what we know about the hostages held by Hamas – L’Express

Their ordeal ended this Friday, October 20. They were released by the Palestinian Islamist group for “humanitarian reasons”, he said. This is the first hostage release confirmed by both parties. Waiting for others? More than 200 Israelis, foreigners and dual nationals are still in the hands of Hamas, according to Israel’s count.

The Israeli government had identified a total of 203 hostages, civilians and soldiers held prisoner in the Gaza Strip, kidnapped by Hamas commandos during attacks in localities in southern Israel. The release of the two Americans by the Islamist movement therefore brings the number of hostages to 201. More than 20 of them are minors, between 10 and 20 are over 60 years old. “The majority of the hostages are alive,” the Israeli army estimated two weeks after the attack.

The hostages are of 22 different nationalities, including at least seven Germans and eight Argentinians. For its part, Portugal assumes that four of its nationals also having Israeli nationality, missing, were taken hostage. “There are still 10 other Americans whose fate in this conflict is not known. We know that some of them are detained by Hamas,” said the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, during a press conference.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Times Square in New York on Thursday to demand their release. They held up signs showing the faces of those suspected of being detained, including babies and the elderly. The families of the German hostages announced the organization of a rally this Sunday, October 22 in Berlin to call for the release of their loved ones, after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tel Aviv.

Hamas indicated that the hostages were “between 200 and 250”, and claimed that 22 were killed in Israeli bombings. As stated Reutersstill according to Hamas, 50 other hostages are held by different armed groups in the Gaza enclave.

Friday, Emmanuel Macron indicated that France deplores “a total of seven missing”. “Young Mia Shem is the only one whose hostage status is confirmed. For the six others, there is a presumption of hostage-taking but without certainty,” declared the French president to a few journalists.

Mia Shem, 21, a French-Israeli woman taken hostage during the attack on the Supernova music festival, appeared in a video released by Hamas on October 16. In the footage, the young woman, whose injured arm is shown being treated by an unidentified medical worker, asks to be returned to her family as quickly as possible, remember the Guardian. Emmanuel Macron called the video a “heinous act” and demanded his unconditional release.

The President of the Republic said he was “worried for several of them” because missing French people continue to be identified among the human remains of the 1,400 victims killed during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Initial operations were carried out in Palestinian territory by the Israeli army to “find and locate the bodies near the Gaza Strip”, said its spokesperson. It is military intelligence, and General Nitzan Alon in particular, who is at the head of this hostage component for which the army says it is deploying “colossal efforts”.

In a new and hybrid form, a platform of “thousands of volunteers”, combining experts from civil society and reservists from intelligence unit 8200, helps within a common HQ with the census and location of hostages .

The families have come together in a “Forum for the families of the hostages and missing”. The latter mobilizes its own resources, including diplomatic ones. A contact person for families has been appointed: Gal Hirsch. The appointment of this fallen general mired in a corruption affair has also been criticized by several commentators.

There is also within the Israeli army the equivalent of the French GIGN: the Sayeret Matkal. This elite intelligence unit, considered the most capable of intervening in an extraction scenario, is responsible, among other things, for rescuing hostages across borders.

The main difficulty remains, in the midst of the chaos of the bombings, to locate these hostages, knowing that Hamas is known to operate in a system of very decentralized sub-cells. Israeli officials say many people may be detained in the maze of tunnels beneath Gaza, which Israeli troops call the “Gaza Metro.”

Mediation by Qatar, a country to which Hamas is known to be close, led to the release of the two Americans. On Friday, Joe Biden thanked Qatar and Israel for their “partnership” in the operation that led to their release.

Qatari mediators said they tried to negotiate the freedom of Israeli women and children captured by Hamas in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons, a source briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. But so far there is no indication that a deal could be reached.

The countries whose nationals are detained – the United States, France and Great Britain in the lead – are working behind the scenes to have them released, even if Israel officially has control over the negotiations. In addition to Qatar and Egypt, the historic negotiators between Israel and Hamas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed to be discussing with the Palestinian Islamist movement.

Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he was “confident” in the “channels” activated by France to obtain the release of its hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He reported “discussions with the Israeli authorities, and through various contacts through Qatar in particular” to obtain the release of the hostages. “We are confident: the channels we have are the right ones and are useful,” he assured.

Hamas said in a statement that it was “working with all mediators involved to implement the movement’s decision to close the civilian (hostage) file when security circumstances allow.” The most mentioned scenario is that of a release of hostages against the delivery of emergency aid for the survival of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, locked in the bombed territory and threatened with invasion.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in contact with the families of the hostages, also said it was in dialogue with Hamas. “As a neutral intermediary, we are ready to carry out humanitarian visits, facilitate communication between the hostages and their family members, and facilitate any possible release,” said the ICRC regional director for the Near region. and Middle East.