Gaza war hostage crisis
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, including children, women, and elderly people. Almost half of the hostages were foreign nationals or had multiple citizenships, and some hostages were Negev Bedouins. The hostages were held in different locations in the Gaza Strip.
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, 30 released during the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. The 20 remaining living hostages were released as part of the Gaza peace plan on 13 October 2025.
The bodies of 85 hostages were repatriated to Israel, who were killed on 7 October 2023 or in Hamas captivity. Three had escaped captivity, and were killed in a friendly fire incident by IDF troops, who had mistaken them for Palestinian fighters. An additional 48 hostages were recovered in military operations, 8 were returned in the January 2025 ceasefire deal, and 27 during the Gaza peace plan. The body of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, was recovered by Israeli forces from a cemetery in northern Gaza on 26 January 2026.
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.
Hamas offered to release all hostages in exchange for Israel releasing all 5,200 Palestinian prisoners at the start of the war. Several countries have been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar taking the lead.
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. 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 one Filipino. 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. 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. Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons in exchange.
Background
The issue of hostages and prisoners is considered emotional for both Israelis and Palestinians. Since 1967, between 750,000 and 1 million Palestinians have been arrested by Israel. As of October 2023, Israel held 5,200 Palestinian prisoners, including 170 children. Some have been convicted on terrorism-related charges. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese described many convictions as resulting from "a litany of violations of international law, including due process violations, that taint the legitimacy of the administration of justice by the occupying power." About 1,310 Palestinians are held in administrative detention, a practice that allows Israel to detain Palestinians indefinitely without charges or trial. Israel justifies this practice citing security reasons.Hamas has used hostages as bargaining chips for prisoner exchanges, which is a violation of international law. Hostage-taking and the abduction of civilians are prohibited by international law and are war crimes. Israel had mostly refrained from negotiating with organizations it deemed as terrorists, opting for military or alternative measures to secure the release of hostages. However, Israel has engaged in prisoner exchanges with armed groups on several occasions.
Notable incidents include the 1994 abduction of Israeli soldier Nachshon Wachsman by Hamas, resulting in his death during a failed rescue attempt by Israel Defense Forces. Hamas actions were at times aimed at disrupting the peace process in the 1990s. In 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured and held for over five years until a prisoner exchange in 2011. Israel secured his release in exchange for 1,000 Palestinians, some of whom were tried as terrorists.
The 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Fraenkel, and Gilad Shaar, heightened tensions and contributed to opening of the 2014 Gaza War. Hamas had also held the bodies of two slain Israeli soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, since Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Additionally, at the time of its attack, Hamas was already holding two Israelis hostage: Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, both released in February 2025. On 31 August 2023, Israel warned its citizens that Hamas was trying to kidnap them.
On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas launched an attack on Israel, initiating the current Gaza war. The attack resulted in thousands of Israeli and legal resident casualties, leading to widespread condemnation and accusations of war crimes. The use of hostages, primarily women, children, and the elderly, is highlighted as a violation by Hamas of international humanitarian law.
7 October attacks
On the morning of 7 October 2023, around 6:30 a.m. IST, around 6,000 Palestinians including 3,800 from the Hamas "elite Nukhba forces" launched an attack into Israel from 119 sites on its border with the Gaza Strip. The operation included attacks on Israel Defense Forces bases as well as massacres of Israeli civilians. The ground incursion was combined with a sustained barrage of at least 4,300 rockets.At around 7:00 am, militants raided many communities and kibbutzim in the Gaza periphery area of Israel. They killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers. The Economist described the combined attacks as "the biggest terror attack in history".
In the initial wave of attacks, civilians were kidnapped and forcibly dragged back to Gaza as captives. According to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, around 200 soldiers and civilians were captured or abducted during the raid on the Gaza periphery communities. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, reported on 7 October that military officers were among those captured. Israel confirmed the identity of 203 captives, among them 30 children, while Gaza spokespeople reported holding roughly 200, estimating that another 50 were held by other factions. The IDF reported that it captured Hamas manuals instructing fighters to kill difficult captives and use the rest as human shields. The UN's Pramila Patten and Commission of Inquiry was unable to substantiate these claims.
Civilians held captive in Gaza included families, children, festival-goers, peace activists, caregivers and elderly adults. One was 75-year-old historian Alex Dancyg who wrote books on Poland's Jewish community and the Holocaust, and the Bibas family were taken from their home, including a 6-month old and 4-year-old from Nir Oz.
While many hostages had only Israeli citizenship, about half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. Some hold citizenship from France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States. At least seventeen Thai citizens working in greenhouses in the Gaza periphery were also kidnapped. Bipin Joshi of Nepal was abducted from kibbutz Alumim and murdered in captivity. One Filipino was abducted and he was released during the 2023 Gaza war ceasefire. Hamas also took members of the Negev Bedouin Arab community as hostages.
Hostages held inside Israel
The hostages numbers listed in the rest of the article do not include the 17 hostages held inside Israel. Only four of the 17 hostages held inside Israel survived.Media documentation
There is a video depicting at least 64 of the abductees. Video analysis from The Washington Post shows that some of the captives were killed shortly after their capture. Images taken by the Associated Press also showed Yaffa Adar being kidnapped.On 19 November 2023, the Israeli military released reported CCTV footage that they claimed showed hostages being led into Al-Shifa Hospital on 7 October. This was in the wake of Israel being put under pressure to substantiate claims that Hamas was operating an expansive command center under the hospital leading to its siege. BBC News said that they were unable to verify the video.
Aftermath
As part of Israel's counteroffensive, Israel implemented a "total blockade" of the Gaza Strip until the hostages have been released. Amnesty International describes this measure as having been "taken to punish civilians in Gaza for the actions of Palestinian armed groups," amounting to collective punishment. Israel has also undertaken mass detentions of Palestinians in Israel and the Palestinian territories; several Israeli NGOs described the detention of several thousand Gazan workers as a form of retaliation or "vengeance" for the capture of Israeli citizens.American-Israeli author Robby Berman set up a fund offering a reward of a million Israeli shekels for the release of hostages in Gaza, specifically aimed at encouraging Palestinians to aid in the rescue of Jewish hostages.
Experts stated that an Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip would endanger the lives of the hostages. U.S. officials said the Biden administration advised Israel to delay the ground invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostage negotiations. According to Israeli officials, once Israel begins a ground invasion of Gaza, it will be almost impossible to reach a deal on the release of the hostages. On 24 October, US President Joe Biden rejected calls for a ceasefire, stating "We should have those hostages released and then we can talk".
Status of hostages
On 22 October 2023, a list of the 204 hostages was published.According to Israel, at least 250 additional individuals were captured on the first day of the war, but rescued that day.
As of 6 June 2024, Hamas refused to allow representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to meet with the 7 October hostages in Gaza. The hostages are believed to have been dispersed among different Hamas members and factions, as well as among other militant groups, gangs, and families.