Behind closed doors: How a prominent Gaza family was able to secretly hold three Israeli hostages

He Dr. Ahmad Al-Jamala general practitioner, imam and member of a prominent family in Gaza, secretly held three Israeli hostages captive in his home for six months, the newspaper reported Monday. Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The home of a prominent Gaza family – a doctor, a journalist, a phlebotomist and their children – secretly housed three hostages. How was this possible?

Every day, Al-Jamal was returning home from work with his son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and Israeli captives from HamasTOlmog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv.

The hostages were taken hostage by Hamas he October 7.

The secret captivity

According to the report, citing local residents, it was an open secret within the Nuseirat camp that the family of Al-Jamal was associated with Hamas. Ahmad’s brother, Abdelrahman Al-Jamalis a lawyer Hamas in Gaza. However, the report states that most were unaware of the three hostages held in a dark room in the family home.

The IDF reported that the son, Abdullah Al-Jamal37, was a journalist for the Palestinian news site The Palestine Chronicle. Fatmahis wife, was a phlebotomist at a local clinic.

The hostages later claimed they could hear conversations between the two and the rest of the family as they went about their normal lives. A previous report from WSJ It claimed that the three hostages lived in a dark room upstairs in the apartment for six months, while the family lived downstairs.

Abdullah He had previously served as spokesperson for the government of Hamas and, according to WSJopenly supported the October 7 attack.

The building in which the family lived Al-Jamal It was destroyed by an IAF attack after the hostage rescue earlier this month.

The rescue operation, which received significant coverage due to its complex and intricate planning and execution, resulted in the return of the three men, as well as Noa Argamaniwho was kept separately nearby by another family with ties to Hamasthe Abu Nars.

He Dr. Al-Jamalher son and daughter-in-law died in the operation, according to local reports cited by the WSJbut the children survived.

The family reportedly Abu Nar He also died in the rescue operation and his building was destroyed.

The IDF did not comment directly on the elimination of family members or the destruction of buildings, but in a statement said it acted to “eliminate terrorists” and “destroy terrorist infrastructure.”

According to the report, many locals have visited the house, shocked by the discovery of the captive Israelis right under their noses. He WSJ He noted that secrets like this are difficult to keep within such a close-knit community and in such a densely populated area.

The report also stated that residents were unhappy that Hamas endanger civilians by housing hostages in a densely populated area next to a market.

He WSJ reported that the locals wanted Hamas kept hostages in tunnels, away from civilians.

“Hamas “should give us a map of the safe areas we can stay in because if we had known there were hostages in the neighborhood, we would have looked somewhere else,” Mustafa Muhammad, 36, told WSJ. Muhammad fled from Gaza City to Nuseirat at the beginning of the war.

And these fears were not unfounded; The rescue operation Israel caused civilian casualties in Gaza. The IDF claimed it was less than a hundred, but the Gaza Ministry of Health put estimates at around 200.

However, residents spoke fondly of the Al-Jamal: “He Dr Ahmad was the one who circumcised my three sons,” local resident Ali Bkhit told WSJ.

“When I dealt with him, he was a nice character; he never stopped smiling.”