GAZA - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), announced on Saturday the death of the first Israeli hostage due to "shortages of medicine and food."
The brigades identified the victim as 34-year-old Israeli man Yigev Bukhatab, in a statement, saying that hostages in Gaza face similar hardships experienced by Palestinians living in the coastal enclave.
The brigades also published a short video clip showing the body of Bukhatab, while there has been no immediate comment from Israel on the report.
Hamas held more than 250 people from Israel hostage during a surprise offensive on the southern part of the country on Oct 7 last year and saw about 1,200 people dead according to figures published by Israeli authorities.
In response, Israel launched a large-scale retaliatory attack, killing more than 32,000 in Gaza as of Saturday, according to the Palestine Health Ministry.
Israel went on to impose a total blockade on the coastal enclave, home to about 2.35 million people, exacerbating severe shortages of essentials such as food, water, medicine, and electricity for local residents.