Hamas Foils Suspected Israeli Rescue in Gaza; Reports of Hostages Casualties

the military wing of Hamas shared that they successfully stopped an Israeli attempt to rescue hostages in the Gaza Strip. They claim to have caused harm to the Israeli special forces involved and, sadly, reported the death of a captive during the incident.

Israel has not commented on this, accusing Hamas of trying to use psychological tactics against them.

Hamas, in a statement on a messaging app called Telegram, said their fighters noticed a special forces unit trying to rescue hostages. They confronted and attacked the unit, leading to injuries and casualties among the soldiers. However, the exact location of this event was not mentioned.

According to Hamas, a captive Israeli soldier named Sa'ar Baruch, 25, lost his life during the operation. Israel's lists of hostages from an earlier incident identify one individual as Sahar Baruch, a civilian student who was 24 when taken from his home during an October 7 event that triggered the conflict.

Out of around 240 people taken hostage on that day, 137 are still in Gaza, as some were released during a temporary truce. Some have even been declared dead by Israeli authorities.

When asked about Hamas's version of events, an Israeli government spokesperson, Eylon Levy, stated, "We are not going to comment on psychological warfare that Hamas continues to wage against the people of Israel." Levy emphasized that Israel holds Hamas responsible for the safety of the hostages and reiterated their demand, which has not been met so far, for the Red Cross to visit them.

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