Hamas’ armed wing said on Monday that since June the group has been operating under new instructions on how to handle hostages should Israeli forces approach their locations in Gaza.

The announcement comes days after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying they had been shot dead by their captors as Israeli forces got close.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, did not provide details on what the…