The military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization which rules the Gaza Strip issued an unusual statement Monday evening on the condition of the Israeli citizens it holds captive, claiming that the medical condition of one them has deteriorated.
The announcement further states that information confirming this report will be published in the coming hours.
Hamas did not provide the name of the person whose medical condition has worsened. The terrorist organization holds Israeli civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed captive.
Mengitsu has been held since 2014, and al-Sayed since 2015. Hamas has not allowed their families or the Red Cross to visit them since taking them captive.
Hamas has also been holding the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
Hamas has attempted to create the impression that Goldin and Shaul are still alive in order to secure a more favorable prisoner exchange with Israel. A recent article in the Hamas-run newspaper 'Palestine' claimed that Shaul was bound to a wheelchair and that Goldin was in good health.
An Israeli security source said in response that there Israel has no information about a change in the health of the prisoners held by Hamas. He added that this appeared to be an attempted psychological warfare by the terrorist organization.