Since Hamas kidnapped more than 200 people on during the 7 October attack on Israel, four hostages have been released and more than 50 have been killed, one has been rescued.
- 7 October: Hamas launches an unprecedented assault on Israel, killing more than 1,200 and taking over 200 civilians and IDF soldiers hostage. Hamas says hostages are hidden in “safe places and tunnels” within Gaza. Israel begins its assault on the Gaza Strip.
- 20 October: Nearly two weeks after the assault, the first hostages are released. A mother and daughter from the US were freed for “humanitarian reasons”, Hamas said.
- 24 October: Two more hostages are released – 85-year-old Yocheved Lifschitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper. Lifschitz shook the hand of her one of her captors as she was released. She said that the journey into Gaza was violent, but once there, her group of hostages were “treated well”
- 26 October: The spokesman for the Hamas military wing says around 50 hostages have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
- 29 October: Israeli soldier Ori Megidish is rescued by the IDF. She is said to be “doing well” following her rescue.
- 30 October: The IDF announces the death of Israeli-German hostage Shani Louk after testing a DNA sample taken from part of a skull bone picked up in Gaza. Her body has not yet been found.
- 17 November: The bodies of two hostages are found in a building near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza – an Israeli soldier, Noa Marciano and a 65-year-old grandmother named Yehudit Weiss. One of two Tanzanian hostages is also confirmed to have died, though the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear.
Why is Qatar involved in hostage talks?
Qatar has been playing a leading role in mediation efforts to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.It was involved in the negotiations that have seen four people freed so far – a mother and daughter, who are US nationals, and two elderly Israeli women.The small, gas-rich Arab Gulf state is home to the political leadership of Hamas, which has had an office in the capital, Doha, since 2012, headed by its leader Ismail Haniyeh.There, Hamas officials have been sitting down with Qatari diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work discuss hostage releases.Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told a press conference earlier: “The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor compared to the bigger challenges – they are more logistical, they are more practical.”We’re yet to see what that means in practice.
The Washington Post has reported that a deal that would see Hamas release dozens of hostages is imminent. The US and Israel have denied any such deal, but we’ve heard from Qatar that negotiators are ironing out minor issues in the deal.
Here’s what each of the key players have said:
Qatar: “The challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor compared to the bigger challenges, they are more logistical, they are more practical,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thanisaid in a joint press conference with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. He added that he was “more confident that we are close enough to reach a deal”.
The Washington Post: “Israel and Hamas are close to agreement on a US-brokered deal that would free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting,” the report said, citing “people familiar with the emerging terms”.
The US: White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson posted on X: “We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal.”
Israel: In a briefing last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “a lot of incorrect reports about imminent agreements to free some or all of the roughly 240 people being held”. “As of now there is no deal,” he said.
WHO says 291 patients still in al-Shifa
The World Health Organization (WHO) says 291 critically ill patients are still at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, after hundreds of Palestinians evacuated on foot yesterday.
Thirty-two of those are babies in extremely critical conditions, the WHO said
Among the patients who remain there, the WHO observed complex fractures and amputations, head injuries, burns, chest and abdominal trauma during a visit to the hospital yesterday.
Twenty-five medical staff have stayed at al-Shifa.
Yesterday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that there were 120 people remaining still there.
The BBC can’t independently verify these figures
