Hamas releases 'farewell images' of 48 remaining captives with chilling message

The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, on Saturday released what it described as a “farewell picture” of 48 Israeli captives as the Israeli army intensified its assault on Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the besieged enclave.

The image, circulated online, showed a compilation of faces of both living and deceased captives. Each was labelled “Ron Arad” — a reference to the Israeli air force navigator who went missing in Lebanon in 1986 after his aircraft was downed. Arad was captured by the Amal Movement and later handed over to Hezbollah. His fate remains uncertain to this day.

Alongside the photo, Hamas issued a statement blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of negotiations and army chief Eyal Zamir’s “capitulation” as Israel presses ahead with its ground and air offensive in Gaza.