Hamas Official Says Group Unsure How Many Oct 7 Hostages Still Alive

Last updated on August 7th, 2024 at 04:28 pm

A Hamas leader has said the Palestinian faction is unsure how many of the hostages they took on Oct. 7 are still alive, amid months of bombardment and heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Sitting for an interview with CNN, which aired on Friday, June 14, Hamas political spokesman Osama Hamdan said the group could not be certain on the fate of around 120 hostages still remaining in the embattled territory after more than eight months of fighting.

Asked about the condition of the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, Hamdan said, “I don’t have any idea about that. No one has any idea about this.”

Hamas and other Palestinian militants took around 250 people captive during the Oct. 7 attacks. Hamas unilaterally released four hostages in October. They released 105 more hostages during a temporary ceasefire in November, in exchange for the release of around 240 Palestinians who Israel had held.

Israeli forces rescued one hostage in an armed raid in October, two more hostages in another armed raid in February, and four more in Nuseirat on June 8.

The Hamas-affiliated Gaza Health Ministry reported some 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 more were wounded during the Israeli military rescue operation in Nuseirat, though the organization does not clearly distinguish combatants from noncombatants. The Associated Press reported that Israeli forces called in fire support when one of their rescue vehicles became stuck during the Nuseirat mission, and that militants as well as women and children were included among the Palestinian casualties. Hamas has claimed other hostages were killed as a result of the Israeli rescue operation in Nuseirat, and that conditions would worsen for other hostages because of the raid.

Another hostage, Sahar Baruch, was killed during an exchange of fire as Israeli forces attempted to rescue him on Dec. 8.

Israeli forces shot and killed three more hostages as they conducted operations in northern Gaza on Dec. 15. An Israeli military internal investigation concluded those three hostages went shirtless in an attempt to signify they were not hiding weapons, and waved a white cloth to signify surrender. Still, the Israeli military concluded its troops fired on the three hostages in the heat of the moment as they battled with militants in the area.

Hamas has claimed several other hostages have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes throughout the embattled Gaza Strip. It remains difficult to confirm how many hostages have been killed amid the ongoing fighting and how they were killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of his governing coalition have articulated wartime goals to both eliminate Hamas and free hostages taken on Oct. 7. Ceasefire negotiations have centered around proposals to halt the fighting in exchange for Hamas releasing some of the hostages, but the negotiations have faltered as Hamas has sought assurances of a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces, rather than a momentary pause that may allow Israeli forces to resume striking Hamas targets once the Palestinian faction frees its captives.