How many Israeli hostages still held after 6 months

Israel’s punishing war on the Gaza Strip has thus far unsuccessful to free of charge scores of hostages abducted all through the Hamas October 7 infiltration assault into southern Israel, with the site and status of many of the prisoners unidentified as the Palestinian exclave collapses less than the bodyweight of Israeli arms.

The Hamas-led attack observed extra than 250 people today abducted, and 1,163 killed for every the hottest figures posted by the AFP citing govt facts. The subsequent Israeli offensive into Gaza has killed practically 33,000 Palestinians, the Related Push has reported citing knowledge from the Gaza Well being Ministry.

Specific figures have confirmed tricky to confirm, these was the violence and chaos of the Oct 7 assault. The position of numerous hostages within Gaza remains unclear amid the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) procedure there. Hamas promises that several have been killed in IDF strikes. Hamas was also already holding some Israeli hostages right before October 7, nevertheless it is not regarded no matter if they are even now alive.

An IDF spokesperson instructed Newsweek on Friday that there are 134 hostages—among them 11 overseas nationals—still getting held hostage, with 123 produced.

A handful of hostages have been launched for humanitarian causes or freed by Israeli armed forces operations within Gaza, whilst much larger groups were being freed as section of a seven-day ceasefire and prisoner swap in November.

Estimates of how several hostages stay have been fluid. In February, The New York Moments described there had been 136 captives however in the Strip, and—citing Israeli intelligence officers—that at minimum 30 of these captives might currently be dead. The Wall Avenue Journal described last thirty day period that 130 hostages keep on being within Gaza, at minimum 34 of whom are considered to have died.

Liberating the hostages is a central Israeli war aim, however observers have usually pointed out that the IDF’s intense bombardment of Gaza—and of the tunnels made use of by militants for a variety of reasons, like to maintain hostages—endangers the prisoners.

Hamas claims that Israeli airstrikes are liable for several hostage fatalities given that October 7. 3 Israeli hostages ended up also shot lifeless by IDF troops in Gaza in December.

The fate of the hostages is at the heart of the tortuous ceasefire negotiations in between Israel and Hamas. The militant team is demanding a whole ceasefire and IDF withdrawal to secure the release of all remaining hostages, as well as the launch of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and the return of all displaced Gazans to their residences.

The hostage problem has become politically charged within Israel. Key Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going through sustained nationwide protests involving tens of hundreds of people who sense his war cupboard is doing also little to absolutely free the captives.

“Whoever says that I am not carrying out everything to return our hostages is mistaken and is deceptive other individuals,” Netanyahu reported in a video assertion introduced on Sunday. “Whoever is familiar with the reality and nevertheless repeats this lie is causing pointless pain to the hostages’ families.”

“I reiterate: I am fully commited to returning all of our hostages, gals and gentlemen, civilians and soldiers, the residing and the victims. I will not leave even one particular driving.”