The Palestinian faction warns that the escalation of Israeli ground operations and air strikes poses a hostages-katsina/” title=”NAF Strikes Bandits' Stronghold, Heroically Rescues 76 … in Katsina”>grave risk to the hostages held within Gaza.
Published On 20 Sep 2025
The military branch of Hamas has unveiled what it terms a “final portrait” featuring 48 Israeli hostages currently held in Gaza, coinciding with the Israeli military’s ongoing campaign to dismantle and capture Gaza’s largest city.
On Saturday, the Qassam Brigades shared a composite image online displaying the faces of all hostages, both living and deceased, each labeled “Ron Arad” in homage to the Israeli Air Force pilot who disappeared in Lebanon in 1986.
Ron Arad’s F-4 Phantom jet was struck by an early bomb explosion during a mission over southern Lebanon. He was subsequently captured by the Amal Movement and later transferred to Hezbollah. While it is widely assumed that Arad perished, definitive evidence regarding his fate remains elusive.
Accompanying the photo, Hamas included a message stating: “Due to Netanyahu’s refusal and Zamir’s surrender, here is a farewell image as the military offensive in Gaza City commences.”
This statement alludes to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s steadfast refusal to negotiate with Hamas to halt the devastating conflict in Gaza, alongside the intensifying ground and aerial assaults led by Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir, despite his public reservations about the government’s plans to seize Gaza City.
Israeli officials estimate that approximately 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza, while former U.S. President Donald Trump has speculated that fewer than 20 survive. Both Trump and Netanyahu have vowed to recover all captives, living or deceased, and to “eradicate” Hamas.
Hamas has consistently cautioned that the escalation of Israeli military operations, particularly a ground invasion, threatens the lives of the hostages, some of whom have reportedly already been killed by Israeli bombardments. The group asserts that the captives are dispersed across various neighborhoods within Gaza City.
This warning from Hamas emerged just hours before large-scale protests were anticipated in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, where hundreds of thousands of citizens planned to rally against the government, demanding an immediate and comprehensive resolution to the conflict and the safe return of all hostages.
Earlier this month, Hamas released footage showing two Israeli captives, following a prior video that depicted two more severely malnourished hostages, one of whom was shown digging what was described as his own grave.
These disturbing images sparked widespread condemnation from the families of the captives, Israeli officials, and allied governments including the United States.
According to Gaza’s Palestinian Health Ministry, since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023, Israeli strikes have resulted in at least 65,208 Palestinian deaths and 166,271 injuries. Since March 18, when Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, casualties have surged to 12,653 fatalities and 54,230 wounded.
As the blockade continues to deprive Gaza of essential supplies, at least four aid workers have been killed and 18 injured in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of humanitarian personnel casualties to 2,518.
In Gaza City alone, dozens have lost their lives recently amid relentless attacks on residential areas, forcing thousands to flee as Israel designates the entire city a combat zone.
