Israel raises number of people taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October to 233

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday said at least 233 hostages were kidnapped and taken by Hamas to the Gaza Strip on October 7. The Israeli forces has raised the number from 228 announced on Thursday. The revised number also does not include four released hostages — mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Ra’anan, who were freed a week ago, and elderly women Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, freed on Monday night. A report by The Times of Israel mentioned that the IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military has notified the families of 229 hostages that their loved ones are currently being held in the Gaza Strip. The IDF spokesperson said the number was not final as the military continues to investigate new information. The raised number of hostages was released by Israeli troops a day after Palestinian military group Hamas’s armed wing claimed that “almost 50” Israeli hostages were killed “as a result” of Israeli strikes in Gaza “Overnight, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) conducted a targeted raid using tanks in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of preparations for the next stages of combat,” AFP quoted the army as saying in a statement. “The soldiers exited the area at the end of the activity,” it added. The latest conflict has caused more than 1,400 deaths in Israel and at least 7,028 in Gaza as of October 26, according to authorities on both sides. With inputs from agencies