Nine more foreign hostages killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza: Hamas

At least nine captured people were killed by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Hamas movement said on Saturday.

In a press statement, the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that "nine new captives, including four foreigners", were killed by the Israeli airstrike attacks.

The announcement came after Hamas previously said that 13 captives were killed by another Israeli attack in the north of the besieged Gaza Strip.

The latest deaths bring to 22 the overall number of fatalities among the estimated 150 hostages -- Israelis, foreigners and dual-nationals -- seized by Hamas gunmen on October 7.

For eight days in a row, Hamas and Israel have been involved in a bloody conflict, after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing an estimated 1300 Israelis.

Israel has launched a fierce and indiscriminate bombing against the Gaza Strip, flattening entire districts and killing over 2,200 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and wounded over 8,000.

Palestinian health ministry warned that the coastal enclave may witness a humanitarian catastrophe amid the running-out of medical supplies.

Israel has also ordered Palestinians, including hospital patients and medical staff to evacuate the north of the Gaza Strip, raising fears of ethnic cleansing.