Israel reported 90 hostages remaining in Hamas hands
There are 90 hostages in captivity of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, 87 of them were kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Israeli government spokesman David Menser told a briefing on January 27.
"Three hostages have been held by Hamas since 2014. Israel believes that 35 of the remaining 90 hostages were killed by Hamas, but they still have their bodies in Gaza," Menser said, his remarks broadcast by YouTube channel Telegram channel Firstpost.
He also noted that of those kidnapped in the Palestinian movement's 2023 attack on Israel, six women and two children under the age of five remain in captivity.
The government spokesman added that Israel managed to free a total of 124 people, most of whom returned from captivity as part of the week-long truce in November 2023. In addition, the bodies of 41 dead hostages were recovered from Gaza.
Earlier, on January 19, the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian radical movement Hamas went into effect. During the first phase of the 42-day deal, 33 Israeli hostages and about 1,900 Palestinians were to be released. On the same day, the movement released three hostages in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners, and four military girls were handed over to the Red Cross on Jan. 26.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement was announced on January 15. The next day, the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began preparations to implement the agreements, which the Israeli government approved on January 17 following a six-hour meeting.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began to launch retaliatory strikes.
