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On October 7, the Hamas terror group staged a deadly assault on Israel, killed more than 1,080 civilians, 55 policemen, 301 soldiers. Hamas kidnapped at least 247 people (of which 5 were released), including women, old people and babies.
The Number of Hostages
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Friday that the figure of kidnapped individuals had risen to 230. He added that the count is likely to grow as the Israeli army continues to collect more information regarding people whose whereabouts are unknown since the Hamas attack.
Hamas has so far released four captives, two Americans, and two elderly Israeli women. This has boosted hope among families whose loved ones are still at the mercy of Hamas. Early last week, US President Joe Biden requested Israel to pause its ground invasion plan in Gaza to allow negotiation talks and humanitarian aid to get to desperate Gazans.
On Thursday, the US State Department said there was a chance that the ten missing Americans were being held captive by the Hamas terrorists. Biden has promised to explore all available means to ensure the captives are reunited with their families.
France, on the other hand, has reported that the count of its missing citizens following the Hamas assault had reached seven as of Friday. The French government is convinced that Hamas is holding them. According to the Israeli government, the hostages in Gaza come from 30 different countries.
The Four Released Captives
As mentioned, Hamas has freed four of the 230 hostages over the past few days. The first captives to be freed were American nationals Natalie Raanan and her mother, Judith Raanan. At the time of their release, Hamas said they freed them after the US promised humanitarian aid to Gaza through their negotiation mediator, Qatar.
The freed elderly Israeli women were Yocjeved Lifshitz, aged 85, and Nurit Cooper, aged 79. Hamas abducted the two from the Nit Oz Kibbutz with their husbands, who are still being held hostage. While it is unclear why Hamas released them, the families of Cooper and Litshitz said they needed urgent medical attention.
Where is Hamas Holding the Hostages?
Last week, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida revealed on the terror group's Telegram channel that they were hiding some of the captives in secured tunnels, which the terrorists use to transfer weapons or travel around Gaza undetected. Other hostages were being held by Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based terror group.
Hamas recently released a statement claiming that several captives had been killed by airstrikes launched by the Israel Defense Forces. However, this claim has yet to be verified by the Israeli authorities.
On October 16, Hamas shared a video featuring one of the hostages, identified as Mia Schem. The 21-year-old girl is said to have been abducted during a techno music festival. In the 1-minute video, Schem was receiving medical attention on her arm. She said a doctor from a Gaza-based hospital had been nursing her wound since she arrived. The video was cut short when she began pleading for help for her return to Israel.
Following the release of the video clip, the IDF said Hamas was only trying to convince the world that it was a humane group despite murdering over 1,000 people and abducting women, the elderly, and babies earlier this month.