Hamas has aired a video purporting to show the dead bodies of two Israeli hostages it was holding in Gaza.
The bodies of Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, are reportedly shown in the footage, which is narrated by a third hostage, 26-year-old Noa Argamani.
Ms Argamani was heard saying the two others were killed “by our own IDF strikes”, referring to the Israeli military.
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It comes a day after all three hostages were shown alive in Gaza in another video released by Hamas, which urged the Israeli government to halt its aerial and underground offensive and bring about their release.
The undated 37-second video of Mr Sharabi, Mr Svirsky, and Ms Argamani, ended with the caption: “Tomorrow (Monday), we will inform you of their fate.”
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant responded to the latest video, accusing the Palestinian militant group of carrying out “psychological abuse”.
He also said that unless military pressure was kept up, Hamas would not agree to release any more hostages.
Mr Gallant claimed the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) operation in southern Gaza was nearing its end, and the end of the war must be accompanied by diplomacy, adding that leadership in the Gaza Strip should then be left to the Palestinians.
On Monday, Israeli forces continued bombarding targets across the enclave and clashing with the militants in southern and central areas.
Mr Sharabi, Mr Svirsky, and Ms Argamani were among 240 people taken hostage by Hamas during a surprise cross-border rampage into southern Israel on 7 October. Around 1,200 people were killed in the massacre.
Around half of the 240 captives were released during a week-long truce last November.
But Israel says 132 remain in Gaza and 25 have died in captivity.
Palestinian authorities have said more than 24,000 people, including many women and children, have been killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes in Gaza.
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