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27-05-2024
CAIRO/ JERUSALEM/ GAZA CITY: A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing said on Sunday its fighters had captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza on Saturday, though the Israeli military denied the claim.
The Hamas armed wing spokesman did not say how many soldiers had been abducted and showed no proof of the claim.
“Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel … The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured,” Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by media early on Sunday.
The Israeli military on Sunday denied the claim by Hamas’ armed wing.
“The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted,” the military said in a statement.
Hamas released a video that appeared to show a bloodied person being dragged along the ground in a tunnel and photos of military fatigue and rifle. Reuters could not independently verify the identity of the person shown in the video nor his or her condition.
The comments by Abu Ubaida came hours after prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday.
An official with knowledge of the matter said a decision had been taken to resume the talks next week after the chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar.
The source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, said it had been decided that “in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement.”
A Hamas official later denied Israeli media reports the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters: “There is no date.”
After more than seven months of war in Gaza, the mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough, with Israel seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas and Hamas seeking an end to the war and a release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel began the operation in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The Military Police Criminal Investigation Division has uncovered the identity of a masked man who threatened a military coup in Gaza, in a video circulated on social media, and is expected to interrogate him soon.
On the other phase when Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress, he will likely announce Israel’s acceptance (otherwise he would not have been invited to come to the US) of the occupation of Gaza (on the day after) by a coalition of various Arab countries led by the US which is as good as accepting the Two-State Final Solution.
Is it possible that the video was created in order to preempt the possible undesirable reaction (as shown in the video) on the part of the soldiers fighting in Gaza and to conduct a sort of a purge of the non-conformist elements within the IDF?
I f this video is genuine and shows an actual reservist (presumably someone from the Far Right) or if it is someone acting as an actual reservist there is one big question: How did it get into the hands of Yair Netanyahu? (currently grifting tax money from the Israeli citizenry who have to foot the bill for his security contingent to be paid to protect him while he pursues personal not state interests in Miami)? (Int’l News Desk)
