Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing al-Qassam Brigades stated that seven hostages held in Gaza were killed due to Israeli military bombardment, bringing the total number of hostage deaths to over 70, Reuters reports.
Ubaida did not provide specific details to support this claim but accused Israel of targeting hostages in its military operations. Israeli officials have not directly responded to Hamas’ claims, considering it as part of psychological warfare.
The escalation follows Hamas militants’ killing of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the abduction of at least 250 individuals. During a temporary truce, Hamas released over 100 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
