251 Hostages Taken Across the Border into Gaza

Throughout the day, Hamas fighters took an estimated 251 people — Israelis, foreign nationals, and dual citizens — as hostages back into the Gaza Strip through the breached fence sections. Hostages included infants, children, the elderly, soldiers, and foreign workers (including Thai agricultural laborers). Many were forced at gunpoint or transported in vehicles. Hamas documented and broadcast video of hostages being taken, including an elderly woman on a golf cart. The hostages were distributed across Hamas's tunnel network and various locations throughout Gaza.