At least 233 hostages were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip on October 7, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says, raising the number from 228 announced a day earlier.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military has notified the families of 229 hostages that their loved ones are currently being held in the Gaza Strip.
The number also does not include four released hostages — mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Ra’anan, who were freed a week ago, and elderly women Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, freed on Monday night.
Hagari says the number is not final as the military continues to investigate new information, TOI reports.
