Israel Says 20 Children Among 200 Hostages, Some Released

By Worthy News’ Stefan J. Bos and George Whitten

JERUSALEM  (Worthy News) – Israel’s military says some 20 children under the age of 18 are among roughly 200 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, where an Orthodox Church reportedly suffered damage in an air strike, killing many.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said between 10 and 20 are over 60, and most of those being held “are alive” after being taken by Hamas gunmen on October 7. However, officials said that Hamas released two of the more than 200 hostages it has been holding in Gaza. A mother and her daughter were handed over to the International Red Cross in Gaza before their transfer to Israel through Egypt.

Israeli officials have confirmed that two American hostages, Judith and Natalie Raanan, were released. The mother and daughter were taken hostage by Hamas at Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel on October 7.

The announcement came as church officials claimed an Orthodox Christian church in Gaza City, where hundreds of people were sheltering, was hit by an air strike. The Hamas-run health ministry said 16 Palestinian Christians were killed.

Israel says its jets targeted a nearby Hamas base used to fire rockets at its territory, and it was reviewing the incident.

The reported attack added to anxiety in Gaza, where Palestinian officials say more than 4,000 people have been killed in the territory since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people.

Gaza is now a “hellhole” for civilians, and time is running out to get aid into the territory, says the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

U.N. Secretary-General visited the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, saying he expects the first shipment of aid to enter Gaza in “the next day or so.”

Israel said it has no other choice but to go after targets in Gaza and elsewhere, with rockets being fired from the area as well as from Lebanon.

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