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How many hostages are still in Gaza since Hamas attack on Israel? What to know.

Israel estimates some 112 hostages held by Hamas have been released or freed; 96 are believed still to be alive in Gaza. Here's what we know.

By Victoria Bisset, Sammy Westfall, Helier Cheung | 2024-03-28

The Israeli government estimates that 253 hostages were taken in the cross-border Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, though numbers have shifted over the course of the war. According to the latest figures, 96 hostages are believed to still be alive and in captivity in the Gaza Strip, but the country has not given the full basis for its estimates.

Since the attack, 112 hostages held in the Gaza Strip have been freed. A deal between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, paused the fighting on Nov. 24 and allowed for the release of women and children in exchange for Palestinian women and teens in Israeli prisons. However, fighting restarted Dec. 1, with Israeli warplanes resuming strikes in Gaza.

During the pause, 81 Israeli citizens -- including those who also hold citizenship from other countries -- were released. Under the deal's framework, every Israeli hostage freed would initiate the release of three Palestinian prisoners. Outside the framework of the exchange deal, 24 foreign nationals -- who do not hold Israeli citizenship -- were freed. Some hostages -- including two Americans -- were also released or rescued outside of the deal.

The number of hostages who have died in captivity and the ages, genders and nationalities of those remaining in Gaza are unclear. Israel has estimated that the majority of those remaining have Israeli citizenship and are male. It's unclear how many are members of the Israeli military. Two Americans -- Abigail Edan, 4, and Liat Beinin Atzili, 49 -- were released under the exchange deal. Fewer than 10 U.S. citizens are now held hostage, according to the White House.

While Hamas is thought to hold most of the hostages, some are believed to be held by other militant groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose fighters also took part in the Oct. 7 attack. Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of some hostages, and it said at least three were killed in its own operations; Hamas says Israeli strikes have killed some hostages. The Washington Post could not independently verify either side's claims.

Here is a list of the hostages released and what is known about those who remain.

Israel and Hamas initially agreed on a four-day deal that would pause hostilities to exchange captives. The deal, which began Nov. 24, was extended multiple times, allowing for the release of more hostages. The United States pushed for a broader deal that could also encompass the release of men and military personnel, but negotiations broke down and hostilities resumed on Dec. 1.

According to the Israeli government, 253 people were thought to have been abducted on Oct. 7. The Israeli Prime Minister's office says that of the 130 hostages taken on Oct. 7 who are still held in Gaza, 34 are now confirmed dead, bringing the estimated number of living hostages to 96. Israel includes hostages who were killed, with their bodies still held by Hamas, in its count.

The majority of the remaining hostages are Israelis or dual nationals, and male. Some Americans are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza. The only children on Israel's list of remaining hostages are Kfir Bibas, who was 9 months old when he was abducted, and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel. Israel has said it is assessing Hamas's claims that the Bibas children and their mother, Shiri, were killed.

Ten of the remaining hostages are foreign nationals, according to Israel. Israel previously described the breakdown as eight Thai citizens, one Nepali citizen and one French-Mexican citizen.

Before the pause in fighting, Hamas released four hostages in two batches in October. Americans Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were released Oct. 20. Hamas said this was for "humanitarian reasons," without elaborating.

Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, Israeli women in their 70s and 80s, were released Oct. 23, for what Hamas called "crushing humanitarian reasons." Their husbands remain in captivity.

Israel said one of its soldiers who was taken in the Hamas incursion was released after a rescue operation in late October. The soldier was identified as Pvt. Ori Megidish.

In mid-February, Israel's military said it rescued two Israeli Argentine dual nationals, Fernando Simon Marman and Luis Har, amid deadly airstrikes on Rafah.

It is unclear how many of the remaining hostages are still alive.

Israel said it has recovered 11 bodies of hostages from Gaza, including several whose deaths it blames on Hamas and some who have been killed in its own operations.

Israel said there are 34 additional hostages it believes were killed whose bodies have not been recovered, including one who was killed in a rescue attempt. That number includes one Tanzanian worker. It said it has been updating its list of hostages killed based on confirmation from "intelligence and other measures." Its list appeared also to include some whose bodies were taken into Gaza after they were killed in the Oct. 7 attack.

Nov. 24: The day the pause began, Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that 13 Israelis were released.

Nov. 25: Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that 13 Israelis were released.

Nov. 26: The Israeli Foreign Ministry listed 14 Israelis who were released.

Nov. 27: Israel's Foreign Ministry listed 11 Israeli hostages as being released.

All those released on Nov. 27 have dual citizenship -- French, Argentine and German, said Qatar's foreign minister, Al Ansari.

Nov. 28: Israel's Foreign Ministry said 10 Israeli hostages were released. One of the hostages was born in the Philippines, and some also hold Argentine citizenship, according to local media reports.

Nov. 29: The Israeli prime minister's office said 10 Israeli hostages were released. Two others with Russian citizenship were also released. Qatar's and Germany's foreign ministries said there were three German citizens released, but The Post could not confirm the name of one.

Nov. 30: Hamas released eight Israeli hostages, Israel's military said.

Some other foreign nationals -- mostly Thai -- were also released during the pause in fighting.

Thai nationals who were released after being taken hostage by Hamas leave the Shamir Medical Center in Ramla, Israel, on their way to be flown back to Thailand. (Maya Levin/AP)

Nov. 24: 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino national were released, the Thai and Philippine foreign ministries confirmed. Israel's Foreign Ministry also listed the names of those freed.

Nov. 25: The Thai Foreign Ministry said four Thai nationals were released, and they were named by a Thai public broadcaster.

Nov. 26: The Thai Foreign Ministry said three Thai nationals had been released. Their names were published by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Nov. 28: Thailand's foreign minister said he welcomed two Thai nationals who had been released. They were named by Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Nov. 29: The Israeli prime minister's office announced that four Thai nationals had been released into Israel. They were named by Thailand's Foreign Ministry.

Lior Soroka, Itay Stern, Shira Rubin and Kate Brady contributed to this report.


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/30/hamas-hostages-list-names-tracker-israel-gaza/


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