On the morning of 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas launched a coordinated assault on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 civilians and soldiers and abducting 251 people to the Gaza Strip. Those taken included children, women, elderly people, soldiers, and festival-goers; about half held foreign or dual citizenship, including nationals of Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Some Negev Bedouin Israelis were also among the hostages. Two hostage standoffs occurred inside Israel itself, at homes in Ofakim and Be'eri, with only four of 17 hostages held inside Israel surviving.
Hostages were dispersed across multiple locations in Gaza, reportedly held by different Hamas members and factions as well as other militant groups. The International Committee of the Red Cross was repeatedly denied access to hostages by Hamas. Reports and later hostage testimony described minimal food and water, confiscation of medical equipment, physical assault, sexual violence, administration of psychoactive drugs, and prolonged isolation. Israel's Health Ministry found released hostages had lost significant body weight, and multiple hospital directors described malnutrition, orthopedic injuries, and psychological trauma comparable to accounts from historical atrocities.
Negotiations, led primarily by Qatar with involvement from Egypt, the United States, and others, produced a four-day ceasefire beginning 22 November 2023, during which 105 hostages were released in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. Additional releases followed sporadically, including humanitarian releases of American and elderly Israeli hostages in October 2023, and one Russian-Israeli hostage released outside any ceasefire framework in November 2023. Israeli forces also conducted rescue operations, including the recovery of a captured IDF private in October 2023 and the rescue of two Argentinian-Israeli hostages during Operation Golden Hand in February 2024, during which dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed.
A number of hostages died in captivity or were killed during the war, including three men — Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka — killed in a December 2023 friendly-fire incident by Israeli troops who misidentified them as threats. An Israeli military investigation concluded the soldiers acted appropriately given their understanding at the time. Other hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were found executed by captors in a Rafah tunnel in August 2024, according to Israeli officials; Hamas denied this and attributed deaths to Israeli airstrikes.
A January 2025 ceasefire resulted in the release of additional hostages in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The Gaza peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late September 2025 led to the release of the remaining 20 living hostages on 13 October 2025, alongside the return of several deceased hostages' remains. The final hostage, police officer Ran Gvili, whose body Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they could not locate, was recovered by Israeli forces from a cemetery in northern Gaza on 26 January 2026, marking the first time since 2014 that no Israeli hostages remained in Gaza.
The hostage crisis significantly shaped the course and negotiations of the wider Gaza war, with the fate of hostages cited by involved parties, humanitarian organizations, and international bodies as a central and legally fraught aspect of the conflict.
Key facts
- Victims
- Alex Dancyg, Ran Gvili, Samer Talalka, Louis Har, Oron Shaul, Alon Shamriz, Arye Zalmanovich, Fernando Simon Marman, Yotam Haim, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Hanna Katzir, Bipin Joshi
- Date
- 2023
- Location
- Gaza Strip and southern Israel
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2023-10-07
Hamas-led militants attack southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
2023-10-20
Hamas releases two American hostages for humanitarian reasons following Qatari and U.S. pressure.
2023-10-23
Hamas releases two elderly Israeli women hostages after mediation by Qatar and Egypt.
2023-10-30
A captured IDF private is freed in an operation by Israeli forces.
2023-11-22
Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day ceasefire involving the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
2023-11-30
By the end of the ceasefire, 105 civilian hostages have been released, including Israelis, Thais, and one Filipino.
2023-12-15
IDF troops kill three hostages — Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka — in a friendly-fire incident in Shuja'iyya.
2024-02-12
Israeli forces rescue two Argentinian-Israeli hostages, Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har, in Operation Golden Hand in Rafah.
2024-06-08
Four hostages are rescued from the Nuseirat refugee camp by Israeli forces.
2024-08-31
The body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin is among six hostages' bodies recovered from a Hamas tunnel in Rafah, reportedly executed by captors according to Israeli officials.
2025-01-15
It is announced Hamas will release 33 of 98 hostages in a first phase under the January 2025 ceasefire.
2025-01-19
Israeli forces recover the body of Oron Shaul, held by Hamas since 2014.
2025-09-29
Trump and Netanyahu announce a Gaza war peace plan including the return of all hostages.
2025-10-13
Hamas releases the remaining 20 living hostages and four deceased hostages' remains under the Gaza peace plan.
