Explainer: What do we know about the Hamas hostages?
Gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas took at least 200 hostages and killed about 1,400 people during an Oct. 7 dawn raid carried out from the Gaza Strip on communities and military bases in southern Israel. Israel has responded by pounding Gaza with air strikes, killing thousands, and has said it will act to free the hostages while wiping out Hamas. Israel has amassed tanks and troops near the perimeter of the enclave and called on Palestinians to evacuate the north of Gaza before an expected ground invasion. Hamas has suggested the hostages could be swapped for approximately 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. In 2011, Israel was criticized by some of its citizens for swapping 1,027 Palestinian prisoners to win the release of one Israeli soldier. Israel has said that there will be no end to the blockade of the enclave without freedom for Israeli hostages. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to open for the delivery of limited amounts of aid from Friday. How many hostages are there? An estimated 200 people, including 30 minors and young children and 20 people over the age of 60, are being held hostage in Gaza, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said on Thursday, citing military sources. Hamas says it has between 200 and 250. It said more than 20 hostages have been killed by Israeli air strikes, but has not given any further details. Where are the hostages? Israel says the hostages were taken to Gaza but their exact whereabouts within the enclave are unknown, making their rescue more complicated. It is believed many could be held in the warren of tunnels under Gaza that Israeli troops call the “Gaza Metro”. Hamas on Monday released a video of Mia Schem, a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman captured at a dance party. In the video, she was shown being treated for an injury to her arm by an unidentified medical worker. What nationalities are the hostages? The hostages include people from dozens of countries, while many also have Israeli citizenship. Twenty or more Americans are missing, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday, adding that he could not say how many of those were being held hostage. Republican Senator Jim Risch told reporters on Tuesday that 10 of the hostages were Americans. Thailand revised to 17 the number of its citizens being held. Eight Germans are among the hostages, about
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