Israelis breathed a brief collective sigh of relief on Saturday, when the military announced it had rescued four hostages who were held in Gaza for eight months after being captured in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.
The four hostages were taken at the Nova music festival on October 7 and rescued in an operation in the central Gaza city of Nuseirat early Saturday. The mission left dozens of Palestinians dead, including women and children. News of the rescue raised new questions about the fate of those remaining in captivity and about a proposed ceasefire agreement.
How many hostages are still being held in Gaza?
Approximately 120 captives remain in Gaza. The Israeli army has confirmed that at least 30 of them have died.
Earlier this month, the Israeli military informed the families of four hostages that they were dead and that Hamas was holding their bodies. In May, the army recovered the bodies of nine hostages and the families of two Thai nationals who had been captured were informed that their bodies were still being held in Gaza.
Will Israel undertake more rescue operations?
According to Israeli defense officials, dozens of proposed rescue missions have not been carried out for fear that hostages or soldiers would lose their lives in the process.
Israeli troops have managed to rescue only seven live hostages in three separate military operations. In December, Israeli troops accidentally shot and killed three hostages in Gaza who were trying to reach safety.
How did Hamas respond to the operation?
In a statement on social media, Abu Obaida, military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, accused Israel of “a complex war crime” and suggested that the rescue operation had endangered the remaining hostages and would have “a negative impact on their conditions and lives.”
What do the families of the hostages say?
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the captives’ families, held a rally in Tel-Aviv on Saturday, as it has done throughout the war. The gathering attracted thousands of people to celebrate the rescue operation. But the group stressed the urgency of bringing home all remaining captives in Gaza.
“The happy news of Shlomi, Noa, Almog and Andrey returning home to their families through a military operation reminds us all that, for 36 weeks, 120 hostages have been waiting to return home,” the group said in a statement that refers to the names of the freed captives and that pressed for the acceptance of a proposed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring home the remaining hostages.
What is happening with the proposed ceasefire agreement?
In late May, President Biden outlined a roadmap for a three-phase plan that would begin with an immediate temporary ceasefire and work toward a permanent end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.
In the first phase, both sides would observe a six-week ceasefire, Israel would withdraw from Gaza’s main population centers and several hostages would be freed, including women, the elderly and the wounded.
Israel and Hamas would continue negotiating to reach a permanent ceasefire. If they are successful, the agreement would enter phase two, with the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the enclave.
All hostages and more Palestinian prisoners would be released. In the third phase, Hamas would return the bodies of the hostages who had died and a period of reconstruction would begin in Gaza, supported by the United States, European countries and international institutions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel faces competing pressures from the United States and other allies to end the war and from two far-right partners in his governing coalition who have threatened to topple his government if Israel agrees to a deal ending the war. war. war without eliminating Hamas.
Hamas had previously said it was responding “positively” to the plan, but had informed mediators that the group would not approve an agreement that did not provide a path to a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and a “serious” solution. and effective.” “a real deal” to exchange Palestinian prisoners for hostages.
It is unclear what effect the latest hostage rescue operation will have on the deal negotiations.