IDF colonel ‘killed on 7 October’ is being held in Gaza, says Hamas

Israeli Colonel Asaf Hamami is being held by Hamas in Gaza, the resistance movement announced yesterday. The Israel Defence Forces claimed in December that the senior officer was killed on 7 October.

The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, said that Colonel Hamami, 41, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, had been wounded during his capture, but gave no further details.

The Brigades said in a video clip posted on Telegram that the Israeli army leadership is “abandoning its army leaders in captivity”. It warned that “time is running out” for them.

Israel has been waging a brutal offensive against Gaza since last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The offensive has killed more than 35,400 Palestinians, mainly children and women, and wounded almost 80,000 others.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. According to South Africa, which took the occupation state to the ICJ, Israel is ignoring the court order.

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