Israel/OPT: Hamas and other armed groups must release civilian hostages
Fifty-six civilians believed alive and still held in Gaza, with families deeply unhappy with efforts of Israeli authorities to secure their release
‘Our current government gave up the hostages; it has no interest in releasing them’ - daughter-in-law of one hostage talking to Amnesty
‘Hostage-taking is a war crime’ - Erika Guevara-Rosas
Hamas and other armed groups must immediately and unconditionally release all civilian hostages who’ve been held in captivity in Gaza since 7 October, Amnesty International restated today.
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Israel demanding that the authorities agree a ceasefire and negotiate the release of hostages. Families of hostages marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem again today calling for this to happen.
Fifty-six civilian hostages are believed to be held by Hamas and other armed groups currently, with 18 soldiers also held. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel, as of 18 May signs of life had been received from 33 hostages. Throughout their captivity, the hostages have been denied access to independent monitors - including the Red Cross - to assess their health or detention conditions. There are also 43 hostage or captives whose deaths have been confirmed by the Israeli authorities.
Despite the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on 10 June calling for an immediate ceasefire by all parties, negotiations over a possible deal to release further Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners have so far yielded no positive outcome. Amid Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground operations in Gaza, the dangers to civilians - whether Palestinian civilians or hostages - continue to grow.
On 3 June, the Israeli authorities announced the deaths of four Israeli hostages in Gaza, among them Yoram Metzger, 80, who was taken hostage along with his wife Tami Metzger, 78, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. Tami Metzger was released in November. Ayala Metzger, his daughter-in-law, told Amnesty she was frustrated with the Israeli authorities over their failure to secure the release of hostages. She said:
“Our current government gave up the hostages; it has no interest in releasing them, no real effort is made. What is needed first is a decision to stop the war. Yoram [his body] is still in Gaza, we don't know exactly what happened to him, but he was declared dead. With him there are a lot of my acquaintances who are still alive. We want to start living and rebuilding … but we can’t.”
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns Director, said:
“Since October, Amnesty has consistently called for Hamas and other armed groups to immediately and unconditionally release all civilian hostages. Hostage-taking is a war crime.
“All those held in captivity must be treated humanely and protected from torture and other ill-treatment and be given access to the ICRC, in line with international law.
“There can be no justification for inflicting such trauma and anguish on them and their families.
“Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza has resulted in the death of over 38,000 Palestinians, causing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes the world has seen. The ongoing crisis also continues to endanger the lives of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
“A ceasefire by all parties is the most urgent step to alleviate mass suffering, prevent further loss of life and ensure the protection of all civilians.”
Hostages and local residents endangered
There have been several incidents where Hamas and other armed groups have held hostages in residential buildings located in crowded civilian areas, endangering also the lives of civilians in Gaza and violating their obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians under their control from the effects of attacks. On 8 June, a deadly operation by Israeli forces in al-Nuseirat refugee camp to release four hostages resulted in the deaths of more than 270 Palestinians according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. On 12 February, a rescue operation to release two hostages held in Rafah saw some 100 people killed.
Video evidence verified by Amnesty indicates that some hostages have suffered abuse while being taken captive. Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage near the Nova party site. Videos show Hamas fighters loading him on a truck and driving him and others toward Gaza, while his left arm is freshly severed below the elbow and bleeding badly. A video released by Hamas on 24 April shows Hersh, identified by his family, after his amputated arm was operated on.
Hostages have been held in dire conditions and there are concerns that some may have been subjected to torture and other forms of abuse in captivity. According to Israeli medical professionals, hostages who have been returned to Israel reported physical and psychological abuse in Gaza. Some hostages reported being beaten, forced to witness or participate in violent acts, being subjected to sexual violence including forced nudity and sexual assault, being confined in isolation or total darkness, and being deprived of basic needs including food and sleep. Released hostages also said that in some cases family members were intentionally separated from each other.
Amit Soussana, who was abducted from kibbutz Kfar Azza and released in November, described in a media recording being chained up for three of the weeks she was held in Gaza. She said the man guarding her would come into her room, sit on her bed and ask her about sex and on one occasion he forced her to perform a sex act on him at gunpoint.
Some families of hostages Amnesty spoke to said they have not received any information about their missing loved ones for nearly nine months. Nathalie Smith’s three relatives from the Kipnis family in Kibbutz Be’eri were killed and seven were taken hostage on 7 October. Six were released in November, but one, Tal Shoham, is still held captive. Nathalie Smith said:
“The fact that the hostages are still there is an open wound. We cannot mourn the dead or begin healing.”
Gil Dickman’s aunt, Kineret Gat, was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri during the 7 October attack. His two cousins - Carmel and Yarden Roman-Gat - were taken hostage. Yarden was released in the hostage deal in November, though Carmel, 40, is still held in Gaza. Dickman fears for her physical and mental wellbeing and expressed a lack of faith in state efforts to return the hostages. Gil Dickman said, “Our lives completely stopped, something new began, a horror movie in which the starting point was great helplessness”. He added that witnessing the destruction Palestinians have suffered in Gaza makes him feel “very bad”: “These are human beings on the other side and I consider them victims of the cycle of violence, just like Carmel and my family … The terror and violence ultimately hurt people who wish to live a peaceful life.”
7 October war crimes
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups launched indiscriminate rockets and sent fighters into southern Israel, committing war crimes such as the deliberate mass killing of civilians and hostage-taking. According to the Israeli authorities, around 1,200 people were killed. Amnesty has called for Hamas and other armed groups to be held accountable for deliberate killings, abductions and indiscriminate attacks.
Armed groups took 250 people hostage, approximately 225 civilians and 25 soldiers. To date 131 civilian hostages and military captives have been released (or their bodies recovered): five were released unconditionally and 104 as part of a hostage and prisoner exchange deal during a one-week truce in November. At least 43 hostages have been confirmed dead by the Israeli authorities, either on 7 October or subsequently, in a range of circumstances. Six civilians and one soldier were returned by the Israeli military. The remaining hostages include nine civilian women and two very young children, aged one and four years old (along with their mother), and multiple men, including older men and foreign nationals. According to media reports and information from the Hostage Family Forum, Hamas announced in November that the two children and their mother were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Amnesty has documented direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks by Israel which must be investigated as war crimes. Israel has also violated its obligations under international humanitarian law by obstructing humanitarian assistance, cutting off electricity and other essential services, and collectively punishing Gaza’s civilian population.