Israeli hostage killed last month during failed rescue attempt, military says

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Dogs stroll near an Israeli military vehicle, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel’s border with Gaza in southern Israel, January 3, 2024. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo

Jerusalem (Reuters) – Israeli hostage Sahar Baruch was killed last month during a rescue attempt by special forces in Gaza, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, without giving details.

Hamas said on Dec. 8 that a hostage it named as Sa’ar Baruch, had been killed during an attempted rescue operation.

“At this point, it is not possible to determine the circumstances of Sahar’s death, and it is not known whether he was murdered by Hamas or killed by our forces’ fire,” the military said in a statement.

Baruch was among the 240 hostages seized by Hamas gunmen when they stormed into southern Israel on Oct 7.

More than 100 have since been released under agreements brokered by Qatar and other countries and one hostage was rescued by Israeli forces.

At least 123 remain in Gaza, of whom at least 23 have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.