The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas-led militants launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people, the majority of them civilians, and abducting around 250 individuals. Of those taken hostage, around 100 remain in Gaza, with estimates suggesting that at least a third of them are presumed dead.

The deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza in August were probably linked to an Israeli strike near where they were being held, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. "At the time of the strike,

February strike shows potential risks of military operations for remaining captives.