Hamas claimed that contact with the woman’s abductors was recently re-established several weeks later, leading to the discovery of her death.
Abu Ubeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said another hostage, with whom the woman was being held, was injured and that her life was in danger.
Israeli authorities believe there are about 60 hostages alive in Gaza – and the bodies of dozens of others who are believed to have died.
The news came on Saturday as Israel continued its operations in Gaza.
About 120 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the territory in the past 48 hours, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
Nearly 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
