An Israeli military spokesman has said that about 200 people are currently being held hostage by Hamas, after its surprise attack on 7 October. Hamas has said it has hidden them in "safe places and tunnels" within Gaza.
Israel's military said the hostages include 20 children and between 10 and 20 over-60s, according to BBC.
The Health Ministry updates that as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, 299 injured in the massacre by Hamas terrorists and ensuing war are in hospitals across the country. Of them, 49 are in serious condition, 172 are in moderate condition and 78 are in light condition.
A total of 4,932 injured individuals have been treated at hospitals since October 7.
The Israel Police says in a statement that so far the bodies of 758 civilians have been identified.
Of those, 655 have been transferred to families for burial.
Police say that workers and volunteers have been working 24/7 since the start of the war in order to identify the slew of bodies collected following the murderous rampage in which some 1,400 Israelis are believed to have been killed. Some of the bodies have been badly burned or destroyed, making identification extremely challenging.
Separately, 306 soldiers, officers and reservists have also been identified, TOI reports.
