Hamas says one Israeli hostage killed and two more injured in Gaza

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: The military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas reported that its fighters on Monday killed one Israeli hostage and injured two women in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian gunmen kidnapped 251 hostages in their October 7 attack on Israel that set off the current war, with 111 of them still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

In a statement, Abu Obeida of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said, “In two separate incidents, two recruits assigned to guard enemy prisoners fired at a Zionist prisoner, killing him immediately and also injuring two female prisoners critically.”The statement posted on Telegram did not identify the hostages nor when and where the incidents happened but added, “Attempts are being made to save the lives” of the two women.

Abu Obeida said Hamas had formed a committee to investigate the shootings.

The Israeli military said it does not have any intelligence information that allows us to refute or confirm Hamas’ claims. We will continue to examine and verify the message’s credibility, the statement added.

We do not forget for a moment the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a televised briefing earlier on Monday. We are deeply concerned about their physical and mental condition, given the prolonged time that has passed and the harsh conditions of their captivity.

The October 7 attack killed 1,198 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP toll based on figures from Israeli authorities. An Israel retaliatory military offensive in the Gaza Strip has since then killed at least 39,897 people, said the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not break down the figures into civilian and military fatalities.