Al-Qassam Brigades Respond to Former Israeli Captive’s Request About Her Husband
Multilingual Message Highlights Ongoing Challenges in Prisoner Exchange Negotiations Amid Rising Tensions.
Watan–The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), published a new recording in which they responded to a plea from a former Israeli captive requesting a video clip showing the condition of her husband, who is still in captivity.
Sharon Koniou, a former Israeli captive who was released in the first exchange deal in late November 2023—appealed to the Palestinian resistance in a video message addressed to them, urging them to broadcast a video showing the condition of her husband, David Koniou, who remains a prisoner in Gaza.
The Qassam clip begins with a part of the captive’s message and footage of her with her husband and their two children, followed by scenes from her release and the two children during the exchange deal.
The clip then includes Qassam’s response, which is presented in three languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and English. It reads, “David, after I was released and the military pressure increased, he could either be killed, injured, or be in good health. Netanyahu has not decided yet.”
Hours before this clip, Qassam had published a short introductory video that included the captive’s message, also written in three languages: “Soon… time is running out.”
Feelings of despair are growing among the families of Israeli detainees as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues to obstruct reaching a deal to bring their children back, amidst ongoing protests demanding an exchange agreement.
In recent months, the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades—the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement—have released videos of Israeli captives demanding that their government finalize a deal to return them to their homes, holding Netanyahu responsible for their fate.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported yesterday, citing foreign sources, that Israel has agreed to advance negotiations regarding the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza, concurrently with the implementation of the first phase. This comes amid the ongoing extermination war in the sector and continued negotiations in Doha.
In December of last year, Hamas announced the killing of 33 Israeli captives who were held by them, most of whom were killed by the Israeli occupation army’s bombings of various areas in the Gaza Strip since the aggression began in October 2023.
More than once, prisoner exchange negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining control over the Philadelphia axis between Gaza and Egypt and the Rafah crossing. Additionally, he has prevented the return of fighters from Palestinian factions to northern Gaza by inspecting returnees through the Netsarim corridor within the sector.
In return, Hamas insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a total cessation of the war as preconditions for accepting any agreement.
