Israeli hostage dies in Gaza due to lack of medicine, food
GAZA CITY, Palestine
An Israeli hostage in Gaza died due to a shortage of medicine and food, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said on Saturday.
“We announce the death of the Zionist captive Yejiv Bukhattaf, 34, due to shortages of medicine and food,” Al-Qassam stated via Telegram.
“We previously warned that enemy captives suffer from the same conditions as our people; hunger, deprivation, shortages of food and medicine, and that illness now threatens the lives of many of them,” the armed wing added.
Al-Qassam released a short video showing the Israeli captive stating his name.
Commenting on the video, Al-Qassam said: “What the people of Gaza suffer from, the siege and shortages of food and medicine, your captives will also suffer from (referring to Israel and the families of captives).”
The group added: “Although he survived the Israeli army’s strikes, he did not survive the shortage of food and medicine.”
As of 1920GMT, Israeli authorities have not issued a response to the Al-Qassam statement.
Indirect negotiations, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, have failed to reach a new agreement between Hamas and Israel for a cease-fire, which includes a prisoner exchange.
Through Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation, a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel lasted for a week until Dec. 1, 2023, which included cessation of hostilities, prisoner exchange, and extremely limited aid entering Gaza.
Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 32,100 Palestinians have since been killed and over 72,400 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
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