Hamas Hostages: What Do We Know So Far?

It has nearly been a month since Palestinian militants, Hamas, took more than 200 people hostage.

Their wellbeing remains a pressing concern for their families and the international community alike, but very little is known about their captivity – even though they remain a focal point in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Taking hostages is a war crime and breaches the Geneva Conventions.

Israel, human rights groups and the United Nations have called for their immediate release, while some hostages’ relatives have requested greater intervention from Tel Aviv to get their family members home safely.

Here’s a look at we know about them right now.

When were the hostages taken?

Around 240 people were taken from Israeli land near the Gaza border on October 7, including foreigners from different countries, Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Israel claims they include 20 children and between 10 and 20 over-60s.

Amid the abductions, Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.

Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas in response – according to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 8,500 people have since been killed in Israel’s siege of Gaza and subsequent air strikes began.

Israeli families of those killed on October 7 called on the International Criminals Court – which is not recognised by Tel Aviv – to investigate the abductions, and the attacks.

Has anyone been released?

Four of captives have been released through negotiations with diplomatic channels, and mediation from Qatar and Egypt.

Two of them were Israeli captives – elderly women who were released into Egypt. Both of their husbands are still being held.

The other two are US-Israeli nationals, a mother and a daughter.

Hamas claimed they were all released on humanitarian grounds.

The fifth one was rescued in a ground raid by Israeli forces inside Gaza, according to Tel Aviv.

In a statement released on Monday, the Israel Defence Force, said a female soldier Private Ori Megidish was freed during a ground operation, having been kidnapped on October 7.

She was given a medical evaluation, and was “doing well, and has met with her family”, according to Israel, which added a photo of her with her family.

What do we know about the conditions of captivity?

Hamas has claimed these captives are being kept in “safe places and tunnels” across Gaza.

And, without any evidence, Hamas has claimed that around 50 of the hostages have been killed by Israel’s air strike of the Gaza Strip. 

One German Israeli woman previously believed to have been taken hostage has been confirmed to have been killed, although the details are unclear.

Of the four released prisoners, only one has spoken to the media so far.

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, said that the abduction itself was “a hell that we never knew before and never thought we would experience”.

But, she claimed conditions improved once she was in captivity.

According to Sky News’ translation, she said: ″Each person had a guard watching him or her. They took care of all the needs.

“And if there were women here who know what feminine hygiene is, they make sure we get everything we needed.

“We talked about all kinds of things, they were very friendly.”

Lifshitz also shook hands with her captors on her way out of captivity last week, and told the press she was frustrated with the way Israel had handled the situation.

On Monday, Hamas’ armed faction, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, also released a video of three women taken hostage.

Only one of the hostages addressed the camera throughout the clip, and criticised Netanyahu, and asking how the Israeli government allowed any of this to happen. She called for Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

The video has not been widely published because it is not clear if it was filmed under duress, and prisoners of war are protected under international humanitarian law.

The footage was condemned by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “cruel, psychological propaganda”.

Why is Hamas keeping people hostage?

Palestinian militant groups – including Hamas – have previously taken hostages to attract attention and maintain leverage in negotiations, although this is the largest number of hostages the group has ever taken.

It may use them for to request more humanitarian aid to be sent across Gaza, to demand for a ceasefire, or to call for a release of Palestinian prisoners, 

Christopher O’Leary, the former director of hostage recovery for the US government and a senior vice president for the Soufan Group, told Vox that Hamas had only released four hostages to prove it is a legitimate partner in negotiations.

He also suggested that Hamas would released the hostages in batches, keep the soldiers for the longest.

He added that he suspected Hamas will want to treat them well to keep them alive and so their tales upon release help improve the militants’ public image.

Hamas has announced that it would soon be releasing some foreign hostages from Gaza in the coming days, although it is yet to reveal further details.

While some have suggested swapping all of the Palestinian prisoners currently in Israel for the hostages, Netanyahu is currently focusing on a military offensive.

He has said getting the hostages released is his second priority, after destroying Hamas. He said the best means to get them released was to go ahead with the ground offensive.

“Hamas will not do it unless they’re under pressure. They simply will not do it. This creates pressure,” he said at a news conference on Monday.