The Palestinian Hamas movement said this Saturday that, due to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip, it had lost contact with the militia responsible for a group of hostages who may have died.
In an attack in Israel on October 7, Hamas kidnapped dozens of people, some of whom are still held hostage by the group, admitting this Saturday that at least three of them had died.
“As a result of the barbaric Zionist terrorist attack, we have lost contact with the group responsible for five Zionist prisoners, including Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger and Amiram Cooper. We believe the prisoners have died,” Hamas said in a statement.
The war between Israel and Hamas erupted after a massive attack by the Islamist group on October 7 that included the launch of more than 3,000 rockets and the simultaneous infiltration of thousands of militias that killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more in Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.
Since then, the Israeli army has waged a brutal air, land and sea offensive against the Palestinian enclave that has killed 20,258 people, injured 53,688 and displaced 1.9 million people – almost the entire population – in the midst of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
The attacks only stopped during a seven-day truce in November brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Israel has launched several attacks against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. to gain full control of the northern Gaza Strip, where its military offensive began about three months ago, the Israeli army announced this Saturday.