5 sept 2019
The National Campaign for Retrieval of the Bodies of Palestinian and Arab War Victims held by Israel today wrote an open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling on him to take action ahead of the National Palestinian Day for the recovery of bodies of Palestinian war victims held by Israel for years and Israel’s disclosure of the fate of the missing.
“It is with grave concern that we direct this open letter to you,” wrote that National Campaign.
“Since 1967, Israel has applied an inconsistent policy of refusing to deliver the mortal remains of hundreds of Palestinian combatants to their families,” it said.
The dead were buried in what Israel refers to as “cemeteries for enemy combatants,” in mass clandestine graves located in areas designated as closed military zones and referred to as “cemeteries of numbers,” since the deceased are buried there anonymously with numbers etched onto metal placards attached to their corpses or remains.
“The systematically demeaning and negligent manner in which the remains are buried or dumped, coupled with the lack of proper registration by Israel’s military rabbinate, makes the process of locating and identifying the victims for potential exhumation an uphill task,” said the letter.
According to figures compiled by the Jerusalem Legal Aid Center (JLAC), Israel continues to hold the remains of 253 Arab and Palestinian war victims in these cemeteries while also refusing to acknowledge the fate of a further 68 who are missing.
“Israel's ongoing refusal to undertake the necessary process to identify those buried in the cemeteries of numbers violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2474, which requires member states to prevent individuals from going missing as a result of armed conflict in territories under their jurisdiction.
Member states are required, inter alia, to produce and provide 'proper means of identification, including for members of armed forces, the establishment of national information bureaus upon the outbreak of an armed conflict, grave registration services and registers of deaths and ensuring accountability as appropriate in cases of missing persons’," it said.
“In addition to those languishing in the cemeteries of numbers, Israel has been holding captive the corpses of 51 Palestinians since 2016 under the pretext of using them as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner swap deal with Hamas,” said the letter.
Seventeen Palestinians of the total 51 whose bodies are held captive were killed in Gaza, 3 died in Israeli prisons, one is believed to have died under torture or ill-treatment, and one after spending 29 years in detention, while the rest were killed after alleged attacks, with suspicion that they were killed in extrajudicial execution when other means could have been used to detain them as evidence suggests.
The Campaign added: “The requirement of treating the dead with dignity and humanity is a universally recognized value and a norm of customary international law.
Codified in Article 16 of the 1907 Hague Convention, this norm is also protected by Article 15 of the First Geneva Convention, Article 18 of the Second Geneva Convention, and Article 16 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is further reiterated in Article 34(1) of Additional Protocol I.
“Moreover, due to its enormous impact on the families of the deceased, refusing to deliver the corpses for proper and dignified burial may amount to collective punishment prohibited under Article 50 of The Hague Regulations, Article 87 of the Third Geneva Convention, and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“The Israeli practice of preventing families from burying their loved ones with peace and dignity also infringes upon their human rights to dignity, family life, religious freedom, equality, and the prohibition against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”
The National Campaign said that in light of these “grave violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the UNSC Resolution,” it urged Guterres to raise this issue in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly, to call on Israel to unconditionally revoke the practice of withholding Palestinian corpses as bargaining chips; and demand that Israel respects its obligation to identify the remains of Palestinians held in secret cemeteries and return them to their families.
“It is with grave concern that we direct this open letter to you,” wrote that National Campaign.
“Since 1967, Israel has applied an inconsistent policy of refusing to deliver the mortal remains of hundreds of Palestinian combatants to their families,” it said.
The dead were buried in what Israel refers to as “cemeteries for enemy combatants,” in mass clandestine graves located in areas designated as closed military zones and referred to as “cemeteries of numbers,” since the deceased are buried there anonymously with numbers etched onto metal placards attached to their corpses or remains.
“The systematically demeaning and negligent manner in which the remains are buried or dumped, coupled with the lack of proper registration by Israel’s military rabbinate, makes the process of locating and identifying the victims for potential exhumation an uphill task,” said the letter.
