The Palestinian militant group Hamas vowed to execute captives if Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza Strip residents without warning on Monday.
“Every targeting of our people without warning will be met with the execution of one of the civilian hostages,” the Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement.
“The enemy doesn’t understand the language of humanity and ethics, so we’ll address them in the language that they understand.”
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip for three days after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise onslaught on southern Israeli cities, killing hundreds.
Militants retreated to the enclave with roughly 100 hostages after spraying gunshots under the cover of thousands of rockets fired from Gaza.
On Monday, an Israeli military official claimed that information about 30 captives had been delivered to their relatives.