[1/2]A person holds pictures during a protest to demand the immediate release of Gaza-held hostages seized in the October attack by Hamas gunmen in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 4, 2023. Portal/Evelyn Hockstein acquire license rights
CAIRO, Nov 4 (Portal) – The armed wing of the Palestinian militant faction Hamas said on Saturday more than 60 hostages were missing due to Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Late last month, Hamas said an estimated 50 prisoners held by the group were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’s Telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israeli hostages were trapped under the rubble.
“It seems we will never be able to reach them due to the occupation’s continued brutal aggression against Gaza,” he said.
Portal could not immediately verify the statement. The Israeli army declined to comment.
The United States has flown surveillance drones over Gaza to search for hostages captured by Hamas when the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel on October 7, two US officials said on Thursday.
Hamas, an armed Islamist group that rules Gaza, has so far released four of the 239 civilians believed to be held.
Reporting by Ahmed Tolba, writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Emelia Sithole
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