The number of hostages being held in the Gaza sector has increased to at least 242, according to the official spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Daniel Haggai, as reported by TASS.
“We have informed the families of the 242 abducted individuals,” he stated during a morning briefing.
Haggai also revealed that since the start of the conflict on October 7th, 332 Israeli servicemen have been lost.
“The IDF fighters continue to advance and engage in combat with Hamas terrorists, deepening the zone of operations,” Haggai continued.
According to his information, after several hours of battle, including airstrikes and naval strikes, dozens of terrorists have been eliminated.
Prior to this, Israel informed the United Nations that 1.1 million Palestinians must evacuate to the south of Gaza within 24 hours in anticipation of a ground operation in the region.
In response, Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, Ben-Gvir, stated that only “hundreds of tons of explosives” should be sent to Gaza until civilian hostages are released, and “not a gram of humanitarian aid.”
Earlier, the IDF had reported the continuation of their offensive in the Gaza sector.
