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Israel

How many captives remain in Gaza?

As we reported earlier, Israel’s military has announced the recent recovery of the bodies of six Israeli captives from Gaza.

With this discovery, how many captives remain in Gaza, and how many are believed to be alive?

According to a tally from AFP news agency, there are more than 100 captives – out of 251 originally taken on October 7 – still in Gaza.

Seventy-one of the remaining captives are believed to be alive.

  • Of the 71 who may still be alive, 64 are Israelis (some of whom have more than one nationality), six are Thai nationals and one is a Nepalese national, said AFP.

They comprise 57 men, 12 women and two children.

Eleven are military personnel, the agency added.

Source: Al Jazeera

Israeli PM Netanyahu has told relatives of captives in Gaza that he is “not sure” there will be a ceasefire, reports Israel’s Walla news site.

  • “I’m not sure there will be a deal, but if there is a deal – the deal will be one that preserves … Israel’s strategic assets,” Netanyahu told the captives’ family members in a meeting today.

During the meeting, Netanyahu also doubled down on maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor, which has become a major sticking point in the continuing ceasefire negotiations, reported Walla.

  • Israel will not withdraw from the area “under any circumstances”, Netanyahu said, despite “enormous” pressure.

Source: Al Jazeera