Obeida survives and issues a chilling ultimatum. Will Hamas execute all hostages?

Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas, stated that no additional captives would leave Gaza alive unless Israel complies with all the demands proposed by the Palestinian group during negotiations, which ended at the beginning of December, The Times of Israel reports. Obeida's announcement was his first in the past two weeks and effectively dispelled rumors about his condition. The media had speculated that the representative of the military arm of Hamas may have fallen in battle.

According to The Times of Israel, 138 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, even though the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the death of 18 captives in recent days. "Without a prisoner exchange, negotiation, or fulfillment of the resistance movement's demands, neither the authoritarian enemy, its haughty leadership, nor its advocates will reclaim their prisoners alive," stated Abu Obeida during a TV broadcast, alluding, among other things, to the release of all Palestinian detainees in Israeli control.

Last week, the Israeli Prime Minister had a meeting with the families of those held hostage in Gaza, and the Times of Israel reported that Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there is little practical possibility of releasing all the captives. He further emphasized that Hamas' demands are unsatisfiable. "At present, bringing everyone home isn't feasible. Can anyone realistically think such an alternative would be declined if available?" asked the Prime Minister. "Hamas has demanded that even you would find unacceptable," he added during the meeting with the hostages' families.

Qatar, facilitating talks between Israel and Hamas, announced on Sunday that there are ongoing efforts to instigate a new ceasefire. However, it highlighted that the continuous bombings by Israel were jeopardizing the likelihood of a successful outcome to the negotiation.