Hamas and other armed groups must immediately and unconditionally release all civilian hostages who have been held in captivity in the occupied Gaza Strip since 7 October, Amnesty International reiterated today.
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Israel demanding that the Israeli authorities agree a ceasefire agreement and negotiate the release of hostages. Families of hostages are continuing their march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem today to call for the release of their loved ones and demand the Israeli government agrees a ceasefire deal as negotiations resumed this week.
An estimated 116 people are believed to be held hostage or captive by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza since 7 October, including 43 whose deaths were confirmed by Israeli authorities. At least 79 of those held in captivity are believed to be civilians. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel signs of life had been received from 33 hostages as of 18 May. Throughout their time in captivity, the hostages have been denied access to independent monitors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to assess their health or detention conditions.
“Hostage-taking is a war crime. Those still alive have spent over nine months now held hostage, away from their loved ones. There can be no justification for inflicting such trauma and anguish on them and their families,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.
“Since October, Amnesty International has consistently called for Hamas and other armed groups to immediately and unconditionally release all civilian hostages. All those held in captivity must be treated humanely and protected from torture and other ill-treatment and be given access to the ICRC, in line with international law. The sick and injured must be granted medical care.”
Hostage-taking is a war crime. Those still alive have spent over nine months now held hostage, away from their loved ones.
Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns
Despite the adoption, on 10 June, of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire by all parties, negotiations over a possible deal to release further Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners have so far yielded no positive outcome.
Amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground operations in Gaza the dangers to civilians whether Palestinian civilians or hostages continue to grow.
“Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza that has resulted in the death of over 38,000 Palestinians, causing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes the world has seen. The ongoing crisis also continues to endanger the lives of Israeli hostages in Gaza. A ceasefire by all parties is the most urgent step to alleviate mass suffering, prevent further loss of life, and ensure the protection of all civilians,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas
There have been several incidents where Hamas and other armed groups have held hostages in residential buildings located in crowded civilian areas, endangering also the lives of civilians in Gaza and violating their obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks.
A deadly operation by Israeli forces in al-Nuseirat refugee camp to release four hostages on 8 June resulted in the deaths of more than 270 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. In a prior rescue operation to release two hostages held in Rafah on 12 February, around 100 people were killed.
On 3 June Israeli authorities announced the deaths of four Israeli hostages in Gaza. Among them was Yoram Metzger, 80, who was taken hostage along with his wife Tami Metzger, 78, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Tami Metzger was released in November. Ayala Metzger, his daughter in law, told Amnesty International she was frustrated with Israeli authorities over their failure to secure the release of hostages:
“Our current government gave up the hostages; it has no interest in releasing them, no real effort is made. What is needed first is a decision to stop the war. Yoram [his body] is still in Gaza, we don’t know exactly what happened to him, but he was declared dead. With him there are a lot of my acquaintances who are still alive. We want to start living and rebuilding… but we can’t.”
She added that Tami who was released in November still cannot sleep at night: “She is still worried about people who were with her in the tunnels and we know nothing about them. It is hard, it’s hard to keep this going. It’s hard to protest… people are tired”.
Video evidence verified by Amnesty International indicates that some hostages suffered injuries and abuses while being taken captive. Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage near the Nova party site. Verified videos show Hamas fighters loading him on a truck and driving him and others toward Gaza, while his left arm is freshly severed below the elbow and bleeding badly. A video released by Hamas on April 24, 2024, shows Hersh, identified by his family, after his amputated arm was operated on.
Hostages have been held in dire conditions and there are concerns that some may have been subjected to torture and other forms of abuse in captivity.
According to Israeli medical professionals, returned hostages faced physical and psychological abuse in Gaza. They also said some hostages reported being beaten, forced to witness or participate in violent acts, were subjected to sexual violence including forced nudity and sexual assault, confined in isolation or total darkness, and deprived of basic needs including food and sleep, leading to serious and long-term mental and physical health implications. Released hostages also said that in some cases family members were intentionally separated from each other.
Amit Soussana, who was abducted from kibbutz Kfar Azza and released in November 2023, described in a media recording being chained up for three of the weeks she was held in Gaza. She said the man guarding her would come into her room, sit on her bed and ask her about sex and on one occasion, he forced her to perform a sexual act on him at gunpoint.
Some families of hostages Amnesty International spoke to said they have not received any information about their missing loved ones for nearly nine months.
Nathalie Smith’s three relatives from the Kipnis family in Kibbutz Be’eri were killed and seven were taken hostage on 7 October. Six were released in November, but one of them, Tal Shoham is still held captive.
“The fact that the hostages are still there is an open wound. We cannot mourn the dead or begin healing,” she said.
Gil Dickman’s aunt, Kineret Gat, was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri during the 7 October attack. His two cousins Carmel and Yarden Roman-Gat were taken hostage. Yarden Roman-Gat was released in the hostage deal in November 2023. Carmel Roman-Gat, 40, is still held in Gaza. Dickman fears for her physical and mental well-being and expressed a lack of faith in state efforts to return the hostages.
“Our lives completely stopped, something new began, a horror movie in which the starting point was great helplessness,” he said, adding that he is not able to process the pain or mourn yet. “We cannot do that because the most urgent thing is struggling for the lives of whoever can still be saved – knowing that at any moment we could get the horrible news.”
He added that witnessing the destruction Palestinians have suffered in Gaza makes him feel “very bad”:
“These are human beings on the other side and I consider them victims of the cycle of violence, just like Carmel and my family…The terror and violence ultimately hurt people who wish to live a peaceful life.”
“An immediate and sustained ceasefire by all parties is the only effective way to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe, mass death, and destruction we have witnessed over the past nine months. But whether a deal is reached or not Hamas and other armed groups must ensure all civilian hostages are immediately released and Israel must facilitate the unobstructed entry and distribution of food, medicine and other essential goods to Gaza,” said Erika Guevara Rosas.
Background on civilian hostages
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups launched indiscriminate rockets and sent fighters into southern Israel and committed war crimes, such as deliberate mass killings of civilians and hostage taking. According to Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people were killed. Amnesty International has called for Hamas and other armed groups to be held accountable for deliberate killings, abductions and indiscriminate attacks.
Armed groups took 250 people hostage, approximately 225 civilians and 25 soldiers. To date 131 civilian hostages and military captives have been released (or their bodies recovered)- five were released unconditionally and 104 as part of a hostage and prisoner exchange deal during a one-week truce in November 2023.
At least 43 hostages have been confirmed by Israeli authorities to have died either on 7 October or subsequently, in different circumstances. Six civilians and one soldier were returned by the Israeli military. The remaining hostages include nine civilian women and two very young children, aged one and four years old (along with their mother) and multiple men, including older men and foreign nationals. According to media reports and information from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Hamas announced in November that the two children and their mother were killed in Israeli air strikes. Amnesty International has consistently demanded the immediate release of all civilian hostages.
Amnesty International has documented direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects and indiscriminate attacks by Israel which must be investigated as war crimes. Israel has also violated its obligations under international humanitarian law by obstructing humanitarian assistance, cutting off electricity and other essential services and collectively punishing Gaza’s civilian population.
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Header image: An installation in “Hostages Square” (official name “Tel Aviv Museum Plaza”), of adult human size flowers with signs of children hostages. Photo by Gil Naveh/Amnesty International Israel.
