List of Gaza war hostages

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Kidnapped posters in Tel Aviv calling for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza Iron Swords 141023 Kirya Bring The Home 02.jpg
Kidnapped posters in Tel Aviv calling for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza


In the wake of the October 7 attacks that sparked the Gaza war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, [1] [2] [3] including children, [4] women, and elderly people. [5] [6] Almost half of the hostages were foreign nationals or had multiple citizenships, [7] and some hostages were Negev Bedouins. [8] The hostages were held in different locations in the Gaza Strip. [9]

Contents

168 hostages were returned alive to Israel, with 105 released in the 2023 Gaza war ceasefire, five released by Hamas outside the framework of any ceasefire agreement, eight rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), 30 released during the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, [10] [11] [12] and 20 released under the Gaza peace plan. The bodies of 73 hostages were repatriated to Israel, with three of the hostages killed by friendly fire after escaping captivity and being mistaken for enemy fighters by IDF troops, [13] [14] the bodies of 47 other hostages repatriated through military operations, [a] [15] [16] eight returned in the January 2025 ceasefire deal, and 15 returned under the Gaza peace plan. [17] According to Israel, 75 hostages were killed on 7 October 2023 or in Hamas captivity. [a] [18] [19] [20] The bodies of 13 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, as of 21 October 2025. [21]

The return of the hostages was a goal of the Israeli operation in Gaza. Its status as the main goal has been debated by Israeli politicians. [22]

Hamas offered to release all hostages in exchange for Israel releasing all 5,200 Palestinian prisoners at the start of the war. [23] [24] Several countries have been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar taking the lead. [25]

Israel and Hamas agreed on 22 November 2023 to a four-day ceasefire and the release of 50 women and children held hostage in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. [26] [27] [28] By the last day of the ceasefire on 30 November 2023, 105 civilian hostages had been released, including 81 people from Israel, 23 Thais and 1 Filipino. [10] Two Argentinian-Israeli civilians were rescued in Operation Golden Hand on 12 February 2024. Hamas insinuated on 2 September 2024 that it would kill any hostage that the IDF attempted to rescue with military force, so that Israel could only receive the hostages back by negotiating an exchange of Palestinian prisoners. [29] [30] It was announced on 15 January 2025 that Hamas would release 33 out of 98 hostages in a first phase that included infants, children, women, elderly men, and younger men with injuries or health issues. [31] Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons in exchange. [32] The 20 remaining living hostages were released as part of the Gaza peace plan on 13 October 2025. However, the bodies of numerous deceased hostages have yet to be returned to Israel.

List of living hostages

The following are hostages who were alive when released or rescued: [b]

List of dead hostages

The following are hostages who were deceased when returned or retrieved: [b]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Not including Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, whose bodies were captured prior to the crisis; Shaul's was recovered during it.
  2. 1 2 Unless otherwise noted, the basis of this list is from Haaretz . [33]

References

    • "Israel-Gaza war: What we know about the captives taken by Hamas". Al Jazeera . 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • Fabian, Emanuel; Staff, ToI; Agencies (7 October 2023). "Israel confirms civilians and soldiers abducted by Hamas into Gaza". The Times of Israel . Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
    • Sherwood, Harriet (17 October 2023). "Hamas says 250 people held hostage in Gaza". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  1. "Images of the Mass Kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas". The Atlantic . 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  2. Vinograd, Cassandra; Kershner, Isabel (9 October 2023). "Hamas Took Scores of Hostages From Israel. Here's What We Know About Them". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. יפה בת ה-85 נחטפה לעזה: "מה היא עוברת שם, מפרק לי את הלב" (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023 via YouTube.
  4. Jones, Sam; Fidler, Matt (18 October 2023). "Who are the hostages taken by Hamas from southern Israel?". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. "More than half of Hamas' hostages have foreign nationality – Israel". Reuters . 25 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  6. "Israel's Negev Bedouins, forgotten victims of the Hamas attack, rally to provide aid". France 24 . 17 October 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. Afriat, Johanna (8 October 2023). "Hamas plans to use Israeli civilian hostages as human shields". I24news . Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  8. 1 2 "8 Israeli hostages freed from Gaza at end of seventh day of truce". The Times of Israel . 30 November 2023. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  9. John, Tara; Izso, Lauren; Michaelis, Tamar; Tanno, Sophie (27 August 2024). "Who are the hostages freed during the Israel-Hamas conflict?". CNN . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  10. "Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander returns to Israel after release by Hamas". BBC News . 12 May 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  11. "Israel-Hamas war live updates: IDF says it mistakenly killed 3 Israeli hostages during fighting". NBC News. 15 December 2023. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
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  13. Boxerman, Aaron (16 November 2023). "2 Israeli Hostages' Bodies Were Recovered Near Al-Shifa Hospital, Army Says". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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  19. Fabian, Emanuel (2 May 2025). "IDF says chief war goal is return of hostages, contradicting Netanyahu's position". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  20. Halabi, Einav; Eichner, Itamar; Turgeman, Meir (28 October 2023). "Hamas chief: all Israeli hostages for all Palestinian prisoners". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  21. "Why are so many Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails?". Al Jazeera . 8 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  22. Burke, Jason (23 October 2023). "Two Israeli hostages released as efforts intensify to free people held by Hamas". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  23. Jobain, Najib; Federman, Josef; Jeffery, Jack (24 November 2023). "Hamas and Israel carry out first swap of hostages and prisoners as Gaza cease-fire begins". Associated Press . Archived from the original on 24 November 2023.
  24. Jack, Jeffery; Federman, Josef (21 November 2023). "Israeli Cabinet approves cease-fire with Hamas that includes release of some 50 hostages". Associated Press . Archived from the original on 22 November 2023.
  25. "Secrecy and public anger: how the Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal came about". The Guardian . 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  26. "Hamas admits to killing hostages, releases video of slain hostage Eden Yerushalmi". Jerusalem Post . 2 September 2024.
  27. Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Taha, Jaidaa (2 September 2024). "Hamas says hostage guards in Gaza have been operating under new instructions". Reuters .
  28. Ott, Haley (15 January 2025). "Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal reached". CBS News . Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  29. Boxerman, Aaron; Shbair, Bilal; Yazbek, Hiba; Kershner, Isabel; Maag, Christopher (19 January 2025). "Gazans and Israelis Dare to Hope as Cease-Fire Takes Hold". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 20 January 2025.
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