Hamas official Bassem Naim warns Israel's military operation in Gaza will face fierce resistance and put hostages at risk [Image by CNN]
(The Post News) –Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim issued a grim warning Thursday, stating Israel’s expanding military campaign in Gaza City will face “strong resistance” and will target directly the Israeli hostages still within the besieged region.
Speaking with Al-Araby TV, Naim accused Israel of deceiving the international community by lying about negotiating with the Islamist movement while intensifying its military campaign.
“Israel misled everyone to believe that it was negotiating, but in reality it was intended to conceal its crimes and conspiracies,” Naim said.
He added that under current circumstances, serious negotiations were not feasible: “We reaffirm Qatar‘s position that ongoing aggression makes negotiations pointless.”
Hostages Threatened
Naim warned that any assault on Gaza City would immediately impact the Israeli hostages.
What will befall our people during the aggression on Gaza City will happen to the Israeli prisoners,” he said. “Resistance to this invasion will be tough, and the death and devastation Israel is trying to impose will be visited upon its soldiers as well.
His comments followed an Israeli Sept. 9 airstrike targeting top Hamas officials, including Naim, in Doha. While Netanyahu bragged about the success of the strike, Israeli officials later confirmed that no top Hamas officials were unequivocally killed.
Hostage families have consistently decried Israel’s military offensive, stating that a ground invasion risks the lives of the 48 remaining hostage-held Gazans. Families have held nightly vigils outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence, blaming him for leaving their loved ones behind.
Hamas’s militant wing echoed Naim’s threats in a second communiqué, saying: “Your hostages are dispersed in Gaza City neighbourhoods, and we are not obligated to safeguard their lives as long as Netanyahu keeps killing them.” The group threatened the hostages with the same destiny as Ron Arad, the Israeli pilot who disappeared in 1986 and is assumed to be killed.
US Veto Deepens Diplomatic Rift
It comes as the United States vetoed, for the sixth time, a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages. Fourteen members voted in favour of the resolution, which characterized the humanitarian crisis as “catastrophic” and called on Israel to suspend aid restrictions.
US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus said that Washington vetoed the text because it failed to denounce Hamas and recognize Israel’s right to self-defense.
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour labelled the veto “deeply regrettable and painful” as he blamed the US for keeping the Council from concentrating on “atrocities.” Pakistan envoy Asim Ahmad called the action “a dark moment” in the history of the UN and said: “The cries of children should pierce our hearts.”
Meanwhile, the UN aid agency warned that Gaza City’s few remaining lifelines are crumbling as Israel’s offensive intensifies. Thousands of civilians continue to flee as tanks and troops move deeper into city neighbourhoods.
UN humanitarian office spokeswoman Olga Cherevko described the situation as “nothing short of cataclysmic.”.
Since the war started with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, more than 65,100 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. At least 435 individuals have succumbed to starvation and malnutrition, four of whom in the past 24 hours.
Israel freed nine Palestinian detainees on Friday at the Kissufim checkpoint. Medical staff at Al-Aqsa Hospital described the men as appearing highly weakened following months of detention in poor conditions.
Naim concluded his remarks with a vow that Israel will not obtain through violence what it was unable to gain in the bargaining table. “What the occupation could not get at the bargaining table, it will not obtain from threats and starting ground military action,” he said.
As the UN General Assembly approaches, Gaza will stand in the spotlight of international debate, especially as key US allies launch heightened support for Palestinian statehood.
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