After the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six captives in Gaza, 64 people believed to be alive are still being held by Hamas.

The hostages are key bargaining chips for the Palestinian militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, to negotiate a truce with Israel and seek the liberation of prisoners.

52 men, 10 women, two children

Of the original 251 hostages taken on October 7, 2023, 117 mainly women, children and foreign workers, have been released. It happened mostly during a week-long truce in November when they were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

While 64 are still held hostage and believed to be alive, the Israeli army says 70 others are confirmed to be dead. Of those numbers, 33 bodies are still in Gaza.

The military has repatriated the bodies of 37 hostages, who died either in Gaza or were killed on October 7 and whose bodies were taken to the territory.

Of the 64 who may still be alive, 57 are Israelis (some of whom have more than one nationality). Six are Thai nationals and one is a Nepalese national.

They comprise 52 men, 10 women, and two children. Eleven are military personnel, including five women.

Death after death

Since the end of the truce on December 1, 2023, only seven hostages have been freed alive, all during operations by the Israeli army.

There is uncertainty as to the fate of the 64 hostages believed to be alive.

The armed wing of Hamas said on August 12 that its fighters had shot and killed an Israeli hostage and wounded two others, both women, “in two separate incidents” in Gaza.

Before that Hamas had announced on several occasions the death of hostages. But these have not been confirmed by Israel.

They include the youngest hostage Kfir, who was eight and a half months old when he was kidnapped from Nir Oz kibbutz. He was taken alongside his mother Shiri Bibas, 32, and his then four-year-old brother Ariel.

Bodies taken to Gaza

More than half of the dead hostages, 35 out of 70, were already dead when they were taken by militants to Gaza on October 7. They include 10 Israeli soldiers.

The 35 other hostages died in the territory, including six announced on Sunday. Three were killed by mistake by the Israeli army on December 15, 2023.

On Sunday the military said the bodies of six hostages, who were all captured alive during Hamas’ attack, had been recovered from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. The health ministry said they had been “murdered… with several close-range gunshots”.

Festival, kibbutz survivors

Most of the surviving hostages in Gaza were taken during the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival and the Nir Oz kibbutz.

Only 17 people abducted from the festival are thought to be alive and still being held in Gaza. Only nine of the 44 hostages taken from Nova have been released while 12 have died.

At Nir Oz kibbutz, of the at least 74 hostages who were taken on October 7, more than half (38) have been released alive. 20 are still in Gaza and believed to be alive. The remaining 16 are dead.

Vanguard News