Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Israeli army began verifying information from a Hamas statement regarding the death of an Israeli hostage in Gaza.

Earlier today, Hamas announced that one of the Israeli hostages had been killed in an area targeted by Israeli airstrikes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

"We are verifying the information. At this stage, we cannot confirm or deny it. Israeli army representatives are in contact with the victim’s family and are providing them with all available information," an Israeli army spokesperson said.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas' military wing, stated, "After re-establishing contact with those responsible for protecting the enemy [Israel] prisoners, it was confirmed that one of the female captives was killed in an area under Zionist aggression in northern Gaza."

"The life of another female captive who was with the one killed in northern Gaza remains in danger," he added, holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Israeli army responsible for the lives of the Israeli hostages.

The hostage situation began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack, taking over 250 Israelis as hostages. During a temporary ceasefire from November 24 to December 1, 2023, 117 hostages were freed. Among them were 13 Israelis, four Thai nationals, and others.

On the other hand, as of November 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 44,000, with the majority of casualties being women and children. Additionally, over 104,000 Palestinians have been wounded, and approximately 1.9 million have been displaced.

The war has also caused significant damage to infrastructure, with two-thirds of buildings in the Gaza Strip being damaged or destroyed.