VFI News Hamas Threatens to Kill All Remaining Hostages, Thousands of Terrorists Dead

Hamas Threatens to Kill All Remaining Hostages, Thousands of Terrorists Dead

A Hamas spokesman suggested on Sunday, December 10, that the terror organization could kill all of the presumed 137 hostages in its custody if Israel does not accede to its demands.

Abu Obeida, a familiar spokesman for Hamas who had not been seen for several weeks, released a video in which he made the threat clear. “Neither the fascist enemy and its arrogant leadership… nor its supporters… can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance,” he said.

The ultimatum came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that of the 137 hostages believed to still be in Hamas custody, 20 are dead. Further, it is not clear if Hamas would deliver on that threat. The hostages are the only leverage that Hamas has over Israel, and it uses them as human shields.

The Hamas leaders in exile — in luxurious accommodation in Doha, Qatar — would also likely want the hostages alive to ensure that Israel negotiates with them, rather than killing them (as it has promised to do, eventually).

Hamas has also tried to use the deaths of individual hostages to deter Israeli military action. In the latest example, it claimed that Sahar Baruch, 25, a hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri, had been killed in an Israeli rescue attempt. Israel said that Baruch was murdered by Hamas and that the rescue attempt killed several terrorists but found no hostages in the location that was raided. (BB / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for the release of the hostages over the last couple of weeks and we pray for the release of all remaining hostages as soon as possible. We pray for the families of the hostages who have passed and we ask that You comfort them and give them peace during this tormenting period.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

Israel announced on Sunday, December 10, the identities of several Hamas officials that IDF forces have killed in Gaza. According to IDF figures, more than 3,500 targets have been attacked in Gaza since the temporary ceasefire with Hamas ended on December 1, and over 22,000 targets have been attacked since the war began.

The IDF said that about 7,000 terrorists had been killed in the two northernmost governorates of Gaza. The Hamas-governed Health Ministry in Gaza says that about 18,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

Having focused on the north of the strip during the first phase of the war, IDF soldiers are pushing south, operating in several Hamas strongholds, including Jabalya, Shejaia, Beit Hanoun, and Khan Yunis.

Further, on Saturday, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in his press briefing that terrorists who were interrogated by the IDF revealed that the operatives on the ground are in a difficult situation and that the Hamas leadership, led by Yahya Sinwar, “denies the reality despite being updated on the details.”

“The operatives complain that the Hamas leadership is disconnected from the difficult situation they face on the ground. There is also a growing sense that the underground Hamas leadership does not care about the civilian population above ground. This is very concerning for Hamas’ military operatives,” added Hagari. (JPost / VFI News)

“The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.” - Proverbs 16:3

Dozens of Hamas terrorists lost contact with the terror group’s leadership, leaving them with no option but to lay down their weapons and surrender to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the IDF’s radio reported on Sunday morning, December 10.

After images of stripped terrorists in Jabalya and Khan Yunis circulated on social media, reports emerged that the IDF is “identifying changes in Hamas leadership’s conduct.”

A security source said that Hamas’s senior leaders thought to have fled to Khan Yunis in Gaza’s south, “prefer their personal survival over the survival of Hamas’s command and control operations.”

Earlier on Sunday, the US-based Institute for the Study of War assessed in an X thread (former Twitter) that at least seven Hamas battalions have already capitulated in fighting with the IDF. In addition, six battalions are “close to collapse,” the Institute continued. According to the Institute, the collapse of Hamas’s Gaza City and northern brigades could signal the fall of the northern Strip to Israeli forces.

Further, the IDF struck over 250 terror targets in ground, aerial, and naval operations across the Strip over the past 24 hours, the IDF said on Sunday morning. Israeli forces carried out a raid on a southern Gaza mosque after Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a Hamas military communications site located near the mosque. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for Your help in the many achievements of our military forces against terrorism. We pray that they will continue to eliminate all terrorists who wish to wreak havoc in Israel. May You guide them in protecting our citizens and restoring peace in our country.”

Archterrorist Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah member who is serving several life sentences for murdering Israelis, called in a statement on his behalf for the security forces of the Palestinian Authority to join the fight against Israel.

“Palestine, which witnessed a long history of steadfastness and resistance, is today subject to unprecedented massacres at the hands of the occupation and its settlers, with unlimited American and Western support,” Barghouti wrote.

“Faced with this event, we and our people… are required to stand together to defend and attack with all the power, capabilities, and tools at our disposal to deter the occupation and break its will.”

