A collage of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023, as relations and supporters attend the Nova memorial close to Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel, on the primary anniversary of the assault. (John Wessels / AFP)
- Israel believes 63 hostages taken a yr in the past should still be alive in Gaza.
- That features 10 ladies and two kids, who Hamas says are lifeless.
- There was no proof of life, or dying, for any of these 63.
When Hamas staged the worst-ever assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, they took 251 hostages into the Gaza Strip. Some had been already lifeless.
On the primary anniversary, Israel believes 63 folks, together with two kids, are nonetheless alive, whereas 34 are confirmed lifeless however stay in Gaza.
For Hamas, which guidelines Gaza, the hostages are key bargaining chips in negotiations with Israel aiming to safe a truce and the discharge of Palestinian prisoners.
Here’s what we all know concerning the hostages nonetheless held in Gaza.
Of the 251 hostages seized by militants on 7 October final yr, 117 have been freed, most of them ladies, kids and international employees.
Most had been launched throughout a week-long truce in November in alternate for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Practically a yr later, Israel believes 63 hostages nonetheless held in Gaza are alive.
The military and the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board have confirmed 71 others are lifeless, 34 of whose our bodies are nonetheless in Gaza. The dying of Idan Shtivi was introduced on Monday by the Discussion board.
The navy has repatriated the our bodies of 37 hostages who both died in Gaza or had been killed on 7 October and brought to the territory.
Of the 63 regarded as alive, 56 are Israelis, although a few of them have multiple nationality. One other six are Thais and one is Nepalese.
Fifty-one are males and 10 are ladies. Eleven are navy personnel.
Two are kids.
The youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas, was simply eight-and-a-half months outdated when he was kidnapped. His brother Ariel was 4 years outdated when he was taken to Gaza.
Hamas has mentioned the 2 kids are lifeless, however Israel has not confirmed this.
Because the final truce ended on 1 December, seven different hostages have been freed alive, all throughout Israeli navy operations.
With no proof of life, it stays unsure whether or not the 63 are nonetheless alive.
Hamas’s armed wing mentioned on 12 August that its fighters had shot and killed an Israeli hostage and wounded two others.
Hamas has introduced on a number of events deaths of hostages that Israel has but to verify, leaving households in agonising limbo.
Hamas militants took a number of lifeless again into Gaza with them, together with the our bodies of 10 Israeli troopers.
At the least 28 different hostages have died within the territory for the reason that begin of the conflict.
Three had been killed in error by the Israeli military on 15 December 2023. They had been Yotam Haim, 28, Samer El-Talalqa and Alon Shamriz, 26.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas of executing six others in August: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobonov, Almog Sarusi and Ori Danino.
They had been discovered lifeless by troopers in a tunnel in Rafah, in southern Gaza.
A lot of the hostages had been taken through the assaults on the Nir Oz kibbutz and the Nova music pageant.
At Nir Oz kibbutz, of the at the least 76 hostages taken on 7 October, 40 had been launched alive. One other 20 are nonetheless in Gaza and believed to be alive. The remaining 16 are lifeless.
Sixteen folks kidnapped from the pageant are regarded as alive and nonetheless held in Gaza.
Solely 9 of at the least 43 hostages taken from Nova have been launched, whereas 18 others have died.
On 7 October, entire households had been taken to Gaza. For them, the November 2023 truce introduced reduction but in addition the heartache of leaving family members behind.
French-Israeli kids Eitan, Erez and Sahar had been freed however their fathers Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Kalderon are nonetheless held.