Hamas: Israel responsible for lives of captives in evacuation zones

CAIRO – 5 April 2025: Hamas stated that half of the Israeli captives are located in areas recently designated for evacuation by the Israeli army, holding the Israeli government accountable for their safety.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Friday that they will not move the captives from these zones but will keep them under “strict security measures that are extremely dangerous to their lives.”

He urged the Israeli government to “immediately” negotiate for their evacuation or release if it is concerned about their safety.

Israel in March resumed airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, shattering a ceasefire with Hamas that persisted for two months, during which 38 captives, 30 of whom are alive, were released from the enclave.

The Israeli military has ordered major evacuations in Gaza, including Rafah city, near the Egyptian border, while attempting to divide the enclave and seize further territories.

Since the resumption of hostilities, Israeli forces have killed over 1,300 people, including many women and children, raising the death toll since the war began in October 2023 to more than 50,600.

Hamas currently holds 59 captives, with at least 22 believed to be alive, and has expressed a willingness to release all captives in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent end to the war.

Hamas has repeatedly stated that Israel can only recover its captives through negotiations, while Israel insists on using military force.

“The Israeli government bears full responsibility for the captives’ lives,” Abu Obaida stated yesterday. “If it was truly concerned about them, it would have adhered to the agreement signed in January, and most of them might have been home by now.”