The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that the number of hostages held in Gaza has reached 203, according to TASS.
On October 7, Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory, declaring the beginning of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. Thousands of militants infiltrated Israel, seizing dozens of military vehicles and over a hundred hostages. Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was in a state of war.
The IDF’s counter-operation has been named “Iron Swords,” with the goal of destroying Hamas. The Israeli Air Force has conducted airstrikes on hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli National Security Council has decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the sector. On October 13, Israel informed the United Nations that 1.1 million Palestinians must be evacuated to the southern Gaza within 24 hours in preparation for a ground operation.
The news is further supplemented by Hamas’s statement that they will release foreign hostages “when circumstances allow.”
