The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday published details regarding the hostages' captivity in Gaza.
According to Hamas sources who spoke with the newspaper, guarding the hostages was a very difficult task, but the terror organization’s most senior leadership, both in the military wing and the political wing, instructed that extensive efforts be invested to preserve the lives of the living hostages as well as the bodies of those who were killed.
According to Kan News, sources within Hamas confirmed that the living hostages were regularly moved from place to place throughout Gaza, as conditions on the ground allowed, under heavy guard and without the IDF detecting them. The reported noted that the hostages were moved between tunnels, apartments above ground, and other locations.
The sources further stated that deceased hostages were kept in graves inside Hamas tunnels, in cemeteries, and at sites belonging to various factions where infrastructure existed that allowed for the preservation of the bodies.
Many hostages were transferred from the northern Gaza to southern Gaza. According to the sources, at times the IDF was only a few meters away from the hostages, but their guards managed to mislead the forces and prevent them from reaching the hostages, or moved the hostages via alternative routes. Some of the hostages were held in tunnels located beneath IDF assembly points.
According to Hamas sources, after October 7 the terror group’s military wing held a series of meetings, both direct and indirect, with the leadership of other terror groups that had taken hostages. The purpose was to coordinate the guarding of the hostages, including gathering information on their identities and numbers, and transferring some of them to the custody of the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The report also confirmed that the leadership of Hamas’ military wing oversaw the guarding of hostages held by Hamas and by other factions. After the first ceasefire, direct meetings were held with senior military figures from the other terror groups to organize the matter and reassess the identities of the living and deceased hostages. In addition, during that period, hostages were transferred into Hamas’ custody, as it was considered the terror group which had the most significant abilities to guard the hostages.