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Israeli Military: Confirmed Number of Gaza Hostages Rises to 224

A dinner table is set with empty chairs that symbolically represent hostages and missing people waiting to come home, following a deadly infiltration of Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Brussels, Belgium October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
A dinner table is set with empty chairs that symbolically represent hostages and missing people waiting to come home, following a deadly infiltration of Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Brussels, Belgium October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
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Israeli Military: Confirmed Number of Gaza Hostages Rises to 224

A dinner table is set with empty chairs that symbolically represent hostages and missing people waiting to come home, following a deadly infiltration of Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Brussels, Belgium October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
A dinner table is set with empty chairs that symbolically represent hostages and missing people waiting to come home, following a deadly infiltration of Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Brussels, Belgium October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

The Israeli military said on Thursday that the number of people confirmed held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the Oct 7 cross-border raids by Hamas had reached 224, and could rise further.

Foreigners are among those captured by Hamas.

Four hostages have been released.

US President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday discussed "ongoing efforts to locate and secure the release" of Americans believed held hostage in Gaza, the White House said.

Biden also stressed to Netanyahu the "importance of focusing on what comes after this crisis to include a pathway for a permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians," the White House said.

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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Nearly Killed 2 of its Hostages in Gaza

Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Nearly Killed 2 of its Hostages in Gaza

Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israel nearly killed two of its captives held by Hamas in an airstrike on Gaza City, Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday.

The sources, which are from resistance factions, said that the two captives were injured as a result of the Israeli bombardment targeting a house in one of Gaza City's neighborhoods. The sources refused to disclose the conditions of the captives, the severity of their injuries, or their identities.

However, the sources indicated that the hostages received the necessary treatment and were moved to a safe location after the Israeli airstrike.

A truce in the Gaza Strip, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalized.

Hamas confirmed on Thursday that Israel targeted a site where a hostage was located. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said that an Israeli airstrike targeted a location where a female hostage was present after the ceasefire agreement was announced.

The spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades did not reveal details about the fate of the captive after the airstrike.

"The enemy’s military targeted a place where one of the female captives included in the first stage of the upcoming deal was located," he said.

"Any aggression or bombing at this stage by the enemy can turn a prisoner’s freedom into a tragedy," the spokesperson added.