The Israeli military on Monday declared another of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be dead.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on social media platform X that the hostage in question is a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier born in New York.
He was killed during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and his body has been held in the Gaza Strip ever since, according to the IDF, citing intelligence.
The Hostages, a group that represents the families of hostages still held in Gaza as well as the Israeli communities attacked on Oct. 7, said that the soldier, a tank commander, and other troops were abducted.
Hamas and other extremist groups crossed the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Oct. 7 last year, killing around 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 others.
Israel responded by pounding Gaza with airstrikes and launching a ground offensive into the Palestinian territory.
At least 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
Many of the 100 hostages still unaccounted for are no longer believed to be alive. They include holders of dual nationality, including U.S. citizens. (dpa/NAN).
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