The armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas said Monday that its militants shot and killed an Israeli hostage and injured two others, both women, “in two separate incidents” in Gaza.
Hamas took 251 captives during their October 7 raid on Israel, which sparked the continuing conflict, with 111 of them still detained in Gaza, including 39 who the Israeli military believes are dead.
Spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said in a statement: “In two separate incidents, two recruits assigned to guard enemy prisoners fired at a Zionist prisoner, killing him immediately, and also injured two female prisoners critically.”.
The statement, shared on Telegram, did not identify the hostages or specify when or where the occurrences occurred, but did declare that “attempts are being made to save the lives” of the two ladies.
Abu Obeida mentioned that Hamas had formed a committee to investigate the shootings.
In reaction, the Israeli military said in a statement that it does “not have any intelligence information that allows us to refute or confirm Hamas’ claims.”
“We will continue to examine and verify the credibility of the message,” the statement added.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said in a televised briefing earlier on Monday, “We do not forget for a moment the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza.”
“We are deeply concerned about their physical and mental condition, given the prolonged time that has passed and the harsh conditions of their captivity.”
According to an AFP calculation based on official Israeli estimates, the October 7 bombing killed 1,198 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians.
Israel’s retaliatory military onslaught in the Gaza Strip since then has killed at least 39,897 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not disclose information on civilian and militant casualties.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