According to figures compiled by the Jerusalem Legal Aid Center (JLAC), Israel continues to hold the remains of 253 Arab and Palestinian war victims in these cemeteries while also refusing to acknowledge the fate of a further 68 who are missing.
“Israel's ongoing refusal to undertake the necessary process to identify those buried in the cemeteries of numbers violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2474, which requires member states to prevent individuals from going missing as a result of armed conflict in territories under their jurisdiction.
Member states are required, inter alia, to produce and provide 'proper means of identification, including for members of armed forces, the establishment of national information bureaus upon the outbreak of an armed conflict, grave registration services and registers of deaths and ensuring accountability as appropriate in cases of missing persons’," it said.
“In addition to those languishing in the cemeteries of numbers, Israel has been holding captive the corpses of 51 Palestinians since 2016 under the pretext of using them as bargaining chips in a potential prisoner swap deal with Hamas,” said the letter.
Seventeen Palestinians of the total 51 whose bodies are held captive were killed in Gaza, 3 died in Israeli prisons, one is believed to have died under torture or ill-treatment, and one after spending 29 years in detention, while the rest were killed after alleged attacks, with suspicion that they were killed in extrajudicial execution when other means could have been used to detain them as evidence suggests.
The Campaign added: “The requirement of treating the dead with dignity and humanity is a universally recognized value and a norm of customary international law.
Codified in Article 16 of the 1907 Hague Convention, this norm is also protected by Article 15 of the First Geneva Convention, Article 18 of the Second Geneva Convention, and Article 16 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is further reiterated in Article 34(1) of Additional Protocol I.
“Moreover, due to its enormous impact on the families of the deceased, refusing to deliver the corpses for proper and dignified burial may amount to collective punishment prohibited under Article 50 of The Hague Regulations, Article 87 of the Third Geneva Convention, and Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“The Israeli practice of preventing families from burying their loved ones with peace and dignity also infringes upon their human rights to dignity, family life, religious freedom, equality, and the prohibition against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”
The National Campaign said that in light of these “grave violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and the UNSC Resolution,” it urged Guterres to raise this issue in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly, to call on Israel to unconditionally revoke the practice of withholding Palestinian corpses as bargaining chips; and demand that Israel respects its obligation to identify the remains of Palestinians held in secret cemeteries and return them to their families.
3 sept 2019
Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanu’a has described UN envoy Jason Greenblatt’s call for pressuring his Movement to release Israeli captive soldiers in Gaza as “blatant bias in favor of the Israeli occupation state.”
Spokesman Qanu’a said that Greenblatt ignored the suffering of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who have the right under international law to resist the occupation and receive humane treatment in Israeli jails.
Greenblatt this week addressed a letter to the UN, urging the international body to work on having the Israelis held in Gaza released, according to the Israeli media.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Greenblatt, president Donald Trump's top Mideast negotiator, wrote the letter on the heels of a meeting with Leah and Simcha Goldin, the parents of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, one of the captive soldiers in Gaza.
Spokesman Qanu’a said that Greenblatt ignored the suffering of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who have the right under international law to resist the occupation and receive humane treatment in Israeli jails.
Greenblatt this week addressed a letter to the UN, urging the international body to work on having the Israelis held in Gaza released, according to the Israeli media.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Greenblatt, president Donald Trump's top Mideast negotiator, wrote the letter on the heels of a meeting with Leah and Simcha Goldin, the parents of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, one of the captive soldiers in Gaza.
20 aug 2019
Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Ismail Haneyya on Sunday said that the movement is ready to engage in indirect negotiations with Israel to reach a prisoner exchange deal.
This was voiced during a meeting with a number of dignitaries in Deir al-Balah City in the central Gaza Strip.
"The day will come when we will liberate you," Haneyya said in a message to the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
On the regional situation, Haneyya confirmed Hamas's keenness to build balanced relations with all Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.
He also stressed the need to confront Israel's penetration attempts in the region through normalization.
As for the Palestinian political split, the Hamas leader said that the internal front must be strengthened to face the Deal of the Century.
