Fate of Edan Alexander unknown after captor martyred: Abu Obeida
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Hamas' military wing announces that the fate of US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander remains unkown, after it retrieved the body of a fighter who was guarding him in captivity.
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Abu Obeida, spokesman of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, speaks in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Jan. 31, 2017 (AFP)
The fate of US-Israeli captive in Gaza, Edan Alexander, is unknown, announced the spokesperson for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades on Saturday, after the Palestinian Resistance group lost contact with the unit holding him four days ago.
Abu Obeida announced the recovery of one of the martyred fighters, a member responsible for guarding the Israeli-American captive, while stating that the fate of Alexander and the other fighters tasked with guarding him remains unknown.
The military spokesperson stated that their efforts to protect the captives and safeguard their lives face significant challenges due to intense Israeli bombardment, which endangers the captives' lives.
He further emphasized that the occupation is lying in its claims that the captives are being treated inhumanely and fabricating false testimonies from released captives.
Abu Obeida noted that this comes as part of "Israel’s" broader campaign to spread misinformation aimed at demonizing the Palestinian Resistance and obscuring the reality that the Israeli military has not only killed a number of its captives but continues to exacerbate their suffering.
Earlier on April 15, Abu Obeida announced the loss of contact with the unit guarding Alexander following a direct bombardment targeting its location, while efforts to reach the unit's members remain ongoing at this moment.
The announcement followed the release of a video just days earlier, in which the US-Israeli soldier appeared alive.
The video, released as part of Hamas’ “Time is Running Out” media campaign, features Alexander sharply criticizing both the Israeli and US governments for what he describes as abandoning him. Visibly distraught, he declared he felt “disgusted by this world and [the] Israeli government,” directly labeling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “dictator.”
Alexander pointed out that Hamas had arranged his release three weeks earlier, before Netanyahu blocked the deal. “We’re convinced we’ll only return home in coffins,” he said, voicing hopelessness as "Israel’s" war on intensifies.
Captives in areas under Israeli bombardment
On April 4, Abu Obeida announced that "half of the living enemy captives are located in areas the Israeli army has recently ordered to evacuate."
In a series of posts on his Telegram account, Abu Obeida explained that al-Qassam had decided not to move the captives from these areas but to keep them under "strict but extremely dangerous security procedures."
"If the enemy is concerned about the lives of these captives, it must immediately negotiate for their evacuation or release," he warned, adding, "We have given clear warning."
Abu Obeida placed full responsibility for the captives' lives on the Israeli government, stating, "The Netanyahu government bears complete responsibility for the lives of the captives. Had it truly cared about them, it would have honored the agreement signed in January — and most of them might have been home by now."
