Hamas sends Netanyahu warning with farewell photo of 'Israeli' captives

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, on Saturday released a new photo of the 'Israeli' captives it holds, accompanied by both a direct and implicit message to the leadership of the Israeli Occupation.

The brigades described the published photo as a “farewell image of the captives at the onset of the operation in Gaza City,” holding 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir responsible for their fate due to what it called “stubbornness and submission.”

The photos carried an added layer of symbolism: each image was labeled with the name “Ron Arad,” the 'Israeli' air force navigator who went missing over southern Lebanon in 1986 and whose fate has remained unresolved for nearly four decades. The captives were sequentially numbered Ron Arad 1, Ron Arad 2, and so on, a pointed warning that their fate could also become uncertain and unresolved.

This move comes at a critical time and serves as a psychological and political pressure tactic aimed at stirring 'Israeli' public opinion and pressuring Netanyahu’s government to return to prisoner exchange negotiations, warning that continued military operations could lead to irreversible consequences.