The Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds has published three documents, reportedly handwritten by the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, detailing his instructions for the treatment and management of hostages held by Hamas. The documents emphasize the strategic importance of hostages as leverage in negotiations and outline specifics of their captivity.

In the first document, Sinwar allegedly instructs captors to “safeguard the lives of the enemy’s prisoners,” underscoring their value as bargaining chips for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The instructions reportedly reference Quranic verses to reinforce these directives.

The second document presents data on 112 hostages, categorized by location—Gaza City (14 hostages), central Gaza Strip (25), and Rafah (51). Another group of 22 hostages is noted without a specified location. The document categorizes the hostages by age, gender, and status as civilians or soldiers, including a specific mention of Bedouin captives held in Gaza City and Rafah.

The third document lists eleven female hostages who were released early in the conflict, many during a temporary truce in November. These individuals are identified by name, age, and any foreign citizenship they held.

Following the October 7 attacks, 251 people were reported abducted by Hamas, with 97 still believed to be held in Gaza. According to the IDF, this includes the bodies of at least 34 hostages confirmed dead. During a truce in late November, Hamas released 105 hostages, with four others released beforehand. Eight hostages were rescued alive by IDF forces, and 37 bodies were recovered, including three individuals mistakenly killed during escape attempts.

Hamas is also reportedly holding two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)