Israel has celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages who were held in Gaza under the first phase of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
But Hamas and Israel are now arguing over the release of the remains of the last six hostages. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israel’s two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip, while Israel accuses the militants of dragging their feet and has threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.
Since the ceasefire began last month, Israel has released the remains of 285 Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for the remains of the hostages. Around 80 of the Palestinian bodies returned have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The ensuing war has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, about half of whom were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
{{/usCountry}}Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The ensuing war has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, about half of whom were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
{{/usCountry}}Here are details on the hostages:
Total hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack: 251
Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 4
Living hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 160
Hostages rescued alive: 8
Bodies of hostages released in deals: 30
Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 51
Bodies of hostages still in captivity: 6
Follow ’s war coverage at /hub/israel-hamas-war
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