Hamas’ armed wing says it lost contact with group holding 5 Israeli hostages

Fighters of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, display their combat weapons in Maghazi camp July 19, 2023 [Ahmed Hasaballah/Getty Images]

Hamas’ armed wing on Saturday said that five Israeli hostages might have been killed in Israeli attack, as it lost contact with a group holding the hostages, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement on Telegram, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, said: “As a result of the brutal Zionist bombardment, we have lost contact with the group responsible for five of the Zionist hostages, including Hayim Perry, Yoram Metzger, and Amiram Kober.”

“We believe that the hostages were killed due to one of the Zionist airstrikes on the Gaza Strip,” he added.

This is not the first time that the Al-Qassam Brigades has reported losing contact with groups holding Israeli hostages in Gaza.

On Nov. 18, the Hamas’ armed wing announced that it lost contact with a group responsible for protecting Israeli prisoners, saying that “the fate of the hostages and captors was unknown.”

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