Israel’s Gallant says captives rescue operation ‘turning point’ in war
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has hailed an Israeli military operation to rescue two captives held in Gaza as a “turning point” against Hamas, according to The Times of Israel. At least 67 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on surrounding areas during the raid.
Only a handful of Israeli captives in Gaza have been returned through military raids. Israeli forces have also killed several captives.
“We [still] have hostages, and we need to reach them. Most of them we will not bring this way [but rather], I hope, through processes of agreement. But how many more times will [a rescue operation] be required, and under what circumstances — who knows?” Gallant said.
‘Israel freeing two captives a marketing ploy for a defeated army’: Hamas
Osama Hamdan, a Beirut-based member of the group’s political bureau, says this comes “in light of the defeats and resistance the Israeli army faces in ongoing fighting, especially in Khan Younis, as well as its failure to retrieve the rest of the captives”. “It is an attempt to boost the army’s low morale in light of its failure to achieve any of its goals,” he added.
“As we wait for the official account from the resistance [Hamas], we point to news reports that indicate that the two captives were not in Hamas’s custody but rather held with a civilian family, which casts doubt on the credibility of Israel’s account and confirms its effort to exaggerate the incident,” Hamdan said. Four months in, fighters in the Qassam Brigades still have 134 captives, which “in itself is an achievement for the resistance”, he added.
Hamas says three more Israeli captives killed in air raids
Abu Obaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, says the three captives have died of wounds sustained in Israeli attacks. The same air raids had killed two captives and seriously injured eight on Sunday, Hamas had said previously. Abu Obaida said the group will postpone releasing the slain captives’ names until the fate of the rest of the wounded captives becomes clear.
Palestinian journalist killed in Israeli shelling on eastern Rafah
Ala’a al-Hums, who worked for Yemeni channel al-Masirah TV, has been killed in Israeli shelling of her house, Houthi spokesperson Mohamed Abdelsalam says. In a post on X, Abdelsalam sent his condolences to the journalist’s remaining family, condemning “the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza” and stressing Yemen’s support for Palestinians.
United Nations experts have previously condemned deadly attacks on journalists and media workers in Gaza. In a statement released on February 1, the experts described the war on Gaza as the “most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history”.
استشهاد الصحفية الفلسطينية آلاء الهمص متأثرة بجراح أصيبت بها جراء قصف صهيوني وحشي طال منزل عائلتها شرقي رفح،
الصحفية الشهيدة كانت قد عملت مراسلة لقناة المسيرة، عزاؤنا لمن تبقى من أهلها وذويها، سائلين المولى تعالى لها ولشهداء غزة الرحمة والمغفرة.
وإذ نجدد إدانتنا واستنكارنا ورفضنا… pic.twitter.com/SVcZnoGdgs
— محمد عبدالسلام (@abdusalamsalah) February 12, 2024
