Hamas has indicated it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal, according to an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, raising fears that more hostages may be dead than are publicly known.
The criteria are for women and the elderly to be released. The majority of the remaining hostages are men of military age (as Israel has mandatory conscription, they are military personnel by definition).
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So what happened to the old women and children? Sold into slavery? Dead?
Probably dead or unknown. Terror organizations aren’t usually known for their record keeping.
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And even when they try their best, it’s hard when a larger terrorist organization is actively trying to genocide them and bomb everything they know to rubble.
However then umber of dead they provide is constantly quoted.