Seven hostages killed amid army bombing in Gaza 

Seven hostages held in Gaza were killed as a result of the Israeli military’s bombardment of the enclave, reports Reuters. 

Abu Ubadia, the spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing Al-Qassam brigades confirmed the number of deaths on the 1st of March, though it was not immediately clear when the seven hostages died. 

In a statement on Telegram, Ubaida said that the number of hostages killed due to Israel’s military operations in Gaza has now exceeded 70 captives, confirmed by Al-Qassam brigades. 

An estimated 130 hostages remain in Gaza, of which 101 are believed to be alive.

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The deaths of the captives show that Israel’s government considers them a “secondary priority”, Omar Ashour, a professor of security and military studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.

“The (Israeli military’s) first priority is to destroy the armed wing of Hamas and the other Palestinian factions, to undermine them in any way, even if it costs the lives of some of the hostages,” Ashour said.

Israel’s military campaign follows Hamas militants’ killing of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the abduction of at least 240 on October 7th, according to Israeli tallies. 

In response, Israel reacted with a military assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

During a week-long truce in late November, Hamas freed more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Israel releasing about 240 Palestinian prisoners. 

Reuters.