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The Israeli Government Press Office confirmed on October 8 that at least 100 Israelis were captured by Palestinian armed factions.
In an infographic posted on its Facebook page, the press office wrote that “100+ kidnapped, 2,000+ injured, 600+ murdered” in the attack.
Until now Israel has refused to confirm the number of civilians or service being held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Hebrew media reports have suggested that at least 170 may be being held captive in the Palestinian enclave. A total of 750 are said to be still missing since the start of the surprise attack on October 7.
Palestinian factions led by the Hamas Movement launched the attack from Gaza in the morning hours. The attack, codenamed “Al-Qasa Flood,” began with a barrage of hundreds of rockets that targeted southern and central Israel. Several groups of Palestinian fighters later infiltrate nearby settlements and military positions from land, sea and air.
Hamas spokesman Abu Obeidah stressed in an early statement on the attack that the captives will be treated well, noting that they were being kept at “safe positions and resistance tunnels” in Gaza. He didn’t provide an official count of the captives, however.
The captives, who include women and children, were treated well by Palestinian fighters, according to video footage that surfaced online.
Despite reports about Egypt negotiating with Hamas on Israel’s behalf, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the government “does not know of any such conversation and is not conducting any negotiations.”
Another official told the news outlet that “right now we are fighting terrorists on Israeli territory. We’re not involved in any talks about the hostages right now.”
Gaza factions hope that by holding the captives they could secure the release of more than 5,200 Palestinains from Israeli prisons. The number reportedly includes 33 women and 170 children.
The Palestinian attack on Israel resulted in heavy losses. According to the most recent update by Israeli officials, more than 650 civilians and service members were killed. The Health Ministry said that at least 2,156 others have been wounded and treated at hospitals, so far.
Of those, 20 are in critical condition, 338 in serious condition, 421 in moderate condition, 1,052 in mild condition, 49 being treated for severe anxiety and 167 still being assessed by medical officials.
Israeli retaliatory strikes have so far claimed the lives of 370 Palestinains, including 20 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, who said that more than 2,200 others were wounded.
As of October 8 evening, the Israeli Israeli military and security forces are still struggling to regain control over the military position and settlements which were captured by Palestinian fighters in the early hours of the attack.
The Israeli security cabinet has officially put the country at war and greenlighted “significant military activities,” which means that the current battle could go on for weeks or even months. Once Gaza borders are cleared, the Israeli military will likely attempt to invade the strip.
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