The Israeli government said the hostage status held by Hamas and other groups there resumed Israel’s strike in Gaza, and less than half of the remaining 59 people are still alive, according to the Israeli government.
A recent New York Times analysis showed that at least 41 hostages died during prison. In the October 7, 2023 attack, they were caught and sent to Gaza and hostages were released. The Israeli military retrieved the bodies of at least 40 others.
In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a multiple stages of truce that would allow Hamas in Gaza to approve hostage exchanges in exchange for Israeli imprisonment of Palestinian prisoners.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended in early March. Hamas released 30 Israeli and foreign hostages and handed over eight bodies in exchange for Israel’s release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Several hostages had been rescued or released before the two sides reached an agreement.
However, the fate of the ceasefire is unclear after Israel resumed its fierce attack on Gaza on Tuesday, citing Hamas repeatedly refused to release the rest of the hostages. Earlier this month, President Trump issued a warning to Hamas militants to release Gaza immediately or face dead hostages.
Hamas accused Israel of overturning the ceasefire earlier Tuesday, “exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate.”
