GAZA CITY, JERUSALEM
The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, said on Sunday that it managed to hold an Israeli soldier hostage during clashes with the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
"Qassam Brigades managed to hold Israeli soldier Shaul Aaron hostage during clashes in the Gaza Strip," brigades spokesman Abu Ubaidah said in a televised address.
The brigades spokesman also mentioned the military card number of the soldier.
Thousands of Palestinians, meanwhile, took to the streets to celebrate the ability of the brigades to hold the Israeli soldier hostage.
Israel has not officially commented on the claim of Qassam Brigades yet.
Alleged capture of Israeli soldier brings joy to Gaza
An announcement by Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, that its fighters managed to capture an Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip earlier Sunday has brought a sense of joy and worry to the residents of the embattled Gaza Strip.
“Thank you, al-Qassam Brigades. We thank god for the gift of resistance fighters who humiliated the Israeli troops and brought Israel to its knees in Gaza,” Raed Sewhil, who is his 20s, told Anadolu Agency.
“The announcement brought some relief to us after 14 days of Israeli aggression on Gaza, which left hundreds dead and thousands injured in a barbaric, inhuman onslaught,” he added.
Sewhil was one of thousands of Gazans who defied the Israeli shelling and airstrikes and poured onto the enclave’s streets to celebrate al-Qassam Brigades’ announcement.
Shortly after the brigades spokesman Abu Ubaidah said that the group managed to hold soldier Shaul Aaron hostage during clashes in the Gaza Strip, Gazans converged on the streets, carrying Palestinian flags and Hamas banners and chanting pro-resistance slogans.
The euphoria came on the same day that Gaza saw the bloodiest day since July 7 when Israel commenced its military operation against the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket attacks from it.
The operation has left 469 Gazans killed, including 89 on Sunday alone, and 3100 others injured so far.
“The capture of the Israeli soldier is a source of pride for all Palestinian people and their resistance and embarrassment for all Arab and Muslim countries which stood idly by as women and children are being massacred by Israeli troops in Gaza,” Hassan Habib, 46, told Anadolu Agency.
“I hope al-Qassam Brigades would capture more Israeli troops as the latter get deeper and deeper into the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rasha Abdel-Karim, 65, went around, distributing sweets in celebration. “Despite all the pain and massacres, we would rejoice and support the resistance,” she told AA.
Yet, Abdel-Karim could not hide her worry about the possible Israeli retaliation. “The Israeli army committed a massacre today in residential neighborhood of Shujaya and killed 98 civilians across the enclave and I would not rule out that it would carry out more massacres,” she added.
Habib nodded in agreement. “I’m afraid that Israel would carry out more massacres against the Palestinians after killing over 60 civilians today, mostly children and women, in Shujaya,” he said.
Mixed feelings
The scene was no different in al-Shifa Hospital, the main medical facility in the Gaza Strip, which has been turned into a shelter center for thousands of Palestinians who fled the ongoing Israeli shelling of eastern Gaza City.
“Thousands of children have been crying and asking for their missing fathers and mothers. Now, they all cheer for the resistance, which gave them a new hope,” Nour Abed, 24, said as she holds her daughter.
“I felt that all the pain has gone with the grief turning into joy,” she added.
A similar feeling overwhelmed Raghda Sukkar, 35, who lost four of her family members in the shelling of Shujaya earlier today.
“This announcement brought comfort to our pain,” she said.
“Today’s carnage has left us devastated and speechless, but al-Qassam Brigades’ announcement has helped us forget our pain.”
Israel silent on soldier held hostage by Qassam
Israel's army and government on Sunday were reticent about a statement by Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, earlier in the day that it managed to hold an Israeli soldier hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's media was equally tight-lipped on the issue, even as Qassam Brigades made its announcement one hour earlier.
The brigades said it managed to hold the soldier hostage somewhere in the Gaza Strip, mentioning his name and also his army card number.
Since July 7, Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip with air and naval bombardments with the stated aim of halting rocket attacks from it.
The operation has, however, left 425 Gazans killed and 3008 others injured so far.
On Thursday night, Israel stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending thousands of troops into the embattled Palestinian territory.
Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against Gaza in the last six years.
By Mustafa Haboosh, Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
www.aa.com.tr/en
