Hamas armed wing says one Israeli hostage killed, two women captives 'seriously wounded'
- 13 Aug 2024
One Israeli male hostage was killed by his guard and two women captives were seriously wounded in two separate incidents in Gaza, the spokesperson for Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said on Monday.
The Palestinian group Hamas seized 251 hostages during their October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war, with 111 of them still held in Gaza including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.
The statement, posted on Telegram, did not identify the hostages or say when or where the incidents occurred, but noted "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 in a statement that it does "not have any intelligence information that allows us to refute or confirm Hamas' claims".
"We will continue to examine and verify the credibility of the message", the statement added.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in a televised briefing earlier on Monday, said: "We do not forget for a moment the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza".
"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 resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive in the Gaza Strip since then has killed at least 39,897 people, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Agencies
