PARIS: An adviser to Al-Qaeda’s likely current leader is calling for Hamas to release its Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to an American militant monitoring organization, SITE.
The online declaration was made Friday by Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu Walid Al-Masri, who is father-in-law to Saif Al-Adel, the man widely believed to now head Al-Qaeda, according to SITE.
In it, Hamid claimed the attention given to recovering the Israeli hostages, both dead and alive, was overshadowing the fate of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.
He also hailed Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader whom Israel announced a day earlier it had killed. Sinwar was the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Hamas must now “immediately” return the hostages and their bodies, and “this file must be closed and not opened again, as we know its consequences,” according to the statement.
“No one cares about the Palestinian prisoners, neither in the media, in negotiations, nor in demonstrations,” it said.
Hamas grabbed a total 251 hostages in its October 7, 2023 attacks. Since then, several have been found dead, and some were released in a short-lived December ceasefire, leaving 97 still in the hands of the Islamist Palestinian group.
Al-Qaeda, held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, was the target of the American-led invasion of Afghanistan, where it was traditionally based.
Its then-leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces in neighboring Pakistan in 2011. Bin Laden’s successor, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, was killed by a US drone strike in July 2022.
The core Al-Qaeda organization survives, and its de facto leader is believed to be Saif Al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces lieutenant-colonel whose presence has been reported in Iran.
Several experts consulted by AFP say Hamid is close to higher-ups in the core Al-Qaeda organization.
The group, which has spawned regional affiliates in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Mali, has little leverage over Hamas, which is backed by Iran.
Hamas on Friday vowed not to release any hostages under the Gaza war ends.
Analysts said that, with no successor to Sinwar named and a vacuum in Hamas’s leadership, it will be difficult to find someone negotiate their release.
Al-Qaeda adviser urges release of Israeli hostages in Gaza
https://arab.news/pprzu
Al-Qaeda adviser urges release of Israeli hostages in Gaza
- Hamas must now “immediately” return the hostages and their bodies, and “this file must be closed and not opened again, as we know its consequences,” according to the statement
- “No one cares about the Palestinian prisoners, neither in the media, in negotiations, nor in demonstrations,” it said
UAE closes embassy in Tehran, withdraws ambassador
- UAE foreign ministry said Iranian strikes represented serious and irresponsible escalation
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates closed its embassy in Tehran on Sunday and has withdrawn its ambassador and all diplomatic staff from Iran following Iranian missile strikes targeting the Gulf country.
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision came in response to what it described as “blatant Iranian missile attacks” on Emirati territory.
The ministry said the strikes targeted civilian sites, including residential areas, airports, ports and service facilities, and represented a serious and irresponsible escalation.
“These hostile attacks constitute a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the statement said.
The ministry added that the move reflects the UAE’s “firm and unwavering stance against any aggression” that threatens its security and sovereignty. It accused Iran of continued hostile and provocative conduct that undermines de-escalation efforts and pushes the region toward a dangerous trajectory, threatening regional and international peace, energy security and global economic stability.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have faced hundreds of missile and drone attacks since Saturday, as Tehran retaliates against US-Israeli airstrikes.
While the majority of the projectiles have reportedly been intercepted, there have been reports of casualties and damage in several areas of both cities.
