Israel investigating after Hamas releases photos purportedly showing body of female hostage

Israel says it is investigating after Hamas released photos purportedly showing the body of a female hostage in Gaza.

Speaking during his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at this point Israel could not verify the images.

“We are in contact with the family, and a relevant notice has been issued to all families. Our hearts are with them,” Netanyahu said. He stressed that Israel’s government is committed to bringing back all the hostages, including those who are dead.

The prime minister also said he had spoken with the mother of the hostage purportedly shown in the photos.

“It is hard to describe the nightmare she is enduring. We embrace her and her family,” he said.

Hamas’ military wing claimed on Saturday that a female hostage had been killed in an area of northern Gaza that was “under Israeli aggression.”

It did not identify her by name but shared two photos of the hostage’s body. Israel has made no comment on the circumstances surrounding the alleged death.

More than 250 people were taken hostage and about 1,200 killed during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

A handful of hostages have since been rescued and in November 2023 more than 100 were released as part of a short-lived hostage-and-ceasefire deal.

Some 101 hostages are still being held in Gaza, 97 of whom were taken on October 7, Israeli authorities believe. At least 34 of the hostages taken on October 7 are thought to be dead.

Israel has in the past accused Hamas of releasing footage and information about the hostages as a form of “psychological terror” aimed at ramping up pressure on Netanyahu’s government to agree a ceasefire deal.

Near-weekly protests calling for the government to secure the release of the hostages have taken place across Israel, including near Netanyahu’s residences, often involving family members of the hostages.

Last week, the pressure on Netanyahu intensified with the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Meanwhile, negotiations for a ceasefire-for-hostages deal in Gaza have all but ground to a halt.

Except for a brief flurry of activity last month, there have been no real negotiations since six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas and discovered in a Gaza tunnel at the end of August.

Qatar announced this month it was suspending its role as a mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas after concluding that the two sides are no longer negotiating in good faith.