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Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages who were held in Gaza under the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains of the last 8 hostages because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israel’s two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip.
A look at the hostages left in Gaza, by the numbers
Israelis celebrated the return of the last 20 living hostages who were held in Gaza under the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. But Hamas and Israel are now arguing over the release of the remains of the last eight hostages.
Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by Israel’s two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.
Since the ceasefire began this month, Israel has released the remains of 225 Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for the remains of the hostages, many of whom were killed in Israel during the attack. Only 75 of the 225 Palestinian bodies returned since the ceasefire began have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The ensuing war has killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, about half of whom were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
