Hamas Vows Not To Free Israeli Hostages As War Continues

The Hamas militants in Palestine have vowed not to free over 120 Israeli hostages in response to the refusal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to end his country’s military operation in Gaza.

THE WHISTLER reports that since Hamas infiltrated Southern Israel on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have maintained its military operation against Hamas through land, air, and sea with the international community calling for restraint on both sides.

As of January 22, 25,105 Palestinians have died as a result of the crisis, according to authorities while the death toll In Israel stands at 1,410.

Countries like Qatar and Egypt have tried to broker a peace deal between Hamas and Netanyahu but it has only yielded minimal results with the release of few hostages on both sides.

In a national broadcast on Sunday, Netanyahu refused to order Israeli forces to stop fighting Hamas, vowing to take them out.

PM Netanyahu said, “Let it be clear: I reject outright the terms of surrender of the monsters of Hamas.

“In exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands the end of the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza, the release of all the murderers and rapists of the Nuh’ba, and leaving Hamas intact.

“If we agree to this – our warriors fell in vain. If we agree to this – we will not be able to guarantee the security of our citizens. We will not be able to return the evacuees safely to their homes, and next October 7th will only be a matter of time. I am not ready to put up with such a fatal injury to Israel’s security, so we will not agree to it.”

Reacting to Netanyahu’s rejection, a Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters that Netanyahu’s rejection “means there is no chance for the return of the [Israeli] captives”.