The armed wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Friday that two Israeli hostages held in Gaza were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Rafah a few days ago.
In a video posted on its Telegram channel, the group did not provide the names of the deceased or any evidence of the claim.
The Israeli government “does not want your hostages to return, except in coffins,” the al-Qassam Brigades statement said.
On June 8, Israel conducted a hostage rescue operation in central Gaza’s al-Nuseirat, freeing four hostages. The Gaza health ministry reported that over 250 Palestinians were killed in the raid.
The conflict in Gaza began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.
Israel’s military response has resulted in over 37,000 Palestinian deaths, as reported by the Gaza health ministry. Israel states that its operations aim to eliminate Hamas as a threat and to free the remaining hostages.
