Palestinian terrorists considering moving hostages to Gaza City to deter IDF offensive

Saudi-owned, London-based outlet Asharq al-Awsat's report is based on sources from the terrorist groups.

Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are considering a plan to transfer hostages to Gaza City in order to deter the IDF's planned offensive and occupation of the area, according to a Sunday report by Saudi-owned, London-based outlet Asharq al-Awsat.

The outlet's report is based on sources from the terrorist groups, who were cited anonymously.

The sources emphasized to the outlet that the plan is still being considered and no decision has been made, but it is being explored in order to pressure Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent invading and occupying the area by tying the decision with the fate of the 20 living hostages still held in terror captivity.

The proposal has already been discussed by terror faction leaders "at senior levels both inside and outside" the enclave, according to the sources.

The sources claimed that the terror groups' policy has been to keep hostages alive as much as possible in order to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners and reach a ceasefire agreement.

They also claimed that the hostage captors often deprived themselves of food in order to keep the hostages alive. Israel, however, disputes this.

"There are no longer any options in the face of Israeli arrogance and the crimes committed against defenseless citizens and the systematic destruction of their homes, except to take extraordinary decisions to emphasize that Palestinian blood will not remain the only blood shed," one source was cited by the outlet as saying.

Israeli hostages' lives are not more valuable than the 'blood of our people,' terror source tells outlet

"Its price must be high, not only the lives of the soldiers who will enter the city, but also the lives of the Israeli hostages, who we believe are not more valuable than the blood of our people," they added.

"We cannot stand idly by in the face of these continuing Israeli crimes against our people, and the attempt to force them once again from their homes in order to seize control of Gaza City and its north, and impose a new reality on their future," they continued.

"We are convinced that Netanyahu and his ministers do not care about the lives of their captives, but at the same time, we cannot accept sacrificing the lives of our citizens or making them pay the price alone," another source commented.