Hamas releases 'farewell photo' of 47 Israeli captives amid ground invasion of Gaza City

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Saturday released a photo showing 47 Israeli captives, saying it was taken at the start of Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza City.

The image was accompanied by a caption in Arabic and Hebrew saying: “Because of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s intransigence and [Chief of General Staff Eyal] Zamir’s submission, this is a farewell photo at the beginning of the operation in Gaza.”

Hamas published the picture on its official website, underscoring its position that the fate of the captives lies with the political decisions of Israel’s leadership.

Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to conclude a comprehensive deal with Israel to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, end the war on Gaza, and ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

However, Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such proposals, insisting instead on partial arrangements that would allow him to delay and impose new conditions at each stage of negotiations.