2025-12-03
The remains of Thai hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak are returned, the last of 27 bodies returned over seven weeks.
2026-01-25
Israel announces a large-scale operation to locate the body of the last hostage, Ran Gvili.
2026-01-26
Israeli forces recover Ran Gvili's body from a cemetery in northern Gaza, marking the first time since 2014 no Israeli hostages remain in Gaza.
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People
Alex Dancyg
VICTIM75-year-old historian abducted from Israel to Gaza during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Ran Gvili
VICTIMIsraeli police officer taken hostage on 7 October 2023; his body was the last to be recovered, found in a cemetery in northern Gaza on 26 January 2026.
Samer Talalka
VICTIMHostage killed in a December 2023 friendly-fire incident by Israeli troops in Shuja'iyya after being mistaken for a threat.
Louis Har
VICTIMIsraeli-Argentinian hostage kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on 7 October 2023 and rescued by Israeli forces on 12 February 2024 in Rafah.
Oron Shaul
VICTIMIsraeli soldier whose body was held by Hamas since 2014 and recovered by Israeli forces on 19 January 2025.
Alon Shamriz
VICTIMHostage killed in a December 2023 friendly-fire incident by Israeli troops in Shuja'iyya after his body was mistaken for a threat.
Arye Zalmanovich
VICTIM86-year-old hostage from kibbutz Nir Oz who was wounded during the 7 October attack and died in captivity; Hamas said the cause was a heart attack.
Fernando Simon Marman
VICTIMIsraeli-Argentinian hostage kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on 7 October 2023 and rescued by Israeli forces on 12 February 2024 in Rafah.
Yotam Haim
VICTIMHostage killed in a December 2023 friendly-fire incident by Israeli troops in Shuja'iyya after being mistaken for a threat.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
VICTIMHostage whose body was recovered from a Hamas tunnel in Rafah on 31 August 2024; Israeli officials said he and five others were executed by captors, which Hamas denied.
Hanna Katzir
VICTIM77-year-old hostage released 24 November 2023 who later died on 24 December 2024, reportedly from after-effects of captivity.
Bipin Joshi
VICTIMNepali citizen abducted from kibbutz Alumim on 7 October 2023 and killed in captivity.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
106738 the kidnapped tunnel performance and the accompany PikiWiki Israel
Credit: שלמה רודד · CC BY 2.5 · Source
archival location
Blindfolded teddy bears covered with red blood stains 2
Credit: Yossipik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
archival location
Hostages Square 09102025 10
Credit: Oren Rozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
other document
99207 demonstration for the return of the abducted - a w PikiWiki Israel
Credit: ליזי שאנן · CC BY 2.5 · Source
other document
Donald Trump meets with released Israeli hostages (2025) 02
Credit: The White House · Public domain · Source
other document
Hamas gunmen capturing civilian hostages
Credit: Bodycam footage: No human authorship · Public domain · Source
other document
Hostage being dragged through foyer of Al Shifa Hospital by Hamas gunmen
Credit: No human authorship · Public domain · Source
archival location
Israel Shall Win - Graffiti art on Lev Ashdod Mall during 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Rova He, Ashdod
Credit: מקף־עברי · CC0 · Source
other document
Isaac Herzog in Beit HaNassi, October 2023 (KBG GPO7859)
Credit: Kobi Gideon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
archival location
101901 the cry of the kidnapped PikiWiki Israel
Credit: זאב שטיין · CC BY 2.5 · Source
archival location
Iron Swords 141023 Kirya Bring The Home 02
Credit: Oren Rozen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
unclassified
Graffiti in the city of Rehovot, January 2025 03
Credit: Chenspec · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people from Israel into the Gaza Strip during the attacks that began the Gaza war, including children, women, and elderly civilians, along with soldiers. Hostages were held for extended periods under harsh conditions, with releases occurring through negotiated ceasefires, rescue operations, and body recoveries over more than two years, concluding with the return of the last hostage's remains in January 2026.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Gaza Strip and southern Israel.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICGaza war hostage crisisWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSHamas releases two U.S. hostages for humanitarian reasons, in response to Qatari effortsReuters · 2026-07-07
- PRESSIsrael Hostages Held by Hamas, ExplainedThe New York Times · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 07, 2026