Hamas's armed wing said Tuesday it would release in the coming days some of the foreign hostages in its captivity, as it vowed to turn Gaza into a graveyard for Israel's military.
"We have informed intermediaries that we will release a certain number of foreigners in the next few days," Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address.
Around 240 hostages are believed to be held by Hamas at the moment in Gaza, after the group attacked communities across southern Israel on October 7, triggering a fierce bombing campaign and ground incursion of the territory by the Israeli military.
Five hostages have been released to date, including four after negotiations through a diplomatic backchannel and one following an operation by the Israeli army.
The announcement came as international warnings increased over the spiralling bloodshed and mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, on a day in which Israeli troops and Hamas militants engaged in "fierce battles" in the north of the strip.
"Gaza will be a graveyard and a quagmire for the enemy, its soldiers and its political and military leadership," said Obeida.
Warplanes kept up a relentless barrage of strikes on Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry said that 8,525 people had died so far, including over 3,500 children.
The ministry later said at least 50 people were killed in an Israeli bombardment of a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
How Massive Microsoft Outage Hit Indian Airports, What You Can Expect
Adidas Drops Pro-Palestinian Model Bella Hadid From Ad Referencing 1973 Munich Olympics "Will End Every Single International Crisis": Trump Vows To End Wars If Elected Again Netanyahu Vows To Keep Control Of Rafah Crossing Even After Ceasefire Deal Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests 1,100 Flights Cancelled In US As Microsoft Outage Disrupts Operations Elon Musk Congratulates PM Modi On Becoming Most Followed Leader On X With Shadow Cabinet, Naveen Patnaik Makes His Intentions Clear Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.