The Israeli army on late Wednesday claimed that six of the hostages held in Gaza were killed by their captors during an Israeli airstrike on a tunnel in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, in February, according to an army investigation.
It claimed that "gunshot wounds" on the bodies of the hostages that were recovered from Gaza in August indicate that they were likely shot and killed by their captors.
While the Hamas group has not yet commented on the Israeli statement, it, however, said on Monday that 33 of the Israeli captives held in Gaza were killed by Israeli airstrikes across Gaza.
The families of the Israeli captives have been urging Israeli authorities to reach a hostage-release deal with the Palestinian groups.
Israel, which according to prisoners' groups has approximately 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons, estimates that there are 101 Israeli captives in Gaza.
Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas in October 2023, killing more than 44,530 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,500.
The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions denouncing the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy the population.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
