Hamas Threatens to Start Killing Hostages

As Israel continued to pound Gaza with airstrikes ahead of a possible ground offensive, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing threatened to start killing hostages. The militants seized at least 150 hostages, including elderly people and children, in the cross-border attack that began Saturday morning, the New York Times reports. The hostages include Israeli soldiers and civilians, as well as citizens of other countries. Abu Obeida said Monday that the group would execute a civilian every time Gazans were killed "in their homes without warning." He said four Israeli captives had already been killed by airstrikes, along with their captors.

Obeida said the executions would be broadcast "in audio and video," NBC News reports. He said that the captives are being held are being held in "safe places and the tunnels of the resistance" and that there will be no chance of negotiating their release while fighting continues. "The enemy must save its effort and prepare to pay the price," he said, per the Times. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen warned Hamas against harming hostages, saying, "This war crime will not be forgiven," reports the AP. Earlier Monday, Israel's defense chief ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, with power and water supplies cut off. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)