Hamas Says One Israeli Hostage Killed, Two Injured in Gaza

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Facts

  • The spokesman for Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said on Monday that an Israeli hostage was killed and two female captives were seriously injured in two separate incidents in Gaza.[1]
  • Though he claimed that an al-Qassam fighter had shot dead a male hostage he was guarding, Ubaida said that further details — likely including their identities — would be announced later.[2]
  • Hamas had taken 251 people hostages during last year's attack on Israel. About 111 are believed to still be in Gaza, while the Israeli military claims 39 are dead.[3]
  • Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in Abasan al-Kabira, located in Khan Younis, on Monday evening reportedly killed at least 10 people and injured several others.[4][5]
  • This comes after US Pres. Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement calling for the renewal of cease-fire talks in Gaza as soon as possible.[6]
  • It's unclear whether negotiations scheduled to resume on Thursday would effectively seal an agreement, as Hamas has cast doubt on its participation in talks that involve US, Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials.[7][8]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]NBC, [3]Guardian, [4]Al Jazeera, [5]WAFA News Agency, [6]Timesofisrael (a), [7]Middle East Monitor and [8]Timesofisrael (b).

Narratives

  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The Palestine Chronicle. Hamas has formed a committee to investigate the two incidents, and attempts to save the lives of those injured are underway. Whatever happened doesn't change the fact that the occupation forces are to blame for onslaughts in Gaza and the reaction of Palestinians.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. There's no reliable information to confirm Hamas' claims, so one must take them with a grain of salt — particularly because many unreturned Israeli hostages have long been dead. These claims could merely be a piece of disinformation to put pressure on Israel ahead of the scheduled cease-fire talks.

Predictions