Who are the people taken from Israel?

The Israeli military says that 240 people are being held hostage by Hamas.

Four hostages have been released and another was freed by Israeli forces. Ori Megidish, an Israeli solider, was freed during ground operations in Gaza on 29 October. Two women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifschitz, were freed on Monday 24 October. On Friday 20 October, two US hostages – a mother and daughter – were also freed.

Hamas says it has hidden the hostages in “safe places and tunnels” within Gaza. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have previously said the hostages include 20 children and between 10 and 20 over-60s.

The IDF have notified some families that their loved ones are being held hostage, while other families – whose relatives remain unaccounted for – believe they have been taken.

These are the stories of hostages taken from Israel on 7 October which have been either confirmed by the BBC or credibly reported.

This list is regularly updated and names may change, as some people feared kidnapped are confirmed to have been killed or released.

Last updated on 1 November 2023 at 16:54 GMT

Rimon Buchshtab Kirsht, 36, Daniele Alony Mevneh, 44, and Lena Trupanov, 50, appeared in a hostage video released by Hamas on 30 October.

Daniele Alony Mevneh is being held with her daughter Amelia Mevneh, five; Daniele’s sister Sharon Alony Cunio, 34, her husband David Cunio, 33, and their three-year-old twin daughters Emma and Julie. They were kidnapped from a kibbutz in southern Israel, Sharon and Daniele’s brother Moran told CNN. Moran said he was told by a witness that the family had taken shelter in a safe room but Hamas had then set fire to the house – they were taken hostage after leaving to escape the flames.

Elma Avraham, 84, had lived at Nahal Oz kibbutz for nearly 50 years prior to her kidnap, a spokesperson for the community said. The spokesperson added that she was filmed being driven away by hostage-takers.

Keith Seigel, 64, and his wife Adrienne – often known as Aviva – Seigel, 62 were taken from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Keith’s brother Lee Seigel told the BBC.

Amiram Cooper, 85, and his wife Nurit, 80, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel close to Gaza, their daughter-in-law Noa told the BBC. The family last spoke to the couple during the Hamas attack, Noa said, when the couple were in their safe room. The family later traced Amiram’s phone to Gaza. On Monday 23 October, Nurit was one of two women to be released.

Oded Lifshitz, 83, and his wife Yocheved, 85 were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz. On Monday 23 October, Yocheved was one of two elderly women to be freed. After hearing the news of her mother’s release, their daughter Sharone – a London-based artist – said: “While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those – some 200 innocent people – who remain hostages in Gaza.”

Ohad Munder-Zichri, 9, his mother, Keren Munder, 54, and his grandparents Ruthi and Avraham Munder, both 78, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israeli officials say. The Associated Press reported that a phone signal has been traced to Gaza.

Clara Marman, 62, her partner Louis Har, her siblings Fernando Simon Marman and Gabriela Leimberg, and Gabriela’s teenage daughter Mia Leimberg are believed to have been taken from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. The group of five Argentinian-Israelis had been hiding in their safe room, according to Louis Har’s daughter who was texting with him. The last message came at 11:04, the Times of Israel reported. Clara’s daughter Maayan Sigal-Koren said they had been told by the Israeli army that their phones had been tracked to Gaza, according to Vatican News.

Dafna Garcovich and her husband Ivan Illarramendi Saizar – who have Israeli-Chilean and Spanish citizenship respectively – were kidnapped from their homes, Dafna’s father said. On 19 October, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the couple were being held hostage in Gaza.

Margalit Mozes, 78, was seen in a video clip being taken away from her home in Nir Oz by Hamas, her brother Chanon Cohen told CBS. She has health problems that require almost constant medical care, her family said.

Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was driven away from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas on one moped, and his mother Bat-Sheva and two sisters on another. Bat-Sheva, who is a French national, told a press conference that she managed to escape with her daughters but that she lost sight of Eitan as he was driven towards Gaza. Bat-Sheva’s husband Ohad was shot and injured earlier, as he tried to defend the family in their home, and is now missing.

Judith Weinstein Haggai, 70, and husband Gad, 73, were also missing from Nir Oz after the Hamas attack. Ten days later, the Israeli military confirmed to the family they had been taken hostage, CTV News in Canada reported.

Adina Moshe, 72, was identified by her family in a video clip showing her wedged between two Hamas fighters on a motorbike, apparently taking her to Gaza. She had also been kidnapped from Nir Oz, her relatives told CNN.

Alex Danzig, 75, a scholar and historian of the Holocaust, was at his home in Nir Oz, when it was attacked by Hamas on 7 October. “We know for sure he was kidnapped,” his son Mati told the BBC. Alex – whose older sister Edith is a Holocaust survivor – has spent the last 30 years working for Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance centre. His disappearance has triggered a campaign for his release, both in Israel and in Poland, the country of his birth.

Hagar Brodutch, 40, her daughter Ofri, 10, and sons Yuval, 8, and Oria, 4, were at Kfar Aza, a kibbutz near the border with Gaza, when Hamas struck, according to Avichai Brodutch, Hagar’s husband and the children’s father. He told ABC News that he initially believed they were dead – but then received a message from the kibbutz that they had been seen alive, being led away.