He reiterated that Hamas welcomes a new reconciliation agreement based on an agreed national plan, inclusive leadership represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and new legislative and presidential elections.
This was voiced during a meeting with a number of dignitaries in Deir al-Balah City in the central Gaza Strip.
"The day will come when we will liberate you," Haneyya said in a message to the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
On the regional situation, Haneyya confirmed Hamas's keenness to build balanced relations with all Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.
He also stressed the need to confront Israel's penetration attempts in the region through normalization.
As for the Palestinian political split, the Hamas leader said that the internal front must be strengthened to face the Deal of the Century.
He reiterated that Hamas welcomes a new reconciliation agreement based on an agreed national plan, inclusive leadership represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, and new legislative and presidential elections.
19 aug 2019
Israeli officials continued to threaten with a massive military operation against the Gaza Strip while Israel still refuses to ease the blockade.
Israeli Minister of Energy, Yuval Steinitz, also a member of Israel’s cabinet, said on Monday that they “are planning a large-scale military operation in Gaza,” adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working “firmly but in a wise and deliberate manner.”
Speaking to Israeli public radio, Steinitz said that the thee Palestinian men who were killed on Saturday night were killed before they approached the security fence.
“We also bombed inside Gaza to clarify who is responsible, ”he said, referring to the bombing of Hamas positions.
“None of the former generals had and will not be a long-term solution to the Gaza problem. But when we try to achieve a long-term truce, we demand a calm in the Gaza envelope and the return of the (Israeli citizens) prisoners and the bodies of the two soldiers.
The truth is that Israel has never succeeded in preventing terrorism, ”he said, referring to Palestinian resistance operations.
Two reports said yesterday that the Israeli security service estimates that the storming of Palestinian fighters from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday night – Sunday was not planned by Hamas but “a local initiative.”
“Hamas is trying to maintain calm, but there are those who are not interested in calm,” an Israeli security official told Israel Radio. He said the Israeli army expects rocket fire from Gaza to continue in the coming days.
Israeli Minister of Energy, Yuval Steinitz, also a member of Israel’s cabinet, said on Monday that they “are planning a large-scale military operation in Gaza,” adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working “firmly but in a wise and deliberate manner.”
Speaking to Israeli public radio, Steinitz said that the thee Palestinian men who were killed on Saturday night were killed before they approached the security fence.
“We also bombed inside Gaza to clarify who is responsible, ”he said, referring to the bombing of Hamas positions.
“None of the former generals had and will not be a long-term solution to the Gaza problem. But when we try to achieve a long-term truce, we demand a calm in the Gaza envelope and the return of the (Israeli citizens) prisoners and the bodies of the two soldiers.
The truth is that Israel has never succeeded in preventing terrorism, ”he said, referring to Palestinian resistance operations.
Two reports said yesterday that the Israeli security service estimates that the storming of Palestinian fighters from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday night – Sunday was not planned by Hamas but “a local initiative.”
“Hamas is trying to maintain calm, but there are those who are not interested in calm,” an Israeli security official told Israel Radio. He said the Israeli army expects rocket fire from Gaza to continue in the coming days.
10 aug 2019
The mother of Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, who is being held by Hamas in Gaza, said Friday that premier Benjamin Netanyahu has done “nothing” to bring back her son in the five years since his death.
“The prime minister is not interested in returning my son,” Zehava Shaul said during a protest outside Netanyahu’s residence in Occupied Jerusalem on Thursday.
“I sent him to the army, I sent him to [the Gaza war], and it’s your responsibility to bring him home, Shaul added.
“You can’t run away from this, because I’m telling you that if you don’t return him, I will follow you anywhere you go. I won’t release you from this. I’ll bring Oron back myself if I have to, so pay attention,” Shaul said in remarks directed at Netanyahu.
“You’ve have had many opportunities to bring back Oron and Hadar, but you’ve done nothing,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that you keep playing with us, you know how to make a thousand promises, but not keep any of them, it’s unbecoming for a prime minister.”
“The prime minister is not interested in returning my son,” Zehava Shaul said during a protest outside Netanyahu’s residence in Occupied Jerusalem on Thursday.
