On Monday, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades stated that one Israeli hostage was recently killed while another two were seriously wounded.
The spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, said the deceased hostage was killed by his guard – marking the first admission of hostages being killed by Hamas’ hand. The two wounded hostages – both of whom are female – were reportedly injured from an unrelated incident.
Ubaida blamed the tragedies on Israel, saying it was their “massacres” which had affected their lives. He added that Hamas has formed a committee to investigate the matter and will report later with its findings.
The Israeli army responded to the news saying they have not been able to separately confirm these statements. They are also investigating the matter.