Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the European Union, Canada, and other countries.
Hamas says it offered to release two Israelis captured during its deadly raid but Israel’s government refused to take them. Israel described the claim as “mendacious propaganda”.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said that the mediator Qatar was told of the group’s intention to release the Israelis on Friday, the same day it freed Americans Judith Tai Ranaan and her daughter Natalie.
“We notified our Qatari counterparts yesterday evening that we would release Nourit Yitshaq and Yokhefed Lifshitz for humanitarian reasons, without expecting anything in return. Regrettably, the Israeli government declined to accept their release,” stated Obeida on Telegram on Saturday.
Hamas had taken approximately 210 individuals into custody during their incursion in southern Israel on October 7, and their current whereabouts in Gaza remain undisclosed.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a concise statement: “We will not entertain false propaganda from Hamas. We remain committed to all necessary actions to bring the kidnapped and missing individuals back home.” Hamas is designated
Qatar, which played a role in mediating Friday’s release, has not provided an immediate response.
In a subsequent statement, Obeida affirmed that Hamas remained prepared to release the two individuals on Sunday, using the same procedures employed in the release of the American detainees.
Hamas spokesman Khaled al-Qaddoumi stated to Al Jazeera that the Israeli government “was not serious” regarding the release of the captives. He emphasized that Hamas had offered to release individuals in dire humanitarian circumstances purely for humanitarian reasons, with the intention of reuniting them with their families. However, the Israeli government declined to accept this offer.