JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel unleashed a new wave of strikes on Gaza, ending a break in fighting during which 33 Israeli hostages were returned in return for the release of nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire, while Defense Minister Israel Katz said fighting would continue until all hostages were released.
Hamas accused Israel of upending the ceasefire agreement and said the renewed strikes had put the fate of the remaining hostages in jeopardy.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. More than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Here are details on the hostages released:
Total hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023: 251
Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 2 who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of 2 soldiers killed in the 2014 war
Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 147, of whom 8 were dead
Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli troops: 41
Hostages rescued alive: 8
Hostages still in captivity: 59, of whom Israel believes 35 are dead.
The hostages still in captivity include:
— 13 soldiers, of whom Israel has declared 9 to be dead
— 5 non-Israelis ( 3 Thais, 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 2 (1 Thai and 1 Nepalese) are believed to still be alive
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The Associated Press
