Gaza captives will return ‘in coffins’ if Israel continues raids: Hamas

Hamas said that captives held in Gaza would return to Israel “in coffins” if Israeli military pressure continues.

“(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s insistence on liberating the prisoners through military pressure instead of concluding a deal will mean that they will return to their families inside coffins,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.

“New instructions were issued to the mujahideen assigned to guard the prisoners regarding dealing with them if the occupation army approached their place of detention,” he said, after Netanyahu earlier said the six hostages whose bodies were recovered at the weekend had been “executed”.

The statement from the Qassam Brigades came shortly after Netanyahu said the six captives whose bodies were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah area had been “executed” by Hamas.

“We were close, but we didn’t succeed. Hamas will pay a very heavy price for this,” he added.