Don't let Netanyahu dictate our fate: Israeli captive in Qassam video
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The Israeli captive angrily asks Netanyahu's government to bring home the captives in a voice note released Friday.
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A screengrab from the video released by the al-Qassam Brigades on Friday, May 31, 2024 (Military Media)
A voice note of an Israeli female captive was released Friday by Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
Speaking in Hebrew, the captive, whose identity was not revealed, angrily implored the Israeli government to release the captives, as the war on Gaza entered its 238th day on Friday.
She also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for having yet to strike a deal for the release of the remaining captives in Gaza.
Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades released a message from an Israeli captive: "Don't let Netanyahu and the War Cabinet decide our fate."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 31, 2024
In a voice note, the Israeli captive pleads to the Israelis to protest and "block the streets of Tel Aviv", in order not to leave "our fate in the… pic.twitter.com/eBEOfJTWQ9
Furthermore, the captive pleaded to the Israelis to protest and "block the streets of Tel Aviv" in order not to leave "our fate in the hands of Netanyahu and the War [Cabinet]."
The captive continued, expressing uncertainty about how long she would remain a captive in Gaza due to what she described as "Israel's" procrastination in completing a prisoner exchange deal. She emphasized that the captives do not want to die in captivity in Gaza.
Addressing Israeli officials, the captive posed a question: "Will my fate and the fate of my fellow captives be like Ron Arad's fate?," in reference to Arad, an Israeli pilot, who remains missing to this day due to Israeli negligence in bringing him back after his warplane crashed in South Lebanon in 1986.
Before presenting the captive's voice note, the al-Qassam Brigades published a picture showing an unidentified captive stating, "I am the captive... in the Qassam prison," accompanied by the phrase "Time is running out."
Through the accompanying phrase, the al-Qassam Brigades aimed to send a message to Israeli officials and the families of the captives, indicating that the countdown to the return of the Israeli captives alive through a prisoner exchange deal was running out.
'Netanyahu will return your captives in coffins': Al-Qassam video
Last week, the al-Qassam Brigades released a video addressing the families of Israeli captives held by the Resistance group in Gaza, warning that the occupation government is putting them in real danger.
The Brigades accompanied the video with a message to the families stating: "Your army, under [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's orders, has violated their [captives] dignity, both the living and the dead."
The clip also featured statements made by Netanyahu since the beginning of the war, claiming that "efforts are being made to bring back all hostages."
Similar statements indicating that all capabilities are being utilized to reach the captives made by other top Israeli officials were also displayed, including War Cabinet member Minister Benny Gantz and Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
After showing footage of the different claims, al-Qassam addressed the captives' families, saying: "This is how Netanyahu, his army, and his war cabinet kill the captives," followed by images of Israeli captives killed by the continuous Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
The Resistance group urged the families to ask Netanyahu and his ministers for the names of those killed captives, asserting that "they know them very well." It then warned that "time is running out" and that the Israeli government would be the reason for the "captives returning to their families in coffins."
"This is how they will bring them back," a statement written in English, Arabic, and Hebrew read.
For many weeks now, Israelis have been flooding the streets of Tel Aviv and several other areas, demanding that Netanyahu resign over his performance in the war on Gaza, including his continued dismissal of an exchange deal.
Protests increased after the occupation government refused a ceasefire agreement that was approved by Hamas and even the US and presented by mediators Qatar and Egypt.
Despite these calls from Israelis, Netanyahu is insisting on "absolute victory" in Gaza, which has been criticized by top Israeli officials and experts as being out of reach, even unachievable.
A group of captives' families called on the Israeli government in a protest last week to complete an immediate exchange deal.
Read more: Israeli captive dies due to own forces' destruction of Gaza hospitals
