A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing claimed on Sunday that its fighters had captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Saturday, though the Israeli military denied this. The spokesman did not specify the number of soldiers allegedly abducted and provided no evidence.
“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,” said Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early Sunday.
The Israeli military promptly refuted the claim. “The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted,” the military stated.
These comments from Abu Ubaida coincided with growing prospects for the resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks. An official with knowledge of the matter mentioned that talks are set to resume next week after the chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency met with the head of the CIA and the Prime Minister of Qatar. The source, who requested anonymity, stated that “negotiations will open in the coming week based on new proposals led by Egypt and Qatar, with active US involvement.”
However, a Hamas official later denied Israeli media reports that the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters, “There is no date.”
After more than seven months of war in Gaza, mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough. Israel seeks the release of hostages held by Hamas, while Hamas demands an end to the conflict and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. According to Gaza’s health ministry, nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, which began in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israeli communities on October 7, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli reports.