Barghouti’s wife denied her husband is connected to the statement, and said that he is in solitary confinement and cannot send messages outside the prison at all. Barghouti is widely believed to have planned the Second Intifada, which claimed thousands of Israeli lives from 2000 to 2005 and has continued inciting terrorism from his jail cell. (INN / VFI News)

In Hanukkah 2021, we hosted a Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebration for children of terror victim families. To us, it was a fitting way to shine light through a dark time, and dark circumstances—during a season that celebrates light.

The second phase of the Israeli war in Gaza has further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people who fled from the North now seek shelter in the already overcrowded southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Many move from Khan Yunis, the current epicenter of IDF-Hamas fighting, to the southern end of the strip, Rafah, near the Egyptian border. All the while, signs point to Hamas’s rule weakening and the barrier of fear against the terrorist group breaking.

A Gaza resident, who bravely expressed his opinions on the radio, voiced his message to Yahya Sinwar and his accomplices. The interviewee, journalist Muhammad Mansour frustrated, exclaimed: “We were deported from Gaza to Khan Yunis, and from Khan Yunis to Rafah. Our children, women, and families were torn apart from us. Release these hostages immediately! Sinwar, [Mohammed] Deif, and their wicked companions hide underground. We don’t even have access to water.”

While the Hamas leaders remain hidden in tunnels, above-ground residents face significant destruction and a lack of basic necessities, including food and water. These supplies are stored in UNRWA warehouses but fail to reach the people. Photos circulating show enraged residents looting one of the warehouses in Khan Yunis.

An elderly resident who fled from northern Khan Yunis confronted the organization that has controlled Gaza since 2007. “All the aid goes down (to the tunnels)! It doesn’t reach the people,” she asserted to a surprised reporter from Qatari media who tried to persuade her otherwise.

Firmly, she replied, “No, no, everything goes to their homes. They take everything.” In another incident last week, documented and shared on social media, residents threw stones at Hamas members to prevent them from looting a humanitarian convoy passing through Egypt to the Rafah crossing. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You help the innocent Palestinian people who condemn Hamas and are suffering greatly because of them. We pray that their needs will be met and that this heinous terrorist organization will be eliminated for good.”

The Biden administration approved an “emergency sale” on Saturday, December 9, to send nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition to Israel as it ramps up its invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The State Department approved the massive offloading — worth more than $106 million — in a move that allowed it to circumvent Congress.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the department said in a statement.

“Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense,” it added. For the price of $106.5 million, Israel will receive 13,981 120 mm High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer tank cartridges, as well as US support, engineering, and logistics, all of which will come from Army inventory.

Congress was notified of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined an “emergency exists” in the Middle Eastern war that would affect US national security interests. The urgency allowed Biden officials to sell the weaponry without the standard congressional review required for foreign military sales. (NYP / VFI News)

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” - Proverbs 17:17

The USC Shoah Foundation which was founded by director Steven Spielberg in 1994, has begun collecting video testimonies of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists against Israelis on October 7, to add to the collection of Holocaust survivor and witness testimony.

Spielberg is not directly involved in the effort but spoke out strongly in support. “I never imagined I would see such unspeakable barbarity against Jews in my lifetime,” Spielberg was quoted as saying by the foundation, which holds the world’s largest video collection of Holocaust survivor and witness testimony.

Speaking to American media about the effort, Spielberg expressed shock at the violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against Israelis, along with the wave of antisemitism around the world in the past two months.

“I find it very, very surprising because antisemitism has always been there. It’s either been just around the corner and slightly out of sight, but always lurking, or it has been much more overt, like Germany in the 30s,” he said.

The US-based organization is now collaborating with production teams in Israel to collect witness accounts of the massacres on October 7. Spielberg believes that the effort will “ensure that the voices of survivors will act as a powerful tool to counter the dangerous rise of antisemitism and hate.” (TOI / VFI News)

Attending a reception for Finland’s Independence Day at the Presidential Palace, the President of the Jewish Community of Finland Yaron Nadbornik wore a #BringThemHomeNow necklace, while his wife’s, Galith, dress featured the names of the hostages.

Batel Lindström, the dress designer, shared on Instagram: “Galith Nadbornik accompanied by her husband Yaron Nadbornik wearing a custom made ivory satin evening dress… to Finland Independence Day president ball.”

Yaron Nadbornik is currently the President of the Central Council of Finnish Jewish Communities and the Helsinki Jewish Community since 2010. He is also a member of the European Jewish Congress Executive representing Finland.

In recent years he has taken a strong interest in inter-religious dialogue and has served as president of the National Forum for Cooperation of Religions in Finland and is also a member of the Finnish Religious Leaders President’s Council. (JPost / VFI News)

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” - 1 John 4:7

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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