The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas has said that it made all efforts to safeguard the lives of captives in Gaza, despite the Israeli military’s attempts to kill them.
In a statement released on Monday, Hamas declared that its forces, led by the Al-Qassam Brigades, are releasing 20 living Israeli captives as part of implementing the first phase of an agreement to stop the war in Gaza.
Under a US-mediated ceasefire, Hamas is to hand over 20 living Israeli captives and the bodies of 28 others, while Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian abductees, held illegally in Israeli jails.
According to the statement, the “Resistance made all efforts to preserve the lives of the occupation’s prisoners, despite the attempts of war criminal [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his terrorist army to target and eliminate them.”
The group stated that the release of Israeli captives occurs “at a time when our prisoners in the occupation’s jails are subjected to all forms of violations, including abuse, torture, and killing.”
Hamas emphasized the importance of the ongoing work by mediators, stating their role is essential in “compelling the Zionist enemy to implement its consequent commitments under the agreement.”
The statement further noted that after two years of relentless bombardment, destruction, and genocide in Gaza, Israel failed to rescue its captives by force and was ultimately compelled to accept the Resistance’s terms.
Hamas said this outcome reaffirmed that the return of Israeli soldiers “can only be achieved through an exchange agreement and an end to the war.”
The Palestinian people, according to the statement, “will not rest until the last prisoner is freed from the jails of the new Nazis and the occupation is removed from our land and holy sites.”
The process of handover of Israeli captives began in Gaza on Monday as part of a ceasefire agreement reached between the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and the Israeli regime.
Hamas published a list of the living captives being freed, who had been held in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on October 7, 2023.
Buses carrying Palestinian abductees began moving toward the Karem Abu Salem crossing, preparing for their release in the coming hours.
Hamas is reportedly set to free the second group of Israeli captives at 10:00 a.m. The Palestinian abductees are scheduled to be released by the Israeli occupation at the same time.
The exchange is part of the first stage of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, with US oversight. The deal was finalized during indirect negotiations held in Sharm El-Sheikh.
