In Gaza, the armed wing of Hamas, a Palestinian militant faction, has reported that over 60 hostages are missing as a result of Israeli airstrikes. Last month, Hamas disclosed that around 50 captives held by the group were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza. Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, conveyed on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 of the 60 missing Israeli hostages are presumed to be trapped under the rubble. He expressed concern that due to the continuous brutal aggression from the Israeli occupation, they may never be able to reach them. The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified by Reuters, and the Israeli army declined to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, the United States has deployed surveillance drones over Gaza in an effort to locate the hostages taken by Hamas during their attack on Israel on October 7, according to two US officials. Hamas, an armed Islamist group governing Gaza, has released four civilians among the estimated 239 individuals believed to be held captive. Ahmed Tolba reported this news, with the article written by Hatem Maher and edited by Emelia Sithole.
