8/12/2023–|Last updated: 12/8/202310:24 AM (Mecca time)
A released Israeli prisoner stated that he was not afraid of being killed by members of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), but rather he was afraid of being killed in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
This statement came during leaks of audio recordings of a meeting between released Israeli prisoners and some of their families with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their release in a prisoner exchange with Hamas, after a “humanitarian truce” announced on November 24, which led to the release of 81. One Israeli prisoner and 240 Palestinian prisoners, according to Israeli and American media.
According to these recordings, Ynet, one of the most famous news sites in Israel, indicated that the relatives of those released expressed their anger and dissatisfaction with Netanyahu due to the air raids on Gaza, in light of the Palestinian factions continuing to detain Israelis in the Strip.
Fear of Israel, not Hamas
The website quoted one of the prisoners, without revealing his name, as saying, “Every day in captivity was very difficult. We were in the tunnels and we were living in fear that Israel, not Hamas, would be the one that would kill us.”
He pointed to the spread of rumors in Israeli popular circles that talked about “Hamas killing the hostages,” saying, “They said that Hamas killed us.”
During his conversation with Netanyahu, the released prisoner pointed out the necessity of implementing prisoner exchange deals as quickly as possible, and for everyone to return to their homes.
In the same context, another released prisoner explained that an Israeli helicopter opened fire on Israeli civilians.
This statement comes within the leaked audio recording that was published on the American CNN website, which was published last Wednesday under the title “Leaked audio recording of a heated meeting reveals the hostages’ anger at Netanyahu.”
In the fourth paragraph of the report, the following statement was mentioned: “I heard a woman who was released with her children but not her husband say: Our feeling there was that no one was doing anything for us. In fact, the place where we were hiding was bombed, and we had to escape.” We were wounded abroad, and in addition, helicopters fired on us on the way to Gaza on October 7th.”
Flooding Gaza’s tunnels with water
American media reported reports of an Israeli plan aimed at using water cannons to flood tunnels in the Gaza Strip, in light of Palestinian factions holding Israeli prisoners inside these tunnels and growing fears about their fate.
The Israeli Walla news website published on Wednesday that the wife of a newly released prisoner had said at the charged war cabinet meeting – held at the Israeli Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv last Tuesday evening – “They (the prisoners) are inside the tunnels, and you are talking about… Flooding it with seawater.
She added, without mentioning her name, “You have preferred politics over returning the kidnapped people. My husband beat himself up (as he remains a prisoner of the resistance) because of the difficult circumstances he faced, and you are only thinking about toppling Hamas.”
Reproach of Israeli prisoners
Last Wednesday, the Israeli news site Ynet quoted the same statement from the Israeli woman, whose name was not revealed, where she stated, “We felt as if no one was making any effort for us. The reality is that I was in a shelter that was bombed and we became injured refugees.”
She continued, “My husband was separated from me 3 days before my return to Israel and was taken to the tunnels. And you are talking about flooding the tunnels with seawater? You are targeting the entrances to the tunnels in the exact location where they (the Israeli prisoners) are located.”
The Walla website quoted another Israeli woman, whose name was not revealed, saying, “We were inside the tunnels in very harsh conditions. We were underground with a lack of oxygen, and we spent entire days in the dark. The sanitary conditions were very poor and caused problems with the digestive system.”
Regarding the Israeli prisoners in Gaza, she added, “They are close to losing hope.”
One recently released prisoner, without revealing his name, stated, “Prisoners cannot avoid the Israeli army’s bombing.”
He added, “We were afraid that we would be killed by Israel instead of Hamas.”