Doron, Raz and Aviv Asher were taken captive while staying with relatives near the Gaza border. Husband Yoni saw a video of his wife and daughters, aged 5 and 3, being loaded onto a truck with other hostages. He also traced her mobile phone to Gaza.

Meirav Tal, her partner Yair Yaakov, and his children Yagil, 12, and Or, 16, are listed among the hostages. The children’s mother, Ranana, was on the phone with them when Hamas arrived, and heard her youngest son cry: “Don’t take me, I’m too young!” A video also appears to show Yair and Meirav with their captors.

Amit Shani, 16, was ordered into a car by Hamas gunmen after they broke into the family’s safe room in Kibbutz Be’eri, his mother told the New York Times.

Tsachi Idan was last seen by his wife, Gali, as he was taken away by Hamas gunmen. Their family had been ambushed in their safe room in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Their ordeal was live-streamed by Hamas. Their eldest child, Maayan – who had just turned 18 – was shot dead, Gali told the BBC.

Ron Scherman, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier, was kidnapped at a border crossing, his mother Maayan told Israel’s i24 news channel. She later identified him in a video posted by Hamas, she said.

Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir Bibas are believed to have been abducted from the kibbutz in southern Israel where they lived and where Shiri was a kindergarten teacher. Shiri was pictured holding Ariel, aged 3, and 9-month-old Kfir, surrounded by Hamas gunmen.

Yossi and Margit Silberman, Shiri’s parents, are also missing and thought to have been captured.

Daphna Elyakim, 15, and her sister Ella, 8, were seen on video being held in their home in the Nahal Oz kibbutz, relatives said. The girls’ father Noam Elyakim, Noam’s partner Dikla Arava, and her 17-year-old son Tomer were killed. Relatives said Ella and Daphna have appeared in photos posted by Hamas.

Karina Ariev, a 19-year-old soldier, was serving at an army base near Gaza when she was kidnapped. Her sister Alexandra told the BBC she heard shooting as Karina called her during the attack, and later saw a video showing Karina being taken away in a vehicle.

Ofer, Erez and Sahar Kalderon were taken prisoner in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A video on social media appeared to show 12-year-old Erez being taken by gunmen towards Gaza, their relative Ido Dan told the BBC. Two other relatives, 80-year-old Carmela Dan and her granddaughter, Noya, 12, were also believed to have been taken, but Israeli authorities later announced they had been found dead.

Mia Shem, 21, from Shoham, appeared in the first hostage video released by Hamas saying that she had been abducted from a party. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed she was taken hostage and said they were in touch with her family, who agreed images from the video could be shown.

Channah Peri, 79, and her son Nadav Popplewell, 51, were taken hostage by Hamas, said Channah’s daughter Ayelet Svatitzky, who was speaking to them on the phone when the gunmen burst in. She said the captors sent pictures of her two relatives, who both have diabetes, with armed men in the background.

Omri Miran, 46, was abducted after his family opened the door to their secure shelter to an Israeli child, who said he would be killed otherwise. Omri’s wife, Lishay Lavi, said she saw him being taken away in handcuffs with three other hostages from the Nahal Oz kibbutz.

Liri Elbag, 18, had just started military training as an Army lookout near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked, her father Eli told the Associated Press. Eli said he saw her in a video circulated later by Hamas, crowded with others on the back of a military truck which had been seized by the gunmen.

Aviv Atzili and his wife Liat Beinin Atzili, both 49, went missing from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on the day of the attack. Their house was burned down but there was no sign of a struggle or blood, and according to The Times of Israel, Aviv’s phone was geolocated in Gaza a day later.

A number of people are believed to have been abducted from the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. Among them:

Omer Wenkert, 22, a restaurant manager, sent a message to his family to say he was going to a safe shelter but then lost contact, his father Shai Wenkert told the BBC’s Today Programme. Shai Wenkert said he had seen footage of his son in captivity, including a photo of him handcuffed and wearing only underwear.

Moran Stela Yanai, 40, a jewellery designer, was selling her work at the festival when the attack happened. She was later seen in a video sitting on the ground surrounded by derogatory Arabic text about Jews, her brother told the Associated Press.

Evyatar David, 23, was at the festival and, on the morning of the attacks, described fleeing from gunfire before losing contact with the outside world, his brother says. Later, his family say, Evyatar’s sister posted on Instagram appealing for information about his whereabouts – she then received a text from an unknown number, which contained video footage of Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. According to Israel’s foreign ministry he is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

Almog Meir Jan, 21, tried to flee the festival. He and a friend made it to the friend’s car but only managed to drive a short distance before being forced to stop. Almog’s family say they have seen a hostage video in which he appears.

Inbar Heiman, a student aged 21, was seen by two young Israeli men being taken away from the festival on a motorcycle. Hamas have released a video in which Inbar is seen very briefly.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, from California, was seen by witnesses being loaded onto a truck, his family told the Los Angeles Times. He was badly injured and unconscious, the witnesses said, and his last known phone location showed him on the border with Gaza.

