Hamas says hostage guards in Gaza have been operating under new instructions

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jaidaa Taha

CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas' armed wing said on Monday that since June the group has been operating under new instructions on how to handle hostages should Israeli forces approach their locations in Gaza.

The announcement comes days after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying they had been shot dead by their captors as Israeli forces got close.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, did not provide details on what the instructions were. He said his group holds Israel responsible for the hostages' deaths.

The new instructions, Ubaida said, were given to guards of hostages after a rescue operation by Israel in June. At that time, Israeli forces freed four hostages in a raid in which dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed.

"Netanyahu's insistence to free prisoners through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal, means they will be returned to their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive," he said.

Later on Monday, the Hamas armed wing published a pre-recorded video of one of the six dead hostages. It was unclear when the video was made.

Netanyahu said in a press conference on Monday that the hostages had been shot in the back of the head, and promised that Hamas would pay a heavy price.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Netanyahu's accusations against Hamas were an attempt to escape responsibility for their deaths.

"Netanyahu killed the six prisoners and he is determined to kill the remaining ones. The Israelis should choose between Netanyahu or the deal," Abu Zuhri said.

Similarly, Ezzat El Rashq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement published by the group on Monday: "The resistance's hostages can immediately return to their families, the [one] stalling their return and responsible for their lives is Netanyahu."

Israel and Hamas have failed to reach a deal that would end the war and see the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in return for many Palestinians jailed by Israel.

Hamas wants an agreement to end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza while Netanyahu says the war can only end once Hamas is defeated.

(Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Jaida Taha. Additional reporting by Adam Makary; Editing by Mark Porter and Stephen Coates)