A leader of the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas is explaining the militant organization’s strategy in taking hostages after a surprise attack on Israel.
Saleh al-Arouri bragged of Hamas’ ability to capture Israeli military personnel in a Saturday interview with Al-Jazeera.
“We managed to kill and capture many Israeli soldiers. The fighting is still on.”
The Hamas deputy chief claimed that the captives would be used in a bid to ransom prisoners held by Israel.
“Our detainees in [Israeli] prisons, their freedom is looming large,” he said.
“What we have in our hands will release all our prisoners. The longer fighting continues, the higher the number of prisoners will become.”
WARNING: The following social media posts contain graphic images that some readers will find upsetting.
⚡️🇮🇱🇵🇸 Hamas publishes footage of an assault on an Israeli army base in Kfar Az❗️
The footage shows abandoned military equipment, bodies of IDF soldiers & 4 female soldiers captured by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/xdtLeyBjFq
— Zagonel (@Zagonel85) October 7, 2023
Israel detains 4,449 Palestinians in its prison system on “security” grounds, according to B’Tselem, a leftist nonprofit group based in Jerusalem. Another 850 were being held for being in Israel illegally, the group stated.