Hamas says two hostages killed in Israeli bombing in Rafah

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Friday that two Israeli hostages were killed in Israeli bombing in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a video released on Telegram, Al-Qassam Brigades said the two hostages were killed in an airstrike "a few days ago."

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There has been no immediate response from the Israeli army regarding these developments.

On June 8, Al-Qassam  Brigades said the Israeli army killed several hostages during its operation to release four hostages in the central Gaza Strip.

As of Friday, the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict has risen to 37,266, with 85,102 others wounded, Hamas-run health authorities said in a press statement.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Friday that it continued its operations across the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops are continuing intelligence-based, targeted operations in Rafah, having eliminated a number of "terrorists" and located large quantities of weapons and underground tunnel shafts over the past day, the statement said, adding that military operations are also underway in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.