Israel claims that two Tanzanian individuals and one South African citizen are among the hostages held by Hamas.

According to the Israeli government, Hamas is currently holding 224 hostages, including two Tanzanians and one South African. The missing Tanzanian citizens were confirmed by the Tanzanian authorities, and one of them, Joshua Mollel, was an agriculture student living in a kibbutz that was targeted in the attacks. Among the hostages, 135 are foreigners from 25 different countries, with the largest group consisting of 54 individuals from Thailand. The South African authorities have not provided any information or comment regarding the report of their citizen being held by Hamas. These individuals were taken captive when Hamas militants crossed the Gaza border into Israel, resulting in the death of at least 1,400 people. In response, Israel has carried out air strikes on Gaza, leading to nearly 6,500 reported deaths according to the Hamas-run health ministry.