Israel informs families of 31 hostages of their deaths in Gaza Strip

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel said late Tuesday that it informed the families of 31 hostages that their captured loved ones have been killed in the Gaza Strip.

''The Israeli army has so far notified the families of 31 hostages that their loved ones are confirmed to have been killed,'' Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.

“We are working in all ways to return the hostages home and exhausting all information about them and their conditions,” he added.

The Palestinian group Hamas is believed to be holding around 136 Israelis following its cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing at least 27,585 Palestinians and injuring 66,978 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive 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 has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio