Hamas's armed wing claimed on Monday that three of eight Israeli hostages who were seriously injured following Israeli airstrikes had died from their wounds.
"The al-Qassam Brigades announce the killing of three of the eight Zionist detainees who we announced yesterday were seriously injured in the barbaric Zionist raids on the Gaza Strip," the Al Qassam Brigades said on Hamas's Telegram channel. "We will postpone announcing the names and photos of the dead for days to come until the fate of the rest of the wounded becomes clear."
Information shared by Hamas on the hostages is generally considered to be unreliable and a part of Hamas's psychological warfare. In the past, Hamas has claimed the death of a hostage who was later released as part of a ceasefire agreement.
Hamas claimed that Hannah Katzir had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, but she was released two weeks later from captivity.
While Hamas has falsely claimed the deaths of hostages before, the IDF has also confirmed the possibility that hostages had mistakenly died during airstrikes. Yossi Sharabi was, unbeknownst to the IDF, being held by Hamas in an adjacent building to a structure targeted by the IAF, resulting in his death.
Announcement made after two hostages rescued
Hamas's announcement came less than a day after the IDF successfully rescued two hostages being kept in Rafah.
"The Nazi occupation army's attack on the city of Rafah last night, and its horrific massacres against defenseless civilians and helpless children, women, and elderly who have so far lost their lives over a hundred times, is considered a continuation of the people's genocide and forced displacement attempts... being carried out against our Palestinian people," Hamas wrote in a statement in response to the rescue.
"The Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations Security Council have called for urgent and serious action to stop the Zionist aggression and the ongoing crimes of genocide against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip," Hamas continued.