A secretive Hamas group known as the \u2018Shadow Unit\u2019 is likely overseeing the holding of any Israeli or American hostages, putting those held by the group in danger and complicating any attempts at a rescue.<\/p>\n
The Shadow Unit, whose existence was only disclosed by Hamas in 2016, is likely in charge of guarding an unknown number of Israeli and international hostages who were captured after the outbreak of hostilities in Israel this month, according to a report in the Foundation for Defense of Democracies\u2019 (FDD) Long War Journal.<\/p>\n
Joe Truzman, the FDD author behind the report, told Fox News Digital that the group\u2019s involvement in overseeing the hostages will likely complicate efforts by the Israeli government to secure their release.<\/p>\n
\u2018It just complicates matters so much,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Truzman noted that the Shadow Unit is one of several specially trained Hamas units, groups that are different from ordinary fighters and whose expertise makes them more difficult for Israeli forces to combat. In the case of hostages, the group\u2019s role in overseeing them would make it more difficult for Israel to run any sort of recovery operation.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is what they do,\u2019 Truzman said, noting that the group\u2019s members are unlikely involved in combat operations or kidnappings and instead focus solely on guarding hostages.<\/p>\n
The reason for the development of the unit, according to Truzman, was a need for a way to bargain for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, who he argued are basically \u2018revered\u2019 by Hamas. By having a specially trained unit oversee the hostage operation, Hamas could more successfully engage and negotiate for the release of Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n
But the volume of prisoners taken in the most recent conflict could also increase the danger for hostages, with Truzman pointing out that the unit is likely unable to care for so many prisoners at once.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m not quite sure if Hamas knew or fully understood how many hostages they would be able to abduct. \u2026 I think they probably didn\u2019t expect this many,\u2019 Truzman said, pointing to the case of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and other prisoners who were likely held by the unit, noting that when they were released from captivity they suffered from multiple health issues.<\/p>\n
\u2018If they had trouble taking care of one guy \u2026 I\u2019m not sure they have the capacity to care for every hostage here,\u2019 Truzman said.<\/p>\n
Complicating matters further is that it is unknown just how many hostages the group currently holds, with Truzman noting that there are other terrorist groups in the area who have likely taken hostages of their own. That reality makes it hard for Israel and other countries to have an accurate accounting of where their prisoners are, making any rescue attempts or negations more difficult.<\/p>\n
While Truzman said that it is possible some Americans are currently held captive by the Shadow Unit, he argued that the group would be more likely to prioritize Israelis, who they believe they could use to bargain with Israel\u2019s government for the release of Palestinians.<\/p>\n
However, with Gaza being cut off from many resources and a looming offensive by Israeli forces, the fate of the hostages in the care of the Shadow Unit could remain a mystery.<\/p>\n
Some experts have questioned whether that reality has delayed the Israeli offensive, with Israel Defense Forces veteran Aaron Cohen telling Fox News that the operation could be put on hold to allow time for sophisticated hostage rescue attempts.<\/p>\n
\u2018Israel is no junior varsity when it comes to this. They\u2019re masters at the craft, so what they\u2019re doing right now is taking 40 years of experience, and they\u2019re buying as much time as they can to be able to collect actionable intelligence,\u2019 Cohen said Sunday on \u2018FOX & Friends.\u2019 \u2018The reason why that is critical when it comes to hostages is because you have grandmothers, grandfathers, babies whose parents were murdered in front of them being held up in the air by Hamas. And you\u2019ve got civilians that are essentially placed throughout Gaza in multiple locations.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I just don\u2019t know how this is going to end exactly,\u2019 Truzman said. \u2018Are the Israelis going to be able to go in there with ground forces and capture or release the hostages or is this going to be done in another manner \u2026 involving negotiations and prisoner swaps?\u2019<\/p>\n