The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reported that three captives, including a US citizen, were killed in a recent Israeli military offensive on a camp in Gaza. This operation also resulted in the deaths of over 270 Palestinian civilians. Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, made this announcement in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday.
The video detailed the deaths of three Israeli captives during the offensive carried out on Saturday, aimed at rescuing four Israeli captives. The video emphasized that one of the captives was a US citizen and reiterated that "Your captives will not be released unless our prisoners are freed."
The Israeli operation in central Gaza’s al-Nuseirat camp, which claimed to strike military infrastructure, killed at least 274 people and injured around 700 more. Witnesses and journalists reported that residential buildings were bombed, resulting in high casualties. Medics described scenes of chaos and carnage, with overwhelmed hospitals struggling to treat the wounded from ongoing heavy Israeli strikes.
The total number of captives held in Gaza exceeds 100, with more than 37,084 Palestinians killed since October 7, most of whom were women and children. Thousands more are feared buried under rubble.
Additionally, nine out of 10 children in Gaza are experiencing severe food shortages, according to a UNICEF report cited by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The United Nations is set to add Israel to a blacklist of entities that have violated children's rights during armed conflict.
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