A relative of the alleged al-Qaeda leader has called for the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, believing that keeping them detained harms the Palestinian cause, which is largely neglected to his liking, according to SITE, a private American organization. Which tracks jihadist activity.
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Veteran jihadist Mustafa Hamed (nicknamed Abu Al-Walid Al-Masry), Saif Al-Adl’s father-in-law, who is considered the potential leader of Al-Qaeda, and whose place of residence is unknown, says, “Given the intense interest in returning the bodies of the dead hostages and those still alive… […]SITE explains that the fate of Palestinian prisoners is being ignored.
The American group relies on a text from the person concerned dated Friday, and publishes a translation into English.
The document was published online the day after the death of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the mastermind of the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack in Israel that sparked the war in the Gaza Strip, was announced.
Before Israel killed it in the Palestinian territories, the latter showed inflexibility in negotiations aimed at releasing the hostages who were taken that day to Gaza.
Hamas and other Islamist groups are still holding 97 hostages, 34 of whom the Israeli army has confirmed killed. A total of 251 people were kidnapped, some of whom were released during a truce in December. Several hostages were later found dead.
Mustafa Hamed, who is considered by experts consulted by Agence France-Presse to be close to a number of executive officials, said: “As for the new Sinwar who will lead the heroes of Gaza, his first duty must be to return the bodies of the “kidnapped” Jewish prisoners to their families.” Al-Qaeda headquarters guards.
He added: “Their bodies must be returned immediately to their families in Israel, and this file must be closed and not reopened,” pointing to the “consequences” resulting from keeping these hostages for more than a year, citing the results, which represent an extremely heavy humanitarian burden. Among the residents of Gaza.
Words that contradict the inflexibility shown by Hamas, over which Al-Qaeda has no significant influence.
The veteran continues: “The Palestinian issue has also disappeared, and no one talks about it anymore except through the issue of the kidnappers.” “No one cares about the Palestinian prisoners, neither in the media, nor in the negotiations, nor in the demonstrations, because there is no one to mourn them.”
He called: “Let us then close the file of the “kidnapped” Jews, so that only the file of Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem remain.”
Hamas said on Friday that the hostages would not be released until the Israeli attack “stopped.”
