On Saturday, Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza killed a female Israeli hostage.
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said Hamas re-established contact with a unit that was holding the hostage after several weeks and that it was confirmed the Israeli woman was killed in an area of north Gaza where the Israeli military had been operating.
Abu Obeida also said that another female captive held in the same area was at risk of dying. He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders are “fully responsible for the lives of the Israeli captives.”
The Israeli military said it couldn’t “confirm or refute” the claim and that it was investigating the situation after Hamas “released footage allegedly showing a hostage who had been killed.”
There are believed to be 97 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, and the Israeli military has confirmed at least 37 have been killed. Israeli media reported back in September that Netanyahu told a Knesset committee that only half of the hostages were believed to be alive.
Netanyahu has been under pressure from hostage family members to agree to a deal with Hamas, but he worked to sabotage the chances of an agreement during previous negotiations.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu fired Yoav Gallant from his post as defense minister. Gallant had been calling for a hostage deal for months and said after his firing that there was no need for Israeli troops to remain in Gaza. “There’s nothing left in Gaza to do. The major achievements have been achieved,” he said. “I fear we are staying there just because there is a desire to stay there.”
