators. Members of Hamas’s military wing have reportedly been instructed to closely monitor areas believed to be used for holding hostages.
The sources did not rule out the possibility of imminent operations in areas where Israeli intelligence suspects hostages are being kept. They said past operations failed after Israeli forces were exposed, but claimed that any future missions would also be unsuccessful and that Israel and the U.S. would eventually be forced to negotiate a deal.
Other sources in Hamas and affiliated factions holding hostages said that units had been ordered to execute hostages if any rescue attempts are launched in their vicinity. These orders, previously reported by released hostages, were reportedly reactivated after being suspended during earlier ceasefires. These claims could not be independently verified.
Footage from the IDF's latest successful hostage rescue operation, June 2024
(Video: IDF)
While most hostages have been released through negotiated exchanges, Israel has carried out a number of successful rescue operations. The most recent, in June last year, freed four hostages—Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv—from central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp. One Israeli commando, Arnon Zmora, was killed in the operation.
Despite these successes, families of the remaining hostages remain deeply concerned. In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “For the hostages, this isn’t a bargaining chip, it’s a real and immediate danger.” The group referenced the killing of six hostages in a tunnel in late August 2024 and called on the government to secure a comprehensive deal. “Enough. A decisive majority of the Israeli public wants to end the war and bring everyone home. Families are anguished and in turmoil.”
Meanwhile, the IDF this week expanded its ground operations to the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, urging civilians to evacuate. Within 24 hours, Palestinian sources reported Israeli tanks in the streets.
A military official told Ynet that forces were “deepening the ground maneuver” and “fighting inside Deir al-Balah,” adding that Hamas was “under growing pressure, losing territorial control and facing severe damage to its infrastructure and command structure.”