Hamas: Matan Zangauker will not return alive

Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released a photograph on Saturday of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker with a stark caption: “He Will Not Return Alive,” in what appears to be a direct message to the "Israeli" military.

The release of the image came hours after Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the brigades, issued a statement warning the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against attempting a military rescue of Zangauker, who has been held captive in Gaza since 2023.

“Occupation forces are besieging a location where the captive, Matan Zangauker, is being held, and we firmly assert that the enemy will not be able to retrieve him alive,” Abu Obaida said in the statement.

He added that Zangauker’s life had been preserved for a year and eight months, but cautioned that any rescue effort would place him in imminent danger. “The occupation bears full responsibility for his fate,” the statement warned.