“After the communication broken a few weeks ago had been reestablished with the fighters assigned to protect the enemy hostages, it turned out, that one hostage had died in the area exposed to Israel’s aggression in the north of the Gaza Strip,” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida said.
He added that another female hostage is in critical condition.
Obaida said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are responsible for the lives of hostages.
Hamas has said it would release prisoners only after the end of the war in the Gaza Strip and withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the meantime said that it cannot confirm or deny information about the death of one of the hostages in the Gaza Strip announced by Palestinian movement Hamas.
"We are examining the information, and at this stage, we cannot confirm or refute it. IDF representatives are in contact with her family and are keeping them updated with all available information," the statement read.
The IDF added that Hamas "continues to engage in psychological terror and act with extreme brutality."