3 Israeli hostages die of wounds from airstrikes in Gaza: Hamas

By Abdelsalam Fayez

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Three Israeli hostages died of wounds from Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian group Hamas said on Monday.

On Sunday, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said two hostages were killed and eight others injured in Israeli airstrikes in the last three days.

“Three injured hostages succumbed to their wounds from barbaric Israeli strikes on Gaza,” the group said in a statement.

Hamas said it will release photos and names of the hostages “when the fate of the other injured captives becomes clear.”

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the report.

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its Oct. 7 cross-border attack into Israel.

Israel has since pounded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 28,340 people and injuring 67,984 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

In late 2023 South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

In its interim ruling in January, the UN court ruled that South Africa’s claims are plausible. It ordered provisional measures for Israel’s government to desist from genocidal acts, and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar