Despite international efforts to facilitate the exchange of hostages and prisoners between Hamas and Israel, the hostage count in the Gaza Strip has risen to 212, according to a statement made by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari on Sunday. This comes after the release of two US citizens, who also hold Israeli citizenship, on Friday, which had brought the confirmed number of hostages down to 210.
Hagari informed in a press briefing that “To date, we have notified the families of 212 abducted people and 307 deceased IDF soldiers.” The Times of Israel newspaper reported that 27 Hamas members were arrested in the West Bank overnight. Since the conflict began, Israeli forces have detained a total of 727 wanted Palestinians, including over 480 allegedly affiliated with Hamas.
The conflict escalated on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, breaching the border and causing casualties and abductions in neighboring Israeli communities. In response, Israel initiated retaliatory strikes and imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, home to over 2 million people. This blockade cut off supplies of water, food, and fuel but was later eased to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the region.
The escalation of this conflict has led to thousands of casualties on both sides. The international community continues to monitor the situation closely as efforts are made to bring about a peaceful resolution.
(With inputs from agencies)
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