From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Hamas claims it plans to release hostages with foreign passports in the coming days
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
A Hamas military wing spokesman announces that the terror group will release a number of hostages with foreign nationalities in the upcoming days.
The spokesman, who goes by Abu Ubeida, says the decision has come as a result of the mediation of “some countries.”
Hamas has previously said it does not plan to keep foreign hostages. Israel has rejected such a differentiation and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages and dismissed Hamas promises as a form of psychological warfare.
Abu Ubeida also denies that Israel freed IDF soldier Ori Megidish from Hamas captivity yesterday, implying that Megedish must have been abducted and held by another terror group.
Around 50 of the hostages are said to be in the hands of terror groups other than Hamas, most notably the Islamic Jihad. The claim cannot be verified.
Weighing in on Israeli domestic affairs, the terror group’s spokesman claims the war will mark the end of the political career of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that if he managed to free only one hostage one month into the war, it will take him another 20 years to free the rest of them.
Abu Ubeida reiterates calls on the Islamic nation to join the battle and defend the Al-Aqsa mosque.
The Times of Israel Community.