Gaza, Palestine (EFE).-
The Islamist group Hamas threatened on Monday to “publicly” execute Israeli civilian hostages if Israel continues its indiscriminate shelling of the Gaza Strip without warning residents.
“Any attack on innocent homes in Gaza without prior warning and alarm will be met with the public execution of a hostage,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement.
“The execution will be of civilian hostages, not of military hostages, and will be broadcast online,” he added.
Israel has intensively bombarded the entire enclave throughout the day, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad military installations, as well as civilian infrastructure and residential buildings.
The death toll in the enclave has topped 560, with more than 2,900 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, but the number is expected to rise in the coming hours as people remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed homes.
Palestinians in the Strip denounced on Monday that Israel has stopped using the method known as “knocking on the roof,” in which non-explosive devices are dropped on the roofs of houses as a warning that a bomb will be dropped in a few minutes, allowing the residents to leave, often with just enough time.
“The enemy does not understand the language of humanity and morality, so we shall speak to him in the language he understands. We hold the occupation accountable to the world for this decision, the ball is in its court,” Obeida warned.
“From this hour, we announce that any attack against our people will be answered with the execution of one of our enemy hostages, and we will broadcast it live,” he urged.
Israel declared a state of war on Saturday after Hamas launched an unprecedented multi-pronged attack by land, sea and air, with rocket fire and ground incursions into Israeli territory, killing and kidnapping hundreds of citizens.
In three days of war, the Palestinian aggression has left more than 800 dead in Israel and more than 2,500 wounded. On the other hand, the heavy Israeli bombardments in response on Gaza have left more than 560 dead and 2,900 wounded. EFE
