One year after the Hamas-led attack on Israel, there are still 97 hostages unaccounted for.
According to Israel, 251 Israelis as well as foreigners were taken at 7 October 2023.
Israel’s official number for those held in Gaza – including four people taken as hostages in 2014 and 2015 – is 101. Two of them are believed to be dead.
These are the stories about the hostages that are still being held. They have either been confirmed or reported by the BBC.
This list may be updated, and names can change as some people who were feared kidnapped have been confirmed to have either been killed or released.
Last updated on 7th October 2024
Emily Damari (28), a dual British-Israeli citizen, was taken as a hostage by Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Mandy Damari, Emily’s mother, said at a memorial in London on October 6, 2024 that the hostages who were released in November told her that they had been in contact with Emily while in captivity.
Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov (28), his mother Lena (also 28), his partner Sapir (Cohen) and his grandmother Irina (Tati) were taken hostage. All were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz as they spent Sabbath together. Irina Sapir and Lena have been released in November 2023.
Ariel Cunio and Arbel Yahud were both abducted during the same attack in Nir Oz. Eitan Cunio told the Jewish Chronicle, Ariel’s brother, who escaped Hamas. Ariel had sent him a message saying: “We are in horror movie.”
David Cunio (34), another of Ariel’s brothers, was kidnapped in Nir Oz. David Aloni Cunio’s wife Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their twin daughters Ema and Yuly, both three years old, were released in November of 2023. Sharon’s sister Daniele and her six-year old daughter Emilia, both of whom belong to Sharon Aloni were released in the same month.
Doron Steinbrecher was in her apartment at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a 31-year-old veterinary nurse. Hamas attacked. She sent a voicemail to her friends at 10:30 on 7th October: “They have arrived, they have you.”
Naama Levy (20) was bundled into a Jeep with her hands tied behind back. Hamas released the footage, which was widely circulated on social media. According to her mom, the teenager was just beginning her military service.
Yousef Zyadna was a 53-year old Bedouin dairy farmer who was abducted in Kibbutz Holit. He and his children, Hamza, 23, Bilal 19, and Aisha 17, were taken to Gaza. Aisha, 17, and Bilal, 19, were released by November 2023.
Ohad Ben Ami and his wife Raz were kidnapped in Be’eri. Hamas later released her.
The twin brothers Gali Berman and Ziv, both 27, were taken away from Kfar Aza. Ziv was texting a friend when the attack occurred. Their family says the IDF told them that the brothers were being held in Gaza.
Shlomo Mannsour, an Iraqi born 86-year-old, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kissufim where he worked and lived as a chicken coo manager. His wife, Mazal managed to escape.
Daniela Gilboa was a 20-year-old soldier stationed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. In July 2024, a Hamas video of a hostage was released. She appealed to Israel to bring her home and the other hostages.
Matan Angrest (21), an IDF soldier, was on duty in Gaza on 7 October.
Yossi Sharabi, 52 years old, was also taken from Be’eri. Yossi has since been confirmed dead. In the attack, Eli’s wife as well as his two daughters were killed. Ofir Engel, Yossi’s daughter Yuval’s boyfriend, was also taken but released on 29th November.
Agam Berger (20) was taken from Nahal Oz. Hamas released videos showing her being taken away.
Edan Alexander is a 20-year-old Israeli-American citizen who volunteered to serve in the Israeli army. He was near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked. Edan’s parents said that Israeli officials had told them that Edan had been taken as a prisoner to Gaza.
Matan Zanguaker was taken from Nir Oz with his partner Ilana Griztewsky. Ilana Gritzewsky, a Mexican citizen, was released from prison on 30 November 2023.
Eitan Horn, a 38-year-old Argentinian citizen, and his brother Yair Horn, 46, were both in Nir Oz when the attack took place. Yair works as a construction worker, while Eitan is in education.
Keith Siegel (65), and his wife Adrienne, also known as Aviva Siegel, were taken away from their home in Kfar Zaa. Adrienne was released from prison in November 2023.
Bipin Joshi (23), a Nepalese student of agriculture, is believed taken from Kibbutz Alumim. The Joshi family claims that Israeli intelligence confirmed to them that the phone was located in Gaza.
Oded Lifshitz (84), a retired journalist and 84 years old, was taken as a hostage by Nir Oz. His wife Yocheved, a retired journalist, was also kidnapped. She was released in October 2023.
Omer Neutra was a 22-year old Israeli-American, grandson of Holocaust survivors. He was serving as a commander for a tank near Gaza at the time Hamas launched its attack. Omer’s family claims that the Israeli embassy informed them that he was kidnapped.
Itzik Elgarat was reportedly kidnapped in Nir Oz and shot in the hand. After the attack, his phone was traced back to Gaza.
Gadi Moses (80) was also kidnapped from Nir Oz where he worked in Nir Oz as an agricultural expert. In the attack, his partner, Efrat Kats, was also killed. In September, his parents told the Times of Israel they had not heard anything about him since December 20,23, when he was in a Hamas propagandist video.
Nimrod Cohen (20) was taken from Nahal Oz. His father, along with the families of other hostages, was invited to Rome to meet Pope Francis after he was abducted.
Tsachi Idan was abducted by Hamas gunmen in Nahal Oz. Maayan, his 18-year-old eldest daughter, was also killed in the attack. Tsachi’s spouse, Gali, said to US TV in August that the last thing she heard from her husband was an account of released hostages for November 2023.
Yarden Bibas (34), his wife Shiri and their two children Ariel and Kfir were abducted in Nir Oz. Benny Gantz, Israeli minister, said in a June TV interview that the government was aware of what happened to the Bibas’ family but could not give details.
