The spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, stated on Monday, September 2, 2024, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on freeing prisoners through military pressure instead of negotiating a deal would mean their return in coffins. This comment alluded to the six detainees whose bodies Israel retrieved a day earlier.
Abu Ubaida added that following the Nuseirat incident, instructions were issued to the guards of the prisoners regarding how to handle the situation if the Israeli army approaches.
He emphasized that Netanyahu and the Israeli army are solely responsible for the deaths of the prisoners due to their deliberate obstruction of any deal for narrow interests and their intentional killing of dozens of detainees through bombings. He stressed that the families of the Israeli prisoners must choose between their loved ones returning alive or dead.
On Monday, September 2, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained firm in his stance on maintaining the Philadelphia Corridor, seeking “forgiveness” from the families of the six detainees whose bodies were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza for not bringing them back alive. He also vowed that Hamas would pay a very heavy price.
In a televised press conference in occupied Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that Israel was close to freeing the six detainees but, unfortunately, was unsuccessful as Hamas killed them and would pay a heavy price for that.
He reaffirmed his unchanging position on the Philadelphia Corridor, describing it as Hamas’s oxygen supply that must be cut off. He argued that Israel’s withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor made Gaza a significant threat to Israel and opened the way for weapons and other supplies to Hamas.
Netanyahu stressed that there was no previous international agreement allowing Israel to occupy the Philadelphia Corridor and confirmed that achieving the war’s objectives involves controlling this corridor.
The Israeli Prime Minister also pointed out that he never agreed to evacuate the Philadelphia Corridor when former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to leave the Gaza Strip, noting that “when we entered the Philadelphia Corridor, we felt a shift in our military situation in our favor.”
He added, “They are telling us to leave the Philadelphia Corridor for 42 days, but I say if we do that, we will not return to it even after 42 years.” He asserted that the Israeli army’s entry into the Philadelphia Corridor forced Hamas to change its stance in negotiations.
Netanyahu expressed his eagerness to reach an agreement, claiming that he had not noticed any positive moves from Hamas towards striking a deal. He mentioned that Israel has fought three wars, eliminating many of its enemies but failing to gain international support for reoccupying Gaza.
He emphasized that Israel is in a fateful war against what he described as the Iranian axis of evil, stating that the enemy wants to destroy all of us without exception. He added that after Israel withdrew from Lebanon, it should have returned as soon as the first rocket was fired at it from there.
Destruction of Jenin
In a parallel development, a local Palestinian official stated on Monday that the Israeli army had turned Jenin and its refugee camp into a “disaster zone” due to the massive destruction caused by its military operation, which has continued for six days, making it difficult to “accurately assess the damage.”
Ali Zakarneh, a member of the Jenin Reconstruction Committee, told Anadolu Agency: “The extent of the destruction in Jenin, its camp, and its eastern neighborhood exceeds the capabilities of the local community, government institutions, and the private sector to rebuild,” describing the city as “devastated.”
He added, “Jenin is now destroyed, and the level of destruction in the city, its camp, and its eastern neighborhood may exceed 70%.”
On Saturday, the Jenin Municipality announced that the Israeli army had destroyed about 70% of the city’s streets and infrastructure.
The local Palestinian official continued, “The destruction affected everything, including the infrastructure inside the city and the camp. Electricity is cut off, and the sewage systems are completely damaged.”
He described the level of destruction as “extremely massive and indescribable,” noting that it is difficult to “precisely assess the extent of the damage” caused by this.
He also mentioned that the Israeli army bulldozed and wrecked the central market of Jenin “without reason or justification,” noting that the market serves approximately 400,000 people. He continued, “The army separated Jenin Camp from the city and separated the city from the eastern neighborhood.”
He pointed out that the displacement of “a very large number of Palestinians from the eastern neighborhood” continues, while hospitals remain besieged with water, fuel, food, and medicine supplies cut off.
