As the Israeli military announced an attack on Rafah, the southernmost border city of the Gaza Strip, Hamas stated that it would halt hostage negotiations if the attack is carried out.
A senior Hamas official said on their own broadcast channel, Al-Aqsa TV, "The Israeli ground operation in Rafah will collapse the hostage exchange negotiations." Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, also claimed that hostages they were holding were killed or injured due to Israeli airstrikes.
In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades said, "Two Israeli hostages died and eight were seriously injured during 96 hours of airstrikes," adding, "The hostages' conditions have worsened due to inadequate medical treatment, and the full responsibility lies with Israel."
Rafah, bordering Egypt, is a major gateway for the international community to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and is also where Palestinian refugees who fled south to escape the Israeli ground offensive are staying.
It is estimated that about 1.4 million people, more than half of the Gaza Strip's total population of 2.4 million, are in this area. Israel believes Hamas remnants are hiding here and has recently intensified airstrikes ahead of a full-scale ground operation.
On the 9th, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a large-scale military operation in Rafah is inevitable to completely eliminate Hamas and ordered the preparation of a civilian evacuation plan before the full-scale entry into Rafah.
The international community expects that if the Israeli ground offensive in Rafah intensifies, massive casualties will be unavoidable.
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