Gaza: The armed branch of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, has stated "shortages of medicine and food" as the reason behind the death of the first Israeli hostage.
The brigades named the victim as Yigev Bukhatab, an Israeli man of 34, in a statement on Saturday. They also said that the hostages in Gaza endure the same sufferings as the Palestinian people of the coastal enclave.
The brigades also published a short video clip showing the body of Bukhatab, while there has been no immediate comment from Israel on the report, Xinhua news agency reported.
Hamas kidnapped more than 250 people from Israel during a surprise attack on the southern part of the country on October 7, 2023, which also killed about 1,200 people, according to figures published by Israeli authorities. In response, Israel launched a large-scale retaliatory attack, killing more than 32,000 in Gaza as of Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
After the outbreak of the conflict, Israel also imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave, home to about 2.35 million people, exacerbating severe shortages of essentials such as food, water, medicine, and electricity for local residents.
With inputs from IANS