Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal: Fate of 60 hostages held in Gaza unknown

PARIS - When Hamas militants staged

the worst-ever attack on Israel

on Oct 7, 2023, they took 251 hostages into the Gaza Strip. Some were already dead.

On Jan 15, mediators announced that

Israel and Hamas had reached a deal

for a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners.

For Hamas, which rules Gaza, the hostages were key bargaining chips in the negotiations with Israel to secure a truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Here is what we know about the hostages still held in Gaza.

48 men, 10 women, two children

Of the 251 hostages seized by militants on Oct 7, 2023, 117 have been freed, most of them women, children and foreign workers.

Most were released during

a week-long truce in November 2023

in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Israel believes 60 hostages still held in Gaza are alive, while 34 have been declared dead by the army.

The military has repatriated the bodies of 40 hostages who either died in Gaza or were killed on Oct 7, 2023, and taken to the territory.

The last of these were Mr Youssef and his son Hamza al-Zayadna, 53 and 22, Israeli Arab Bedouins taken from the Holit kibbutz where they were harvesting olives.

Israel’s army said on Dec 2 that one of its soldiers, Captain Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, was killed in Hamas’ attack on Oct 7 and that his body has been held in Gaza since then.

Of the 60 thought to be alive, 53 are Israelis, though some of them have more than one nationality. Another six are Thais and one is Nepalese.

Forty-eight are men and 10 are women. Ten are military personnel.

Two are children.

The youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas, was just 8½ months old when he was kidnapped. His brother Ariel was four years old when he was taken to Gaza.

Hamas has said the two children are dead, but Israel has not confirmed this.

No proof of life

Since the last truce ended on Dec 1, 2023, seven other hostages have been freed alive, all during Israeli military operations.

Hamas has announced on several occasions the deaths of hostages that Israel has not confirmed, leaving families in agonising limbo.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in November that

Israel was offering a reward of US$5 million (S$6.83 million)

to anybody who brings out a hostage held in Gaza.

With no proof of life, it remains uncertain whether the 60 are all still alive.

Hamas’ armed wing said on Nov 23 that an Israeli woman taken hostage during the October 2023 attack had been killed in a combat zone in northern Gaza. The Israeli military has said it is investigating.

Among the few proofs of life, Hamas and Islamic Jihad recently published videos with Mr Matan Zangauker (25), Mr Edan Alexander (20), Mr Sacha Trupanov (29) and Ms Liri Albag (19).

Bodies taken to Gaza

On Oct 7, 2023, Hamas militants took several dead captives back into Gaza with them, including Mr Omer Neutra, one of 11 Israeli soldiers.

At least 30 other hostages have died in the territory since the start of the war.

Three were killed in error by the Israeli army on Dec 15, 2023. They were Mr Yotam Haim, 28, Mr Samer El-Talalqa, 25, and Mr Alon Shamriz, 26.

The Israeli army accuses Hamas of executing six others in August: Mr Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ms Carmel Gat, Ms Eden Yerushalmi, Mr Alexander Lobanov, Mr Almog Sarusi and Mr Ori Danino.

They were found dead by soldiers in a tunnel in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Most of the hostages believed alive were taken during the attacks on the Nir Oz kibbutz and the Supernova music festival.

At Nir Oz, of the at least 76 hostages taken on Oct 7, 40 were released alive. Another 20 are still in Gaza and believed to be alive. The remaining 16 are dead.

Sixteen people abducted from the festival are thought to be alive and still held in Gaza.

Only nine of at least 43 hostages taken from the Supernova festival have been released.

On Oct 7, 2023, whole families were taken to Gaza. For some of their members, the November 2023 truce brought relief, but also the heartache of leaving loved ones behind.

French-Israeli children Eitan, Erez and Sahar were freed, but their fathers, Mr Ohad Yahalomi and Mr Ofer Kalderon, are still held. AFP