Families informed

Israel: 31 of the hostages held in Gaza dead

Israeli soldiers are still operating in the Gaza Strip to free hostages.(Bild: APA/AFP/Israeli Army)

According to Israeli information, 31 of the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip are no longer alive. This was announced by Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari on Tuesday.

"We have informed 31 families that their captive relatives are no longer alive and that we have declared them dead," said Hagari at a press conference. According to previous Israeli information, 136 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Investigation of counter-attack announced
The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas abducted more than 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip during its unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October. Most of the victims were civilians, but there were also soldiers whose outposts on the border with Gaza had been stormed by the attackers. Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi announced a thorough investigation into the armed forces' response to the attack.

"Our intention is very clear," he said on Tuesday at the Air Force command in Tel Aviv. "To investigate, and to learn, and to get to the bottom of things, and to leave no stone unturned." He did not say when the investigation would begin or who would actually carry it out.

Criticism of the army grows louder
The worst massacre in Israel's history to date had deeply shaken the public in the Jewish state. At the same time, there was criticism of the army, which took a long time to take action against the terrorists who had infiltrated. Never before had enemy fighters controlled parts of Israeli territory for several days.

Israel responded to the massacre with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. According to Palestinian figures, the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to over 27,000 since the start of the war. "Why haven't we investigated it so far?" Halevi asked. "We are in an extremely intense war with several fronts." An investigation will take time. And the circumstances would have to be conducive to carrying it out properly.