What is known about the hostages still in Gaza?
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A protester holding up an image of Noa Argamani, a recently rescued hostage, during a protest in Tel Aviv on June 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JERUSALEM – Israelis briefly breathed a collective sigh of relief on June 8 when the military announced it had rescued four hostages Oct 7 attack led by Hamas.
The four hostages had been taken at the Nova music festival on Oct 7 and were rescued in an operation in the town of Nuseirat in central Gaza early on June 8.
The mission left scores of Palestinians, including women and children, dead.
News of the rescue raised renewed questions about the fate of those who remain in captivity and a proposed cease-fire deal.
How many hostages are still being held in Gaza?
Roughly 120 captives remain in Gaza. The Israeli military has confirmed that at least 30 of them have died.
Earlier in June, the Israeli military informed the families of four hostages that they were dead and that their bodies were being held by Hamas.
In May, the military recovered the bodies of nine hostages, and the families of two Thai citizens who had been captured were informed that their bodies were still being held in Gaza.
Will Israel undertake more rescue operations?
Dozens of proposed rescue missions have not gone forward, for fear the hostages or soldiers would lose their lives in the process, according to Israeli defence officials.
Israeli troops have managed to rescue only seven living hostages in three separate military operations. In December, Israeli troops accidentally fired on and killed three hostages in Gaza who were trying to reach safety.
How did Hamas respond to the operation?
In a statement on social media, Al-Qassam Brigades military spokesman Abu Obaida accused Israel of “a complex war crime” and suggested that the rescue operation had endangered the remaining hostages “and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives”.
What are the families of the hostages saying?
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of the captives, held a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 8, as it has been throughout the war.
The gathering drew thousands to celebrate the rescue operation. But the group stressed the urgency of bringing home all of the remaining captives in Gaza.
“The joyous news of the return home of Shlomi, Noa, Almog and Andrey to their families through a military operation reminds us all that, for 36 weeks, 120 hostages have been waiting to return home,” the group said in a statement that referenced the names of the freed captives and pressed for the acceptance of a proposed cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that would bring home the remaining hostages.
What is happening with the proposed ceasefire deal?
President Joe Biden in late May outlined a road map for a three-phase plan
In the first phase, both sides would observe a six-week ceasefire; Israel would withdraw from major population centres in Gaza; and a number of hostages would be released, including women, the elderly and the wounded.
Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate to reach a permanent ceasefire. If they are successful, the deal would enter phase two, with the full withdrawal of Israel’s military from the enclave.
All hostages and more Palestinian prisoners would be freed.
In phase three, Hamas would return the bodies of hostages who had died, and a reconstruction period, backed by the United States, European countries and international institutions, would begin in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing competing pressures from the US and other allies threatened to bring down his government
Hamas previously said that it was responding “positively” to the plan but had informed mediators that the group would not approve an agreement that did not provide a path for a permanent ceasefire, a total withdrawal of Israeli troops, and a “serious and real deal” to exchange Palestinian prisoners for hostages.
It is not clear what effect the latest hostage rescue operation will have on deal negotiations. NYTIMES
