Hamas: Israel won't recover its captives through military escalation, only through negotiations

Hamas said yesterday that the release of Israeli captives will not be achieved through military escalation, warning that such actions endanger the lives of the captives and that negotiations are the only viable path forward, Anadolu reported, citing an official statement issued by the Palestinian movement from Istanbul.

In its statement, Hamas stressed that what Israel is doing in the Gaza Strip is not simply military pressure, but rather “a brutal act of revenge against innocent civilians.” The group called on the international community to immediately shoulder its responsibility to halt these actions.

The statement further noted that escalating aggression “will not break the will of our people; it only strengthens their resolve and determination to resist.”

Since resuming its assault on Gaza on 18 March 2025, Israeli military operations have killed 1,449 Palestinians and injured 3,647 others — mostly women and children — according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Hamas also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach, stating: “Netanyahu’s policy of targeting children, women, and the elderly is not a strategy for any so-called victory, but a recipe for certain failure.”

The group underlined that the intensifying military actions “will not bring back the Israeli captives alive; rather, they threaten their lives and could kill them. The only way to secure their return is through negotiations.”

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