The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced on Saturday the death, in a combat zone in northern Gaza, of a hostage kidnapped during the attacks of October 7, 2023. The Israeli army said it was examining these claims that it said he could neither confirm nor deny at this stage. Referring to a video published by Hamas and purporting to show the hostage dead, the army said it was “in contact with her family and keeping them informed of all available information”.
In a statement, Abou Obeida, spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, indicated that the resumption of contacts, broken off for several weeks, with the guards of the hostages had made it possible to establish that this woman had been killed in an area of Israeli army operations in the north of the Palestinian territory. No details were provided on the date and location, the identity of the victim or the circumstances of his supposed death. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was examining these assertions.
Abou Obeida clarified that the life of another hostage held with the supposed victim was also in danger and placed the responsibility on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his government and his army. On October 7, 2023, 251 people were kidnapped on Israeli soil. A total of 97 hostages remain in Gaza, 34 of whom were declared dead by the army.
A truce in November 2023, the only one since the start of the war, allowed the release of more than 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Regardless of the unconfirmed announcement from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, there remain 10 women presumed alive as hostages, including 5 soldiers, according to an AFP count.
At war with Hamas for more than a year, Israeli forces have launched a major ground operation in northern Gaza to, according to them, prevent fighters from the Palestinian Islamist movement from reconstituting their forces there.
A collective created on October 8, 2023, the Hostage Families Forum said it did not want to make comments at this stage. “We don't know anything other than what Hamas says. Our only reliable source is the Israeli army,” a spokesperson told AFP.
For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister announced Tuesday from the shore of the Gaza Strip a reward of 5 million dollars offered to anyone who brings back a hostage held in Gaza.
