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Foreigners Remain Held Hostage in Gaza as Countries Urge Israel to Delay Offensive
Hostages in Gaza
Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the number of people held hostage by the Hamas terrorists had crossed 200. The families whose loved ones were taken away by the criminals on October 7 saw their hope of reconnecting with their people boosted after Hamas and Israel announced the release of two American hostages, Natalie Raanan and Judith Raanan.
According to reports from US-based media houses, the American government reached out to Qatar, a country that holds healthy relations with Hamas and even hosts the headquarters of the terror group, to help persuade the terrorists to free Natalie and her mother, Judith.
As for the remaining hostages, it is almost unimaginable what they're living through, given that they are at the mercy of the same criminals who murdered their loved ones and friends before taking them away. Moreover, they're trapped in a region that is currently facing a massive humanitarian crisis. But this could change after the Egypt-Israel border in Rafah was opened on Saturday to allow the much-needed aid to get to Gaza.
Red Cross Pleads With Hamas to Release Wounded Hostages
Red Cross says some of the people being held captive stained gunshots. The nonprofit humanitarian organization recently told the press that its officials have been talking to Hamas leadership in an effort to have the wounded hostages released or treated.
Among the injured captives is a Californian resident, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. In a film shared by Hamas, Hersh's arm was bleeding heavily as the terrorists loaded him into their truck. His close friend Rotem Revivi says the terror group probably did not care about treating him. Revivi is also uncertain if Hersh is still alive.
Meanwhile, countries whose citizens are held hostage by Hamas have been urging Israel to delay its plans to invade Gaza until all captives are released. Their plea comes after Hamas terrorists threatened to execute hostages if Israel attacked Gaza.
So what would it take for Hamas to free the hostages? Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab Ai-Brein, whose group also holds a number of captives, said earlier this week that the only way the hostages will be released is if Israel frees all Palestinian prisoners. For this reason, many hostage analysts say the captives might be in Gaza for longer, considering that Israel has not hinted at fulfilling Hamas' demands.
Foreigners Abducted, Killed, or Missing After Hamas Attack
On Friday, French news house AFP published data showing the number of foreigners who have either been abducted, killed, or missing following the Hamas attack. Per the data, the United States lost 31 citizens in the deadly attack, while 13 are still missing. The count of Thailand citizens killed by Hamas stands at 30, while 19 are held hostage.
France, on the other hand, has lost 30 people, while the whereabouts of six individuals are yet to be determined. One French citizen, Mia Shem, is being held captive in Gaza. She appeared in a video shared by Hamas on Monday.
Meanwhile, AFP data shows Hamas terrorists murdered 19 Russians and took away two. Seven are still missing.
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