CAIRO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A Hamas guard who killed an Israeli hostage acted "in revenge" and against instructions after he heard news that his two children had been killed in an Israeli strike, a spokesperson for the group's armed wing said on Thursday.
"The (Hamas) soldier assigned as a guard acted in a retaliatory manner, against instructions, after he received information that his two children were martyred in one of the massacres conducted by the enemy," Abu Ubaida said on Telegram.
"The incident doesn't represent our ethics and the instructions of our religion in dealing with captives. We will reinforce the instructions," he added.
Inevitable for some soldiers to go against instructions. Can't imagine what it's like to hear your two children have been killed...
Hamas had a whole investigation and remediation in the space of days, in the middle of a war zone. Meanwhile we're still waiting to find out who killed Shireen Abu Akleh over 2 years ago.
And the family of the hostages can kill whoever they want to "in revenge"? You guys really have twisted morals.
over 40,000 palestinians are killed in revenge for october 7th
1 israeli hostage is killed by their guard in revenge for the murder of his children
Even the 200k number is "conservative"
The scale of death and destruction is absolutely inhuman.
the family of the hostages can kill whoever they want
Yes, Israel has been doing this since October. Yes, their morals are sickening.
Hamas: Shit, one of our guys got upset and killed an Israeli prisoner. This isn't good.
Israel: We have a moral right to r*pe any Palestinian prisoners we want to.
Seriously, fuck Israel. A painful death to the Zionist Entity.
I don't blame that man. Jesus, I hope he can find peace someday.
I'll be honest, at this point it's no longer clear what purpose the hostages are serving anyway. The Israeli government is not negotiating for their return in good faith, and they haven't deterred the wholesale glassing of the Gaza strip. There is seemingly no legitimate interest in getting the hostages back alive. Even if you consider the token Israeli "protests" being organized, most of those people aren't actually demanding an end to the war. It's fairly obvious the hostages are no longer serving as useful bargaining chips (if they ever were). I can't say I really blame this guy.
In fact, one may even argue this was an act of mercy compared to the alternative of being indefinitely held prisoner in presumably pretty poor conditions, just waiting to be murdered by the IDF.
Were there no hostages Israel would never agree to a ceasefire. They would claim they need to eradicate Hamas no matter the cost. The massive demonstrations for a ceasefire inside of Israel are to get the hostages out. Not because they care for Palestinians.
Were there no hostages Israel would never agree to a ceasefire. They would claim they need to eradicate Hamas no matter the cost.
So... you mean like how things are already? That's the exact point I'm making, lmao.
The massive demonstrations for a ceasefire inside of Israel are to get the hostages out. Not because they care for Palestinians.
No shit. But what good is a "ceasefire" if it doesn't actually end the war? Hamas has no incentive to agree to hand over hostages if Israel is just going to resume bombing the shit out of Gaza as soon as they've been released, which is what most of the demonstrators actually want.
So… you mean like how things are already? That’s the exact point I’m making, lmao.
Yes but also no. The current conditions are largely the same but that is because no deal has yet been made.
With the hostages Hamas can demand things from a deal. Like the IDF permanently withdrawing from Gaza and releasing their Palestinian hostages. Without hostages there would be no way for Hamas to have any demands.
Hamas still holding the hostages is also physical hard evidence for the world to see how incapable the IDF is in achieving its stated objective of retrieving the hostages.
Furthermore the reason Israelis are demonstrating for a ceasefire is because of the hostages. It causes division and turmoil within Israel.
The hostages are the leverage Hamas have in a deal. Without them they have no leverage.
We will have to agree to disagree, I think.
You seem to be under the false assumption that the Israeli government actually cares about bringing any of the hostages home safely, when it's pretty obvious they don't. Their actions have shown this very clearly. The hostages can't be useful leverage if Israel doesn't give a shit about them in the first place.
Given that Israel's current governmental coalition is predicated on the continuation of the war, along with Bibi's own impending legal peril once he is forced out of his position, why would you think they would ever agree to any kind of deal? It's pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that all these elusive "ceasefire negotiations" Israel has "participated" in, have been in bad faith the entire time. They literally assassinated Hamas' own lead negotiator! It's merely a carrot they can wave around to convince the western audience to keep supporting them, "See? A ceasefire deal is just around the corner so keep those weapons and money flowing!"
This so called "division and turmoil" caused by the demonstrations sounds great and all, but it's ultimately inconsequential and amounts to less than nothing unless they plan on putting an end to the current regime.
“You seem to be under the false assumption that the Israeli government actually cares about bringing any of the hostages home safely, when it’s pretty obvious they don’t. Their actions have shown this very clearly. The hostages can’t be useful leverage if Israel doesn’t give a shit about them in the first place.”
Hannibal Directive
With the hostages Hamas can demand things from a deal. Like the IDF permanently withdrawing from Gaza and releasing their Palestinian hostages.
You have not kept up to date on Israel's statements on this. Israel wasn't even willing to commit to continuing the cease-fire after the hostages were released, let alone pull out for good.
Part of me thinks it's propaganda not bargaining power. On several occasions the IDF has dropped bombs on or shot the hostages
accidentalywontonly. The message Hamas is maybe trying to send is that the IDF doesn't care about saving the hostages. The IDF just want to eradicate the Palestinians. Then again I'm halfway around the world so what do I really know?For what it's worth, I tend to agree with you. It's definitely about the propaganda value and the perceived "moral high ground", but the real question is how much are those things actually worth in the current state of the conflict. At least in my view, sadly very little.
Their restraint is actually unbelievable and makes me question what I know about human resilience and dignity
It makes me feel like I am capable of incredible discipline
Seeing the tunnels makes me wonder about the future of civilization, about the projects we are capable of beyond capitalism's dampening constraints, and the primitive ones before it
I think that Hamas fighters should listen to their superiors.
I don't think killing hostages is the right thing to do.
Have a hard time finding fault with this person for seeking revenge after hearing that his children were murdered.
So, the guard shouldn't have done this, but I can't say that I would do differently in his situation. If someone killed my child I would be looking for revenge as well.
What if they said they would "heavily reprimand him with a stern talking to." That's a kind of punishment, sort of.
