Latest Updates on Hamas Hostage Situation

2023-11-01 16:45:22

Hamas Hostages: What Do We Know So Far?

It has nearly been a month since Palestinian militants, Hamas, took more than 200 people hostage. Their wellbeing remains a pressing concern for their families and the international community alike, but very little is known about their captivity – even though they remain a focal point in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

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Taking hostages is a war crime and breaches the Geneva Conventions.

Israel, human rights groups and the United Nations have called for their immediate release, while some hostages’ relatives have requested greater intervention from Tel Aviv to get their family members home safely.

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When were the hostages taken?

1. Around 240 people were taken from Israeli land near the Gaza border on October 7, including foreigners from different countries, Israeli soldiers and civilians.
2. Israel claims they include 20 children and between 10 and 20 over-60s.
3. Amid the abductions, Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.
4. Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas in response – according to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 8,500 people have since been killed in Israel’s siege of Gaza and subsequent air strikes began.
5. Israeli families of those killed on October 7 called on the International Criminal Court – which is not recognized by Tel Aviv – to investigate the abductions, and the attacks.

Has anyone been released?

1. Four of captives have been released through negotiations with diplomatic channels, and mediation from Qatar and Egypt.
2. Two of them were Israeli captives – elderly women who were released into Egypt. Both of their husbands are still being held.
3. The other two are US-Israeli nationals, a mother and a daughter.
4. Hamas claimed they were all released on humanitarian grounds.
5. The fifth one was rescued in a ground raid by Israeli forces inside Gaza, according to Tel Aviv.

What do we know about the conditions of captivity?

Hamas has claimed these captives are being kept in “safe places and tunnels” across Gaza. And, without any evidence, Hamas has claimed that around 50 of the hostages have been killed by Israel’s air strike of the Gaza Strip.

One German Israeli woman previously believed to have been taken hostage has been confirmed to have been killed, although the details are unclear.

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Of the four released prisoners, only one has spoken to the media so far. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said that the abduction itself was “a hell that we never knew before and never thought we would experience”. She claimed conditions improved once she was in captivity.

Hamas' armed faction, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, also released a video of three women taken hostage. Only one of the hostages addressed the camera throughout the clip, and criticized Netanyahu, and asking how the Israeli government allowed any of this to happen. She called for Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

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Why is Hamas keeping people hostage?

Palestinian militant groups – including Hamas – have previously taken hostages to attract attention and maintain leverage in negotiations, although this is the largest number of hostages the group has ever taken. It may use them to request more humanitarian aid to be sent across Gaza, to demand a ceasefire, or to call for a release of Palestinian prisoners. Christopher O’Leary, the former director of hostage recovery for the US government and a senior vice president for the Soufan Group, told Vox that Hamas had only released four hostages to prove it is a legitimate partner in negotiations.

Hamas has announced that it would soon be releasing some foreign hostages from Gaza in the coming days, although it is yet to reveal further details. While some have suggested swapping all of the Palestinian prisoners currently in Israel for the hostages, Netanyahu is currently focusing on a military offensive. He has said getting the hostages released is his second priority, after destroying Hamas.

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