Israel says there are 212 hostages in Gaza at the moment

The Israeli military reported this Saturday that the number of people being held hostage in Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas rose to 212 amid a fierce Israeli counteroffensive that seeks to improve conditions to move on to the next phase of the war.

IDF spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, commented that the army had contacted the families of the kidnapped, but that for now, the figure is not definitive and that they are still investigating what happened to the people whose status is “disappeared,” reported The Times of Israel.

The 212 hostages do not include the two American-Israeli hostages, Judith and Natalie Raanan, a mother and daughter, who were freed on Friday night.