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Key Points
- Israel says close to half the people who were abducted during Hamas’ 7 October attack are still being held captive.
- The majority of those still thought to be in captivity are men, while most of those released are women and children.
- Relatives of those still in captivity are calling on Israeli authorities to do more to ensure their safe retrieval.
This followed comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday which appeared to confirm that new Qatar-mediated negotiations were underway.
Here’s what we know about those still being held in Gaza.
Who are the hostages?
The majority of those still thought to be in captivity are male, while those released in last month’s hostages-for-prisoners exchange were predominantly women and children. The Israeli prime minister’s office said 19 women and two children were still believed to be held.
Israeli soldier Ori Megidish (centre) was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen who rampaged through Israel on 7 October. She was later rescued. Source: AP / HO
While most of the current hostages are Israeli or dual nationals with Israeli citizenship, 11 are non-Israelis, including young students from Nepal and Tanzania, at least three Thai citizens, and one dual French and Mexican citizen.
How are they being treated?
Ronit Zaidenstein, head of the medical team at Shamir Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where 17 released Thai nationals were treated, said they had been fed “very unnutritious food” and lost “10 percent or more” of their body weight, Al Jazeera reported.
Merav Mor Raviv, whose cousin Keren Munder was held captive with her nine-year-old son and mother, meanwhile told Israel’s Channel 12 that Hamas captors would motion with a finger across their throats as if to threaten them with death if they didn’t do as they were told.
Yocheved Lifshitz (left) and Nurit Cooper, who were held hostage by Palestinian Hamas militants, were released on 23 October. Source: AP / /
Meanwhile, 85-year-old Israeli woman Yocheved Lifshitz, who was freed on 23 October after being taken captive by Hamas two weeks earlier, said she was beaten while being abducted but treated “well” while in the Gaza Strip.
“They seemed ready for this, they prepared for a long time, they had everything that men and women needed, including shampoo,” she said.
What about the hostages’ families?
Relatives of those still being held in captivity, who have spent months advocating for the safe rescue and return of the hostages, took to the streets of Israel in a rare protest at the weekend, as the accidental killing of three Israeli hostages by IDF forces was met with outrage and shock.
The revelations triggered a spontaneous demonstration outside the IDF’s headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday night, in a plaza now known as ‘hostage square’, which was followed by a Saturday night protest led by the families of the hostages.
People at the funeral of Alon Shamriz, who was one of three Israeli hostages killed by the military in Gaza. Source: AAP / Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
Lee Siegel, 71, whose brother is being held captive by Hamas, said at Saturday’s demonstration he wanted the Israeli government’s assurance that they were actively trying to secure a deal to free hostages.
“A military operation alone won’t save the hostages’ lives. Freeing the hostages in exchange for prisoners is urgent and critical … I’m begging you,” she said. “You promised you would get the hostages back alive. What are you waiting for?”
People protest outside Israel Defence Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv on the weekend calling for the rescue of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Source: Getty / Alexi J. Rosenfeld
The war between Hamas and Israel is the latest escalation in a long-standing conflict.
In 2021 the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories dating back to 2014, including the recent attacks of both Israel and Hamas.
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