Gaza, Nov 19 (IANS): Hamas has said that the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have severed its contact with some of its squads "guarding Israeli prisoners".

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for the Hamas military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Saturday evening in a press statement that the fate of the prisoners and detainees remained unknown, without providing further details.

The Israeli military has recently intensified strikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, aiming to root out the militant Palestinian group and secure the release of about 240 hostages taken to Gaza during the October 7 Hamas attack against Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has been carrying out attacks on Gaza over the past weeks to retaliate against the Hamas attack. The conflict has so far led to the deaths of more than 11,500 Palestinians in Gaza, while on the Israeli side, about 1,200 people have lost their lives, the majority of whom were killed in the Hamas attack.