By The Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has recovered the bodies of two hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli American Gad Haggai and Judih Weinstein — who was Israeli, American and Canadian — were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. Their remains were returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency, Netanyahu said.
Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. More than 54,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Here are details on the hostages:
- Total hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023: 251
- Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: 4, including 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: 148, of whom 8 were dead
- Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 43
- Hostages rescued alive: 8
- Hostages still in captivity: 56, of whom Israel believes 33 are dead. Netanyahu has said there are “doubts” about the fate of several more.
- The hostages in captivity include: 5 non-Israelis (3 Thais, 1 Nepalese, 1 Tanzanian), of whom 3 (2 Thais and 1 Tanzanian) have been confirmed dead
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