Karina Ariev was a 20-year old soldier serving at the Nahal Oz base when she was abducted. Her sister Alexandra, who told the BBC that she heard shots as Karina called during the attack and later saw a footage showing Karina in a car being taken away, said that she heard the shooting when Karina called.
Hamas took Ofer Kalderon (53), his two children Erez and Sahar, from Nir Oz. In the attack, two other family members were also killed – Carmela Dan, 80, and her 12-year-old granddaughter Noya. Erez and Sahar, who were held captive since November 2023, were finally released.
Omri Miran (47) was abducted in Nahal Oz. Lishay, his wife, said that she last saw him being driven off in his own vehicle. She and her two small daughters weren’t taken with him.
Hamas launched an attack on Liri Albag (19), who had just begun military training at the Nahal Oz Base as a lookout. Her family claims that she has been able to communicate with them via released hostages.
Ohad Yahalomi (50) was abducted along with his 12-year old son, Eitan.
Tal Shoham, 39 years old, was taken by Kibbutz Be’eri. Adi, his wife, their two children, and Dr Shosham Haran, his mother-in law, were also taken but released in November 2023. Dr Haran’s Avshalom, her husband was killed in the attack.
Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, a citizen of both Israel and America, has been missing ever since Hamas attacked Nir Oz. Since his abduction his wife Avital gave birth to their third daughter, a girl called Shahar.
Several people were taken from the Supernova Music Festival in southern Israel. Among them were:
Omer ShemTov, 21, made his escape in his car, but was captured after he tried rescuing his friends Maya and Itai. All three were captured – the Regev brothers were released in November 20,23, but claim to have been with Omer.
Yosef Ahana, 24, was at the festival with his friend who told her that he and Yosef stayed to help people flee the gunfire, before running away themselves. Yosef Ohana’s mother learned from the Israeli army several weeks after the attack that her son was in Gaza.
Avinatan Argamani, 31, and his girlfriend Noa Argamani were kidnapped. She was rescued in central Gaza by June and revealed that the two had been separated.
Guy Gilboa Dalal, 23, attended with his brother. Unnamed hostages were reported to have said in June that they had been held with Guy Gilboa-Dalal after their capture.
Eitan Mor was a 24-year-old security guard at the festival. In June, Eitan Mor’s father told Israeli Radio that the “last sign of life” he had seen of Eitan four months earlier, but did not provide any details.
Alon Ohel is a 23-year-old Serbian who attended the festival. Hamas footage shows him being taken as a hostage. His mother, however, said that she has not heard or seen him since.
Maxim Kharkin (36), was invited at the last minute to the festival. He texted his mom twice after the attack but hasn’t been seen since.
Hamas captured Segev Kalfon (26), who was running across the highway to escape the festival.
Romi Gonen was attacked as she fled the Supernova Festival. In June, her mother, Merav Lehem Gonan, appealed to the UN Human Rights Council for international assistance in releasing the hostages.
Bar Kuperstein was working at the festival during the attack. His family says they recognized him in a Hamas-posted video of Israeli prisoners. Since then, the family says they have not received any further information.
Eliya Cohen and his girlfriend hid in a shelter to escape the attackers, but were discovered and chased away. Hamas released footage in June showing the moment Cohen, along with others, were taken prisoner.
Elkana Bohbot (35), had gone to a party with friends. Before losing contact, Elkana spoke to his mother and wife, telling them that he was helping evacuate the wounded. This is according to the Times of Israel. His family discovered a video of Elkana Bohbot posted online by Hamas. BBC Verify had also seen the video.
Rom Braslavski (20) was in charge of security at the festival. According to a report published by Hostages and Missing Families Forum he was trying rescue a wounded person during the attack when he got caught in volley of gunfire. Since then, he has not been heard of.
Omer Wenkert (23), a restaurant manager sent a message saying he was going into a safe house, but then lost contact. His family claims to have seen Hamas video footage, including a picture of Omer handcuffed in only underwear.
Evyatar, 23, was at a festival when he texted his family the morning before the attack to say that “they were bombarding the party”. His family claims they received a text message from an unknown number containing video footage showing Evyatar handcuffed in a darkened room. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, he was held hostage by Hamas.
Or Levy (34), fled the festival along with his wife Eynav and called his mother to tell her they were hiding in an underground bomb shelter. Israeli forces told the family later that Eynav was found dead in the bomb shelter and Or had been abducted.
Thailand’s government has confirmed that six of its citizens remain hostages in Gaza.
They are Watchara Sriuan (also known as Bannawat Seatho), Sathian Suwannakham (also known as Sathian Suwannakham), Nattapong Pinta (also known as Nattapong Pinta), Pongsak Lamnau and Surasak Lamnau.
Hostages who are dead
Several hostages have now been confirmed to have died in captivity. These include:
On 1 September, IDF announced its forces had recovered six hostages’ bodies – Carmel Gat (Eden Yerushalmi), Hersh GoldbergPolin (Alexander Lobanov), Almog Sarusi, and Master Sgt Ori Danino. The IDF stated that Hamas had killed them shortly before Israeli forces reached them.
The IDF announced on 8 August that the bodies of Abraham Munder and Alex Dancyg – who all died in Hamas’ captivity – had been removed from Gaza and returned to Israel.
Israeli troops found the bodies of Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier, and Yehudit Wiess (65 years old) in buildings near Al-Shifa Hospital.
In December 2023 the Israeli military expressed its “deep regret” after soldiers mistakenly murdered three hostages who had escaped their captors in northern Gaza. The three hostages were Yotam Haim (28), Samer Talalka (22), and Alon Shamriz (26).
Shiri Bibas, her two young children Ariel and Kfir, and other hostages whose deaths were reported but not confirmed include.
Research by Jamie Ryan & Emma Pengelly
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Hamas’s hostage-taking from Israel
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