“I sent him to the army, I sent him to [the Gaza war], and it’s your responsibility to bring him home, Shaul added.
“You can’t run away from this, because I’m telling you that if you don’t return him, I will follow you anywhere you go. I won’t release you from this. I’ll bring Oron back myself if I have to, so pay attention,” Shaul said in remarks directed at Netanyahu.
“You’ve have had many opportunities to bring back Oron and Hadar, but you’ve done nothing,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that you keep playing with us, you know how to make a thousand promises, but not keep any of them, it’s unbecoming for a prime minister.”
6 aug 2019
Zehava Shaul, the mother of Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, has criticized Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu for ignoring the issue of her captive son and not making serious efforts to bring him back to Israel.
“If Netanyahu had ever wanted to bring soldiers home, Oron would have been here long ago,” the Israeli satellite channel KAN quoted the mother as saying.
She expressed her resentment that nothing happened on the issue of her son after such long years, asserting that her son was captured alive and that no one in Israel had a clue about his fate.
“Only a swap deal with Hamas will bring my son, Oron, home," she said.
Since his disappearance in an operation during the 2014 war, al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas has affirmed more than once that Oron Shaul is one of four Israeli captives in Gaza, without clearly saying if he is dead or alive.
However, the Israeli government believes that Shaul was killed in the operation and thus announced him dead.
“If Netanyahu had ever wanted to bring soldiers home, Oron would have been here long ago,” the Israeli satellite channel KAN quoted the mother as saying.
She expressed her resentment that nothing happened on the issue of her son after such long years, asserting that her son was captured alive and that no one in Israel had a clue about his fate.
“Only a swap deal with Hamas will bring my son, Oron, home," she said.
Since his disappearance in an operation during the 2014 war, al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas has affirmed more than once that Oron Shaul is one of four Israeli captives in Gaza, without clearly saying if he is dead or alive.
However, the Israeli government believes that Shaul was killed in the operation and thus announced him dead.
Hani Hassan Abu Salah
Former Palestinian prisoners especially those who were freed in the prisoner swap deal with the Israeli regime in 2011, joined families of Palestinian prisoners in their sit-in at the Red Cross office in Gaza to slam Israel’s refusal to handover the bodies of fallen Palestinians.
On Thursday, Israeli forces shot and killed Hani Hassan Abu Salah east of town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip and kept his body.
The Israeli regime currently keeps the remains of some 250 fallen Palestinians in morgues and secret burial sites also known as cemeteries.
It's widely believed that Tel Aviv will likely use the bodies of Palestinian martyrs as bargaining chips to release Israeli soldiers reportedly held by resistance factions in the Gaza Strip.
Observers say that keeping bodies of Palestinian victims is a gross violation of common decency, which is of little concern to a racist entity like Israel.
According to human rights organizations, holding bodies and remains of the dead contravenes the principles of international humanitarian law.
The illegal Israeli decision also complicates the possibility of holding a new prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Israeli regime.
Former Palestinian prisoners especially those who were freed in the prisoner swap deal with the Israeli regime in 2011, joined families of Palestinian prisoners in their sit-in at the Red Cross office in Gaza to slam Israel’s refusal to handover the bodies of fallen Palestinians.
On Thursday, Israeli forces shot and killed Hani Hassan Abu Salah east of town of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip and kept his body.
The Israeli regime currently keeps the remains of some 250 fallen Palestinians in morgues and secret burial sites also known as cemeteries.
It's widely believed that Tel Aviv will likely use the bodies of Palestinian martyrs as bargaining chips to release Israeli soldiers reportedly held by resistance factions in the Gaza Strip.
Observers say that keeping bodies of Palestinian victims is a gross violation of common decency, which is of little concern to a racist entity like Israel.
According to human rights organizations, holding bodies and remains of the dead contravenes the principles of international humanitarian law.
The illegal Israeli decision also complicates the possibility of holding a new prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Israeli regime.
