The Israeli military refuted the claim made by a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing on Sunday that its members had captured Israeli soldiers during combat in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Saturday.
A spokesman for Hamas armed wing declined to specify the number of soldiers kidnapped and provided no evidence to support the assertion.
“Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel. The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured,” Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early on Sunday.
The armed branch of Hamas made the assertion, which the Israeli military refuted on Sunday.
“The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted,” the military said in a statement.
Hamas tweeted images of military gear and a gun along with a video that seemed to show a wounded person being brought through a tunnel. The name and condition of the individual depicted in the video could not be independently confirmed by Reuters.
The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency met with the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar, according sources and it was decided to reconvene the negotiations the following week.
It has been decided that “in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement,” according to source, who wished to remain anonymous and withhold their nationality.
A Hamas representative later refuted claims in Israeli media that negotiations will pick back up in Cairo on Tuesday, telling that “there is no date.”
With Israel demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas and Hamas demanding an end to the conflict and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the mediators have struggled to bring about a breakthrough after more than seven months of fighting in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s offensive has claimed the lives of around 36,000 Palestinians. According to Israeli counts, on October 7, 2023, fighters commanded by Hamas attacked villages in southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and taking over 250 captives. Israel launched the operation in response.
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