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'Foreigners' among 13 hostages killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza: Hamas
The Palestine-based militant group said that the hostages were killed in airstrikes at five different locations.
At least 13 Israeli and foreign hostages held in the Gaza Strip have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, the armed wing of Palestine-based Hamas wing said on Friday, reported AFP.
The militant group said that six of the hostages were killed in strikes on two separate locations in the Northern district, while seven others died in strikes that hit three locations in the Gaza district.
Israel claims that Hamas took 150 people hostage, including both civilians and members of security forces, when it attacked the country from the Gaza border on October 7.
At least 1,300 people were killed in the worst attack on civilians in Israel's history.
Israel has responded so far by putting Gaza, which is home to 20.3 lakh people, under siege and launching a bombing campaign that destroyed whole neighbourhoods. According to authorities more than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands have been injured and displaced.
On Friday, the Israeli military called for all civilians of Gaza City, more than 10 lakh people, to relocate within 24 hours, as it amassed tanks nearby ahead of a possible ground invasion.
"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the military said.
The military claimed that “Hamas terrorists” are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians.
An unidentified Hamas official said the relocation warning was "fake propaganda" and urged citizens not to fall for it, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said it considered it impossible for such a movement of people to take place “without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
“The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded, avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
(Inputs from agencies)
