A senior Hamas leader has said that responsibility for securing Israeli captives currently held in Gaza has been entrusted to specialised "suicide brigades".
These groups of trained fighters are assigned to ensure the safety and protection of the captives during ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The leader did not provide further details about the exact structure or methods of these units but claimed Hamas's recent decisions regarding how to progress the long-stalled negotiations, such as agreeing to include additional captives for release, were made in response to the catastrophic humanitarian conditions facing the people of Gaza.
In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Hamas commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity said: "We are not far from an agreement if Netanyahu shows a positive response on the issues of a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal."
He said that Hamas, along with other Palestinian factions, was approaching the talks with a sense of urgency, aiming to reach an agreement as quickly as possible while being mindful of the suffering of Gaza's population.
At least 46,006 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel's war, which has utterly devastated the territory. More than 109,000 people have been injured and the true death toll is believed to be much higher than official figures because thousands of bodies are trapped under rubble.
The humanitarian crisis in the territory is deepening by the by the day, with millions of Palestinians displaced multiple times due to the war and living under siege, with shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and crimes against humanity as a result of their conduct of the Gaza war.
"We are negotiating with a clear focus on the broader interests of our people," the Hamas official said.
He also claimed that the Israeli government's renewed pressure to secure further details on the identities and locations of these captives is part of a broader strategy to gather intelligence on their whereabouts.
The commander emphasised that the Palestinian group and its allies had remained firm in resisting any attempts to manipulate the process for intelligence-gathering purposes.
"The situation is clear: Netanyahu is playing a dangerous game with the lives of these captives, and any delays in this process are unjustifiable," he said.
The commander also warned that if Israel's military or intelligence services manage to pinpoint the location of the captives - a scenario considered unlikely - they would not be able to retrieve them alive unless an agreement is reached.
"Even if they manage to locate the captives, the chances of returning them alive are extremely slim. The only scenario that could allow for their safe return is through a negotiated agreement," the commander said.
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope for a truce that has proven elusive.
The negotiations have so far focused on the first phase, which includes the release of captives in exchange for certain concessions. But a significant sticking point remains regarding the language around the "end of war".
The Israeli delegation has proposed a phrasing that calls for a "permanent halt to military operations" and the "full implementation of calm." Hamas has rejected this formulation, arguing that it lacks clarity, and only represents a temporary pause in fighting.