In latest propaganda move, Hamas says its guards killed Israeli hostages; IDF says it can’t confirm claims

Claim comes amid push for hostage deal summit on Thursday

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There is no intelligence supporting Hamas’ claim that its guards murdered an Israeli hostage and wounded two others, Israel Defense Forces stated on Monday evening.

The spokesman for the Hamas terror group, Hudhaifa Kahlout, also known as Abu Obayda, claimed that Hamas guards assigned to the hostages shot and killed a Israeli male and seriously wounded two female Israelis, adding that “attempts are being made to save” their lives.

The statement was issued on a Telegram channel with no further, such as the location and date of the purported incident or the names of the hostages.

“The enemy government [Israel] bears full responsibility for these massacres and the resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” Abu Obayda said.

The IDF released a statement on Monday evening, saying: “The terrorist organization Hamas has distributed a statement on Telegram that includes a written message claiming that in two separate incidents, a hostage was killed, and two hostages were wounded by Hamas operatives.”

“At this point, we do not have any intelligence support that allows us to refute or confirm the claims of Hamas. We continue to check and find out the reliability of the message and will update as soon as possible with any information we have,” the IDF stated.

Hamas’ claim comes on the heels of its announcement that it would not participate in the high-level summit planned for Thursday. The meeting is expected to significantly advance the negotiations regarding a hostage release and truce deal.

Family members of hostages described their feelings to Ynet News after hearing about the claim by Hamas that a hostage was murdered.

“From that moment on, the anxieties don’t stop,” said Eli Elbag, father of kidnapped IDF soldier Liri Elbag.

“I expect [Shas party chairman Aryeh] Deri and all the MKs to slam the table and get a deal done,” he said.

“Yesterday we were praying in Shoham, while praying, my daughter showed me the text on Telegram. This is another wound and another knife in the heart. It turns our stomachs non-stop.”

Elbag added that his wife asked IDF officers about the claims “and did not receive an unequivocal answer. Everything is too fresh.”

Zvika Mor, whose son Eitan was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, noted that the deal currently being discussed would not immediately free his son, as Hamas generally sees all young men as soldiers and demands the highest “prices” for their release.

“I find it very difficult to agree to such a deal as the father of a hostage. This is not the story of the Shalit deal – Israel is fighting for its life,” he said.

Regarding the claim that a hostage was murdered by Hamas guards, Mor said he thought it was part of a propaganda effort to improve Hamas’ position in the negotiations.

“There are manipulations that the parties exert on each other. It's meant to pressure us, I guess,” said Mor.