Hamas military spokesperson Abu Obeida said that the IDF is besieging the area where Israeli hostage Matan Zanguaker is being held and that its operations are endangering his life, in an announcement on Telegram on Saturday.

"Urgent warning to those concerned... The occupation forces are besieging a place where the Zionist prisoner 'Matan Zangauker' is being held. We unequivocally affirm that the enemy will not be able to recover him alive. If this prisoner is killed during an attempt to free him, the occupation army will be responsible for his death, after we preserved his life for a year and eight months. He who warns is excused...," the statement read.

The IDF said there were no current operations attempting to rescue Matan.

Hamas's execution of hostages

The Gazan terror group previously murdered the "Beautiful Six" in response to IDF operations near where they were being held.The bodies of hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino were recovered from a tunnel in Rafah.
Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov and Almog Sarusi. (credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Screenshot )
Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov and Almog Sarusi. (credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Screenshot )
"Netanyahu and the occupation army alone bear full responsibility for the deaths of the prisoners. They deliberately obstructed any prisoner exchange deal for their own narrow interests, and furthermore, intentionally killed dozens of prisoners through direct airstrikes," Obaida said at the time. "Let it be clear to everyone that, following the incident in Nuseirat, new instructions have been issued to the Mujahideen tasked with guarding the prisoners. These instructions outline how to handle the situation if the occupation army approaches the location where the prisoners are being held."

The Nuseirat incident refers to Operation Arnon, in which four hostages were rescued from the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, which led to the deaths of at least 100 people, according to IDF estimates, and nearly 300, according to Hamas estimates. 

The rescued hostages were Noa Argamani, 26; Andrey Kozlov, 27; Almog Meir Jan, 21; and Shlomi Ziv, 40. 

Jerusalem Post Staff, Yonah Jeremy Bob and Sam Halpern contributed to this report.