Who's Counting Hostages ?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

Miss Noa  Argamani, a Chinese-born Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from the Nova festival and harrowing video footage from 7 October showed the 26-year-old being taken away on the back of a motorbike screaming, "Don't kill me!." Freed Israeli hostage Noa Argamani was held in child's bedroom in Gaza during eight (8) months in captivity.  

During its 7 October attacks in southern Israel Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took some 251 people.

Some 116 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 41 the army says are dead.

A deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.  I must add that Israel has about 9 million population, of which about 6 million are Jewish.  It was formed and planned to be a Jewish state, such as some 50 others are Muslim states.  "According to the Pew Research Center in 2010, there were 50 Muslim-majority countries. Around 62% of the world's Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region (from Turkey to Indonesia), with over one billion adherents."

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry said the death toll in Gaza is now 36,801 people.  They usually are found to lie and quote higher numbers than the truth.  Dead Palestinians make better copy to dirty Israel's reputation and get people to sympathize with the "Poor" Palestinians.  The UNDERDOG is the Palestinians,  crowds think.  

Noa and Palestinian kidnapper who might have been one of the daily workers in Noa's kibbutz.  Most all had been workers, familiar with the families and were paid by them.  To think that the Israelis had trusted them like family.  Oy very!  Yes, they were recognized by the living.  They were also those "innocent civilians who raped, plundered and kidnapped and set fires all over".  

Out of 251 kidnapped Israeli hostages, yesterday a top Hamas official, probably speaking from Qatar, said that out of the remaining  120 hostages in Gaza, had no idea how many remained alive. That shows their figures had lost 131 who were either rescued to had died or both. 

Israel believes and hopes that more than 70 of the 120 hostages are still alive.  The Hamas official claimed that he had no idea what the correct figure was.  The last 4 rescued came from homes of Palestinians.  The home-owner Palestinians were complicit in holding hostages, hardly could be considered as innocent civilians.  They helped Hamas big-time; probably for money, too.  

Back on June 3rd in Khan Younis, JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Monday confirmed the deaths of four more hostages held by Hamas — including three older men seen in a Hamas video begging for their release.  The three men, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Peri, were all age 80 or older. Looking weak and wary, they appeared in a video in December released by Hamas under the title, “Don’t let us grow old here.”The fourth hostage was identified as Nadav Popplewell. Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the four men died together in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when Israel was operating there. The cause of death was not immediately known.   Israel carried out a major offensive in Khan Younis, a Hamas stronghold, early this year.

Each time they rescue a hostage, it gets harder and harder to do again.  Israel lost a soldier this time who was killed.  Freed 4; but lost 1.  =  3.  

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11z2j34k4o

https://www.the-sun.com/news/11584231/freed-israeli-hostage-noa-argamani-childs-bedroom-gaza/

https://nypost.com/2024/06/14/world-news/top-hamas-official-claims-no-one-has-any-idea-how-many-israeli-hostages-are-still-alive/