Six hostages with American citizenship remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip under Hamas control, NBC reports, citing a senior official in President Joe Biden's administration as the source.
Several hostages with American citizenship were previously released. On October 7, 2023, they had been kidnapped by terrorists and held in the Gaza Strip. On October 20, Hamas released U.S. citizens Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie Raanan, 18.
A 23-year-old American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was kidnapped on October 7 at a festival near Re'im and is still held hostage. There are other American citizens among the hostages as well.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched rocket attacks on central areas of Israel from Gaza. Then, thousands of Hamas militants invaded Israeli territory, killing over a thousand civilians, as well as hundreds of police officers and servicemembers. About 240 Israelis and foreign citizens were taken hostage, many of whom are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas released some hostages back in October as a goodwill gesture. During the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect from November 24 to November 30, terrorists freed 105 hostages, including 81 Israelis. In total, as of today, Hamas has released 109 hostages, with one hostage rescued by the IDF during an operation in Gaza. The deaths of some hostages have been confirmed. Israeli military forces mistakenly killed three hostages who escaped from the terrorists. Currently, according to the IDF, terrorists in the Gaza Strip continue to hold 126 hostages, including 115 Israeli citizens.
