CAIRO, February 12. /TASS/. Three of the eight hostages who were wounded in a recent round of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have died, Hamas said.

"[Izz ad-Din] al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas’ armed wing - TASS) fighters have reported the death of three out of the eight hostages who were badly wounded yesterday," Hamas wrote on its Telegram channel, adding that these wounds were received "during Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip." Hamas promised to disclose the names of those dead and post the photos of their bodies later, "when the fate of the rest of the wounded is clarified."

On Sunday, Hamas said that two Israeli hostages had been killed and eight more badly wounded as a result of Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip over the past four days. Hamas has placed "the entire responsibility for the lives of these wounded people on Israel in light of continuing aggression" against the Palestinian enclave. The names of those killed and wounded have not been disclosed.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis. Large-scale combat operations have continued in the Gaza Strip since then. The parties agreed upon a humanitarian pause in late November. During the week-long humanitarian pause, according to the Israeli authorities, 110 hostages held in Gaza since October 7 were released. On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that two Israeli hostages had been released in the course of the operation in Rafah.