By Anadolu staff
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said Tuesday that some 240 Israelis are being held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and that 315 soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7, when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict flared into open battle.
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the families of 240 hostages have been notified of their captivity in Gaza.
“The number is not final as the military investigates new information,” he told reporters.
The new figure does not include four hostages released earlier by Hamas.
Hagari said 315 soldiers had been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza war on Oct. 7.
The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
More than 9,800 people have been killed in the Gaza conflict, including 8,306 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.