Hamas’ refusal to say which of the October 7th pogrom hostages set to be ‘released’ this weekend are already dead suggests it was premature to describe its earlier gifting of ‘goodie bags’ to former captives as a “final insult.”
Israel has been told that at least eight of the remaining 26 hostages marked down to be handed over—in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including Jihadi terrorists—as part of the ceasefire’s first stage, have been killed. Families have been left to guess whether their own loved ones form part of this list.
Hamas will be fully aware of which of the hostages are dead, but chooses to remain silent “because they know that it brings a lot of psychological and emotional pain to the families who are waiting to see if they’re loved ones are going to come out,” said Daily Telegraph journalist Jotam Confino.
Barrister Adam Wagner, who represents British families of hostages in Gaza, also lamented the “huge blow to relatives of hostage families.”
They have not been told with any certainty whether their relative is alive or not. Hamas has refused to provide this basic information, as it has refused for over 15 months—adding to the terrible suffering the families have experienced.
Among those able to do nothing but wait are the family of the youngest Israeli hostages, babies Ariel and Kfir Bibas, as well as their parents, Shiri and Yarden. Hamas has claimed at different stages of the war that this group had been killed, without ever providing evidence. Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday there were “grave concerns” for their lives. Yarden’s sister, Ofri Bibas, also asked that the public not spread “false and unverified news” on the condition of the hostages, which would serve only to further Hamas’ mind games.
As part of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have also begun withdrawing from key Gaza security posts, which critics have long warned will grant Hamas the opportunity to regroup and prepare for another October 7th-style attack.
