Hamas officials say that a group of guards watching over Israeli hostages in Gaza have killed one captive and wounded two others.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, said Monday that guards in two separate incidents shot and killed a male Israeli hostage and seriously injured two female hostages.
The spokesman did not identify the victims or specify when or where the incidents took place, only claiming that the terror group has formed a committee to investigate.
Obeida, the same man who once threatened to execute Israeli hostages and publish the footage, claimed the wounded hostages were being treated.
“At this stage, there is no intelligence document to confirm or refute Hamas’ allegations,” the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement.
“We are continuing to check and investigate the credibility of the statement, and will update as soon as possible with any information we have,” the IDF added.
Hamas’ announcement comes after Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing Monday that the hostages remain a top priority.
“We do not forget for a moment the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza,” Hagari said. “We are deeply concerned about their physical and mental condition, given the prolonged time that has passed and the harsh conditions of their captivity.”
About 251 hostages were kidnapped from Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre, with 111 still believed to be in Hamas captivity — including five Americans.
The Israeli military believes that at least 39 of the hostages are dead, with Monday’s revelations threatening to raise the death toll to 40.
The US, Egypt and Qatar have been attempting to mediate a hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.
But the terror group, now led by Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar, backed out of Thursday’s planned peace talks on Sunday, claiming the discussions have strayed too far from what had been backed by President Biden and the UN Security Council last month.
Despite Hamas’ refusal to participate in the ceasefire negotiations on Aug. 15, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters Monday that the agency expects the meeting to still take place.
“We fully expect talks to move forward, as they should. All negotiators should return to the table and bring this deal to conclusion,” Patel said while declining to comment on Hamas’ refusal.
With Post wires
