Al-Qaeda adviser calls for Hamas to free hostages, says attention overshadowing fate of Palestinian prisoners

An adviser to Al-Qaeda’s likely current leader is calling for Hamas to release its Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to an American jihadist monitoring organization, SITE.

The online declaration was made yesterday by Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu Walid al-Masri, who is the father-in-law of Saif al-Adel, the man widely believed to now head Al-Qaeda, according to SITE.

In it, Hamid claims the attention given to recovering the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, both dead and alive, is overshadowing the fate of Palestinian security prisoners being held by Israel.

He also hails Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the massacre that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, who was killed by Israel this week.

Hamas must now “immediately” return the hostages and their bodies, and “this file must be closed and not opened again, as we know its consequences,” according to the statement.

“No one cares about the Palestinian prisoners, neither in the media, in negotiations, nor in demonstrations,” it adds.

Several experts consulted by AFP say Hamid is close to higher-ups in the core Al-Qaeda organization.

The group, which has spawned regional affiliates in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Mali, has little leverage over Hamas, which is backed by Iran.