[News] Israeli captive: “Netanyahu’s military operations in Gaza will eventually lead to my death”

[Anti-Imperialist News]

peoplesdispatch.org
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/11/14/israeli-captive-netanyahus-military-operations-in-gaza-will-eventually-lead-to-my-death/>
Israeli captive: “Netanyahu’s military operations in Gaza will eventually
lead to my death”
Aseel Saleh
November 14, 2024
------------------------------
[image: Hostage-gaza-1536x864.jpeg]

Hostage Alexander Trupanov. Photo: Screenshot

The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Saraya al-Quds
Brigades, released a video message
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ldDsp14eQ> of an Israeli captive held by
the brigades in the Gaza strip on Wednesday, November 13.

The captive blamed Netanyahu’s government for the miserable living
conditions they have experienced due to the continuous blockade imposed on
the besieged strip by Israel, which has also affected the captives.

“My name is Alexander Trupanov, I am 28 years old. I have been held captive
by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Jihad for one year. A year, during which
we have suffered lack of food, drink and electricity, and currently we are
suffering a scarcity in our essential needs of soap and shampoo. I have
developed skin diseases that I never suffered from before, due to this
situation,” Trupanov said.

“I would like to remind the citizens of Israel, when you eat or drink
something you have to remember us, the captives, because we do not have the
opportunity to enjoy the food and drink that you consume. I want you to
think about us when you close the border crossing to cause a hardship to
the Palestinian people in Gaza; causing a hardship to them means causing a
hardship to us,” the Israeli captive added.

Trupanov held Netanyahu’s government accountable for the death of many
Israeli captives in the Gaza strip in airstrikes and military operations
launched by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

He also clarified that he has frequently been in danger, throughout over a
year of aggression, due to the military operations carried out by IOF to
supposedly free the Israeli captives from Gaza. Trupanov also asserted that
the fighters of Islamic Jihad saved his life multiple times. He said that
some of these fighters sustained injuries, while others were killed while
trying to save his life, and that his life has been exposed to an imminent
risk on a daily basis.

“The military operations, which Netanyahu has chosen, will eventually lead
to my death. I want to tell you that I began to fear our army. I am afraid
of the moment at which the army will reach me, or the moment at which they
will strike the place where I am held. The number of captives who were
killed in this war is not small, it is a big number. Only a few were
released by military operations. The only good thing they did for the
captives was the first ceasefire deal,” Trupanov said.

Moreover, Trupanov accused the Israeli government of expanding the war with
Lebanon, so the Israeli people would forget the issue of the captives, and
to provoke a war with Iran. He pointed out that his government’s deeds
“will end up in burying the captives deep under the ground.”

Additionally, Trupanov urged the people of Israel to take to the streets,
although they have organized demonstrations every Saturday for more than
one year, without having their demands for a captives-for-prisoners deal
being met. The Israeli captive called on his people to further escalate
demonstrations, block the roads for a long period of time, and to organize
prolonged comprehensive strikes. He also implored the Israeli people to do
whatever they can do, so the captives would return alive and in good
health. Trupanov asserted that the captives’ return will be possible by
exerting pressure on the Israeli government.

It is worth noting that the Islamic Jihad released the video, a couple of
days after Qatar announced
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/11/13/qatar-suspends-its-ceasefire-mediation-throwing-future-of-talks-into-question/>
that it was stalling its mediation efforts in the ceasefire talks until the
concerned parties show “willingness and seriousness” to end the war.
Qatar’s step has been interpreted as a matter of exerting pressure on Hamas
upon a reported request of the Biden’s administration.

The release of the video at this specific timing, is seen as reaction by
the Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza strip to the suspension of
Qatar’s mediation. Perhaps, the Islamic Jihad wanted to deliver a message
to Israel and the US through the captive’s televised message, that only a
permanent ceasefire and captives-for-prisoners deal will end the war.

The resistance movement may also wanted to remind Israel and the US that
not all Israeli captives are held by Hamas, but also by other resistance
groups or “components” as the spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing Abu
Obeida stated at the beginning of the aggression. The video also shows the
unity of the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, and their united
position in rejecting to end the war through unfair compromises, but
through ending the Israeli aggression and the release of Palestinian
prisoners from Israeli jails.

The timing of the video is also important, as the amount of aid entering
Gaza has dropped to the lowest level in eleven months
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/11/aid-gaza-trucks-food-lowest-level-year-despite-us-ultimatum>,
pushing Gaza to the edge of starvation and serious health crisis.

The US had issued an ultimatum on October 13, warning Israel that it should
allow the access of more humanitarian supplies to Gaza within 30 days,
otherwise it would withhold arms supplies to the Zionist state.

On Tuesday, November 12, the deadline given to Israel ended and media
reports
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/12/israel-fails-to-meet-us-deadline-to-increase-gaza-aid-rights-groups-say>
indicated that the agreed upon amount of aid was not allowed to enter the
besieged enclave. Nevertheless, the US announced on Tuesday that it will
not restrict arms transfer to Israel after the deadline was exceeded, as it
is still assessing the improvement of the situation in Gaza based on the
steps already implemented by Israel, and additional steps yet to be taken.

The Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel
<https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/no-policy-change-to-announce-says-us-as-gaza-deadline-for-israel-expires/3392242>
said on Tuesday: “We, at this time, have not made an assessment that the
Israelis are in violation of US law.” Patel’s statement confirms again that
the US is able to stop the genocide and the grave humanitarian crisis in
the region, but refuses to stop the arms shipments which enable Israel’s
crimes.
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