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2 Who are the remaining French hostages?
Most of the suspected hostages still alive in Gaza were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz or the Nova music festival. Among them, 56 are Israelis, including at least 24 dual nationals, six are Thai and one Nepalese. Two French people are still captive: Ofer Kalderon (53 years old) and Ohad Yahalomi (49 years old). Among the hostages presumed alive are also two children, brothers Kfir and Ariel, kidnapped at eight months and four years respectively, as well as their parents Shiri and Yarden Bibas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel had an obligation to return its hostages, during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the attack. “France will never stop demanding the unconditional release of the hostages,” declared French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot shortly before.
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3 How many hostages were released?
Nearly 120 people, mainly women, children and foreign workers, regained their freedom, mainly during the only truce in the conflict, which lasted a week at the end of November 2023. Since the end of this truce, only seven other hostages regained their freedom during rescue operations by the Israeli army. The latest is Kaid Farhan Alkadi, released on August 27 in the south of the Gaza Strip. In the absence of proof of life, it is not certain that all the 63 hostages presumed alive are still alive.
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4 Why does the census of hostages remain difficult?
Hamas remains very vague about the fate of its hostages. For example, he announced on August 12 that his fighters had “killed a hostage” and “injured two female hostages” in “incidents”, without naming them. Previously, the movement had announced several times the deaths of hostages, including those of the Bibas children and their mother, but Israel has not confirmed the deaths. Some of the deceased hostages were already dead when they were taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023, killed during the Hamas attack. This is particularly the case for ten soldiers.
Some hostages were also shot by mistake by the Israeli army on December 15, 2023. The Israeli army accuses Hamas of having coldly executed six others at the end of August.
