Hamas Rejects Israeli Claims of Abducting Soldiers, IRNA Reports
A senior Hamas official denies Tel Aviv’s claims of planning abductions and says Israel is plotting an assault on Gaza; calls for a rapid probe and reaffirmation of the ceasefire.
IRNA reports a senior unnamed Hamas official denies Israeli claims of planning to abduct Israeli soldiers, stating Israel is preparing a broader assault on Gaza and calling for a rapid fact-finding committee and continued adherence to the ceasefire. The piece references Hazem Qassem’s prior denial of ceasefire violations, Israeli comments by Yisrael Katz, and background on the Israel-Gaza war since October 2023.
Tehran - IRNA reports that a senior Hamas official, who was unnamed in the interview, rejected Israeli claims that Hamas was preparing to conduct operations or plan to abduct Israeli soldiers. Speaking with Russia Today Al-Youm, the official stated: “We deny the claims by Tel Aviv that we are prepared for operations or planning to abduct Israeli soldiers.” He added that the occupying Israeli regime is preparing an assault that would target civilian and governmental infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The official called for the swift formation of a “fact-finding” committee to clarify the claims made by the occupying power and reaffirmed Hamas’s commitment to the ceasefire, urging mediators to press the Israeli regime.
IRNA notes that previously Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson, dismissed claims of ceasefire violations by Hamas as baseless, saying such accusations serve to justify escalations by the occupiers. Qassem argued that the claims are aimed at providing pretexts for violations of the ceasefire by Israel.
The report also cites Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who said the army would not withdraw from the “red line” in Gaza unless Hamas is destroyed, and warned that if any Israeli is abducted, Gaza City would be evacuated entirely.
IRNA contextualizes the conflict by recalling that Israel, with U.S. support, launched a devastating war in Gaza on Oct 7, 2023, and that, after months of killing and destruction, Israel accepted a ceasefire with Hamas. Since the ceasefire, the report notes, Israel has violated parts of its terms and continued incursions into Gaza.