24 july 2019
The statement comes just hours after Israel held a ceremony commemorating IDF troops fallen in the 2014 war, where Netanyahu vowed to bring back all those still held in Gaza; adds Israel is preparing for an ‘extensive’ military operation in enclave
The Hamas terror group on Tuesday said there’s a “real chance” to negotiate a return of Israeli MIAs and POWs but the window of opportunity “could soon be closed.” The statement comes just hours after a state ceremony was held in Jerusalem commemorating Israeli troops fallen in the 2014 Gaza war known as Operation Protective Edge.
The bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who died alongside four other IDF soldiers during Protective Edge on July 20, 2014, are believed to be held by the terror group in the enclave to this day. Israel recently marked five years since the seven-week-long war broke out.
“Israeli government continues to lie about its MIAs," said a spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, Abu Obeida, "The enemy’s leadership avoids having to deal with the truth and it’s paying the price."
“There is a real chance to resolve the issue … if Israeli leadership is serious,” he said, adding that "this case may soon be closed, take the Ron Arad affair as a lesson to learn from."
Goldin and Shaul were traveling through the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City in an armored personnel carrier that was hit by an anti-tank missile, killing the six soldiers in it. Hamas quickly declared it had seized Oron and Hadar, not mentioning if the soldiers are alive or dead. The IDF declared the two as deceased soldiers whose burial place is unknown shortly after the incident.
In addition, Hamas claims to have captured, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two mentally ill Israelis who voluntarily crossed into Gaza several years ago.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at Tuesday’s memorial ceremony in Jerusalem vowing to bring back the bodies of the two soldiers as well as the two citizens held by the terror group.
“We are committed to bringing Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, back home,” said Netanyahu. “I cannot go into detail here about everything that we are doing but we are doing very much.”
Netanyahu then went to warn the Palestinian factions in the Strip that despite the recent efforts to achieve a possible long-term ceasefire arrangement, the military continues to make plans for a military campaign in the enclave.
"We are working to achieve calm, but we are prepared to embark on a campaign, an extensive military operation to strike Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” he said. “I cannot go into details but those who are involved in these preparations, who are sitting here today, know very well that these are not mere words."
Al-Qassam: Real opportunity for prisoner swap exists
Spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Abu Obaida has accused the Israeli government of lying to the families of the Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip.
This was voiced in a televised speech on Tuesday evening on the latest developments in the issue of the Israeli soldiers and persons who were captured by the Palestinian resistance during the 2014 military assault on the besieged territory.
Abu Obaida said that Israel seeks to justify its neglect of the detained soldiers by saying "they are corpses and remains." He added," If this hypothesis is correct, why have they not taken the initiative to achieve the dream of their families to bring back these corpses, knowing that the price they will have to pay for corpses is a modest one in comparison with living persons?"
"The greatest example of the procrastination and the lying of the Israeli government and military leadership is the issue of Mengistu, the Jew who is of Ethiopian origins. We affirm that Israel has not raised his issue with the mediators at all," said Abu Obaida.
"Israel did not attempt to ask about whether Mengistu is dead or alive," he said, adding that the Israeli government practices racial discrimination without any shame even against its own citizens.
Addressing the families of the captives, al-Qassam Brigades' spokesman warned them not to trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the leaders who had served in the military during the 2014 assault on Gaza or believe their lies and misleading information.
"We affirm that there is a real opportunity to resolve the issue of the prisoners and missing persons if Israel is serious about opening this file and paying the price through the clear path that led to resolving similar issues in the past," Abu Obaida said.
He continued, "But we warn that this file could be subject to being forgotten or completely closed for reasons that Israel knows well."
Abu Obaida concluded his speech by hailing the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and sending them a message that freedom is near.
The Hamas terror group on Tuesday said there’s a “real chance” to negotiate a return of Israeli MIAs and POWs but the window of opportunity “could soon be closed.” The statement comes just hours after a state ceremony was held in Jerusalem commemorating Israeli troops fallen in the 2014 Gaza war known as Operation Protective Edge.
The bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who died alongside four other IDF soldiers during Protective Edge on July 20, 2014, are believed to be held by the terror group in the enclave to this day. Israel recently marked five years since the seven-week-long war broke out.
“Israeli government continues to lie about its MIAs," said a spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, Abu Obeida, "The enemy’s leadership avoids having to deal with the truth and it’s paying the price."
“There is a real chance to resolve the issue … if Israeli leadership is serious,” he said, adding that "this case may soon be closed, take the Ron Arad affair as a lesson to learn from."
Goldin and Shaul were traveling through the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City in an armored personnel carrier that was hit by an anti-tank missile, killing the six soldiers in it. Hamas quickly declared it had seized Oron and Hadar, not mentioning if the soldiers are alive or dead. The IDF declared the two as deceased soldiers whose burial place is unknown shortly after the incident.
In addition, Hamas claims to have captured, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two mentally ill Israelis who voluntarily crossed into Gaza several years ago.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at Tuesday’s memorial ceremony in Jerusalem vowing to bring back the bodies of the two soldiers as well as the two citizens held by the terror group.
“We are committed to bringing Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, back home,” said Netanyahu. “I cannot go into detail here about everything that we are doing but we are doing very much.”
Netanyahu then went to warn the Palestinian factions in the Strip that despite the recent efforts to achieve a possible long-term ceasefire arrangement, the military continues to make plans for a military campaign in the enclave.
"We are working to achieve calm, but we are prepared to embark on a campaign, an extensive military operation to strike Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” he said. “I cannot go into details but those who are involved in these preparations, who are sitting here today, know very well that these are not mere words."
Al-Qassam: Real opportunity for prisoner swap exists
Spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Abu Obaida has accused the Israeli government of lying to the families of the Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip.
This was voiced in a televised speech on Tuesday evening on the latest developments in the issue of the Israeli soldiers and persons who were captured by the Palestinian resistance during the 2014 military assault on the besieged territory.
Abu Obaida said that Israel seeks to justify its neglect of the detained soldiers by saying "they are corpses and remains." He added," If this hypothesis is correct, why have they not taken the initiative to achieve the dream of their families to bring back these corpses, knowing that the price they will have to pay for corpses is a modest one in comparison with living persons?"
"The greatest example of the procrastination and the lying of the Israeli government and military leadership is the issue of Mengistu, the Jew who is of Ethiopian origins. We affirm that Israel has not raised his issue with the mediators at all," said Abu Obaida.
"Israel did not attempt to ask about whether Mengistu is dead or alive," he said, adding that the Israeli government practices racial discrimination without any shame even against its own citizens.
Addressing the families of the captives, al-Qassam Brigades' spokesman warned them not to trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the leaders who had served in the military during the 2014 assault on Gaza or believe their lies and misleading information.
"We affirm that there is a real opportunity to resolve the issue of the prisoners and missing persons if Israel is serious about opening this file and paying the price through the clear path that led to resolving similar issues in the past," Abu Obaida said.
He continued, "But we warn that this file could be subject to being forgotten or completely closed for reasons that Israel knows well."
Abu Obaida concluded his speech by hailing the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and sending them a message that freedom is near.
21 july 2019
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has affirmed that the Israeli occupation state will remain impotent to obtain any information about Shaul Aaron and other captive soldiers, “whose fate descended into the unknown.”
“As the years have been passing since the capture of Shaul, there is a renewed hope for approaching freedom for the [Palestinian] prisoners while the enemy is still at a loss,” al-Qassam Brigades said on its website.
On July 20, 2014, al-Qassam Brigades managed to capture soldier Shaul Aaron during an operation against the Israeli occupation forces in al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City. Other soldiers are also being held by the Brigades in Gaza.
“As the years have been passing since the capture of Shaul, there is a renewed hope for approaching freedom for the [Palestinian] prisoners while the enemy is still at a loss,” al-Qassam Brigades said on its website.
On July 20, 2014, al-Qassam Brigades managed to capture soldier Shaul Aaron during an operation against the Israeli occupation forces in al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City. Other soldiers are also being held by the Brigades in Gaza.
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