How many hostages are left in Gaza, and when can they be released?

When Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, about 250 people were taken to Gaza as hostages, including citizens of Israel, the U.S. , Great Britain, Mexico, Thailand and other countries.

The bodies of 37 people killed in the attack were among the hostages, Israeli officials said. Today, around 100 hostages, alive and dead, are still being held in that area, officials said.

The cease-fire agreement announced on Wednesday between Israel and Hamas will begin its first six-week phase, and will include the release of 33 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The deal calls for Hamas to release three female hostages on Day 1, four more on Day 7 and 26 more over the next five weeks, according to a copy of the document obtained by The New York Times. The deal still has to be formally approved by Israel’s cabinet.

Here’s a closer look at the hostage situation in Gaza.

How many hostages have been released?

Early in the war, Hamas released four hostages — two Israeli-American women, Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, and two Israeli women, Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, citing humanitarian reasons. More than 100 hostages were released in November 2023 during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, approximately 240 Palestinians detained in Israel were released.

How many hostages have been rescued?

Eight hostages have been freed in Israeli military operations, including one in the first month of the war, when soldiers rescued a soldier, Pvt. Ori Megidish, 19, who was abducted from the camp.

In February 2024, a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah freed two hostages: Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70.

In June, Israeli forces freed four people kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023: Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22 years old; Andrey Kozlov, 27 years old; and Shlomi Ziv, then 41 years old. Ms Argamani’s case came to light after widely circulated footage showed her being driven into Gaza on a motorbike as she cried in despair.

About 100 Palestinians were killed during the operation, according to Israeli officials, but Gaza officials said more than 270 were killed, including 64 children. equal numbers of civilians and combatants.)

In August, Israeli soldiers rescued Farhan al-Qadi, 52, a member of Israel’s Arab Bedouin minority, in an operation that killed at least 20 Gazans, authorities said. local.

How many hostages died?

Of the 250 hostages, around thirty are believed to have died early in the conflict, according to Israeli officials.

Some of their bodies were found in Gaza and repatriated, while other prisoners who were initially thought to be alive were reported to have been killed.

The findings also raised questions about the extent of Israeli military operations against Hamas that put the captives at risk.

Israeli soldiers killed several hostages by mistake. In December 2023, the military said it mistakenly shot dead three hostages who escaped their captors in Gaza: Yotam Haim, 28, and Alon Shamriz, 26, who were taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza; and Samer Talalka, 24, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Am while he was working.

Last July, Israeli soldiers recovered the bodies of five hostages — two soldiers and three civilians, aged 20 to 56. They were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza.

Israeli officials said the hostages were killed during the October 2023 raid and their bodies were taken for ransom. The following month, the Israeli army said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza.

In September, Israeli soldiers recovered the bodies of six other hostages, ages 23 to 40, who they said had been killed in captivity. Among them is Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American whose parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August.

In March, the family of Itay Chen – a 19-year-old American born in Israel who served in the Israeli army – said he was murdered on October 7, 2023.

In December, the family of 21-year-old Omer Neutra, an Israeli-American serving in the Israeli army, said they learned that he, too, had been killed in October. Her parents spoke at the Republican National Convention in July.

This month, the Israeli military said Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne were killed. Youssef Ziyadne, 53, was taken hostage from the kibbutz along with his three children, including his 23-year-old son Hamza and two teenagers, Bilal and Aisha, who were released during the November ceasefire. 2023. The family is part of the family of Israel. Bedouin Arab minority.