Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has released a video showing what appears to be the dead bodies of two Israeli hostages. The hostages, Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirsky, were featured in a previous video released by Hamas on Sunday. The new video also shows a third hostage, Noa Argamani, reading a script claiming that the two were killed by Israeli strikes.
Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has expressed serious concern about the fate of the hostages shown in the video. However, he disputed Hamas’ claim that Svirsky was killed by Israeli forces, stating that the building where they were held was not targeted. Hagari emphasized that Israel does not attack places if there may be hostages inside, although nearby areas have been targeted.
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The fate of the three Israelis remains unverified, as Reuters was unable to independently confirm what happened to them. In October, Islamist Hamas militants took around 240 people hostage during a surprise cross-border rampage into southern Israel. While approximately half of the hostages were released during a temporary truce in November, Israel claims that 132 remain in Gaza and that 25 have died in captivity.
Hamas had previously urged the Israeli government to halt its aerial and ground offensive in exchange for the release of the hostages. Israeli officials have generally refrained from responding to Hamas’ public messages regarding the hostages. Forensic officials have also disputed Hamas’ account, stating that autopsies of recovered hostages revealed causes of death inconsistent with air strikes.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military has intensified its bombardment of Gaza, with planes and tanks conducting further attacks. As the conflict has persisted, violence has spread beyond Gaza into the Israeli-occupied West Bank and other parts of the Middle East. Palestinians carried out coordinated car-rammings in the central Israeli town of Raanana, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to 12 others.
The conflict has also led to increased violence in the West Bank, where Israeli raids aimed at flushing out militants have resulted in the deaths of 351 people, according to the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, Houthi fighters in Yemen, who control much of the country, have targeted ships in the Red Sea that they claim are linked to Israel, as a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza.
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As the situation continues to escalate, the number of casualties and displaced people in Gaza is rising. Health officials estimate that the conflict has resulted in the death of approximately 24,100 people and the injury of nearly 61,000. The displaced population, which numbers almost two million, faces increased risks of starvation and disease due to shortages of essential resources..
