2023-11-21 13:04:00
Hamas is holding some 239 hostages following its Oct. 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead, according to the Israeli military.
Only four have been freed since the attack, one was rescued and at least three were found dead. Sources told CNN that a possible deal to secure the release of some hostages – in exchange for a temporary pause in fighting – might be in sight, following weeks of negotiations involving several countries.
Here’s what we know regarding the hostages.
Who are the hostages? Among the hostages are children and elderly people kidnapped from the kibbutzim, young people chased while fleeing the Nova music festival, families and Israeli soldiers. Among them are people from more than 25 countries, according to the Government of Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in October that 33 of the hostages were children, although the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) overall hostage count has fluctuated since then.
Have any been released? Hamas freed two American hostages, Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, on October 20. Days later, Hamas freed two more hostages: Yocheved Lifschitz, an 85-year-old grandmother, and her neighbor Nurit Cooper, 79, from Nir Oz. The IDF also said it rescued Pvt. Ori Megidish last month in a “boots on the ground” operation.
Has anyone died? The IDF has found the bodies of at least three hostages since launching its ground offensive in Gaza.
Shani Louk, a 23-year-old German-Israeli woman kidnapped at the Nova music festival, was pronounced dead on October 30. Last week, the IDF found two more bodies outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City: Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old grandmother, and Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier.
Who took them and where are they? Not all the hostages are in the hands of Hamas. Earlier this month, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a rival Islamist group, released a video of two hostages — a 77-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy — and said it was prepared to release both on humanitarian grounds. That hasn’t happened yet.
What has been the reaction in Israel? Netanyahu’s government has faced a furious backlash from the Israeli public and the hostages’ families who want more to be done to secure their release.
Last week, thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Jerusalem toward Netanyahu’s residence. Similar demonstrations have taken place in Tel Aviv.
How has Israel resolved previous hostage crises? Israel has previously been willing to pay a high price to secure the release of the hostages.
Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier, was captured by Hamas in 2006 and held for five years. To free him, Israel exchanged more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had been convicted of deadly attacks once morest Israelis.
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