Maya Regev, 21, and her brother Itay, 18, from Herzliya are also believed to have been taken. On the morning of the attack, Maya’s father got a call from his daughter who screamed “Dad they’re shooting at me, I’m dead”. The family said they later spotted Itay in handcuffs in the back of a vehicle in a video released by Hamas. Almost two days later, the Israeli army informed the family that both Maya and Itay had been abducted.

Shani Louk, a tourist from Germany, was initially thought to be among those seized. Her mother, Ricarda, said she had seen a video of Shani’s body after she was taken and later said she had information that Shani was in a critical condition in Gaza following a head injury. But on 30 October, Ricarda told German media that the family had been informed by Israeli military of her death following DNA identification, and she now believes her daughter may have been killed at the music festival.

Noa Argamani, a Chinese-born Israeli citizen, was also kidnapped from the festival. Video footage – verified by her father Yaakov Argamani to Israel’s Channel 12 – shows the 25-year-old being taken away on the back of a motorbike screaming, “Don’t kill me!”

Bar Kuperstein, 21, last spoke to his family early on the morning of 7 October, as the attack unfolded. Later the same day, his family say they identified him in a video of Israeli prisoners, posted by Hamas. Since then, they say they have had no further information.

Eliya Cohen, 26, was hiding with his girlfriend Ziv from the attack, when Ziv felt him being pulled up and driven away by the gunmen, Eliya’s mother has told the video initiative #BringThemHomeNow. The family then found a photo of Eliya in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.

Amit Buskila, 28, from Ashdod, was last heard of making a call to her uncle, Shimon, as Hamas overran the festival. Her family say they have now been told by the government that she is being held in Gaza.

Vivian Silver, 74, a renowned peace campaigner. Her last communication was to say that her home in Kibbutz Be’er was under attack.

Roni Eshel, 19, was based in an army base on the Gaza border. Her family say the last time they heard from her was on the morning of the Hamas attack. Her base was under attack. She sent a text message to her mother at around 09:30, saying: “Mom, I am okay, I am busy, I love you.”

Jordan Roman-Gat, a 36-year-old German-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped with her husband and young child by Hamas from Kibbutz Be’eri. She, her husband Alon, and three-year-old Gefen escaped when the car briefly stopped, but Jordan became separated from the others, relatives told CNN, adding they fear she may have been recaptured.

Camel Gat, 39, is Jordan’s sister-in-law, and also was seen by her father being taken by gunmen from Kibbutz Be’eri, Haaretz newspaper reported. She has not been heard from since.

Ohad and Ethan Vahalomy were abducted from their kibbutz, according to Ohad’s mother, Esther. She said her daughter-in-law and two of her granddaughters managed to escape when five gunmen burst into their home, but Ohad and 12-year-old Ethan were taken.

Ditza Heiman, 84, was seen by a neighbour at Kibbutz Nir Oz being led away by Hamas gunmen, her niece said. A former social worker, she is the widow of Zvi Shdaimah, who came to the UK on the Kindertransport, the organised rescue of children from Nazi-controlled areas during World War Two.

Dror Or, his wife Yonat, son Noam and daughter Alma were seen by a neighbour being dragged out of their home in Kibbutz Be’eri, according to their nephew Emmanuel Besorai. There has been no contact since, he said. Noam is aged 15 and Alma 13.

Dr Shoshan Haran, her daughter Adi Shoham, Adi’s partner Tal Shoham, and their children, Naveh and Yahel, were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri, according to the non-profit she founded, Fair Planet. Fair Planet said they lost contact with Dr Haran after the attack by Hamas, but a phone belonging to Dr Haran’s husband Avshalom was tracked to Gaza and they believe the whole family was taken. Avshalom Haran – an economist and dual German/Israeli citizen – is now dead, the BBC has confirmed. He was 66. Shoshan is aged 67, Naveh is aged eight and Yahel is three.

Sharon Avigdori, 52, and her daughter Noam, 12, are relatives of Dr Haran and are believed to have been kidnapped at the same time. Eviatar Kipnis, 65 and his wife Lilach Kipnis, 60, were killed, the family has said.

Yaffa Adar, 85, was kidnapped from a kibbutz close to the border with Gaza. Her granddaughter Adva found a video of her being taken to Gaza, surrounded by four armed men.

Ada Sagi, 74, is also believed to have been abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her son, Noam, said Israeli soldiers found bloodstains but no sign of his mother and she was not among those killed or injured in the small community.

Efrat Katz and Gadi Mozes, the mother of Doron Asher and her partner respectively, were also abducted during the same attack on the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to relatives and the Israeli aid agency where Gadi Mozes worked as an agricultural expert.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American-Israeli citizen, has been missing since Hamas’s attack on the Nir Oz kibbutz, his father Jonathan told the BBC. Jonathan said his son was not found among the dead and the “only reasonable explanation” is that he was taken to Gaza.

Joshua Loitu Mollel and Clemence Felix Mtenga, from Tanzania, have been kidnapped, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has said. The two men were in Israel on an agricultural internship programme. Mr Mollel’s father told the BBC his son was studying at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

Anucha Angkaew, a Thai national who had worked on an avocado farm for almost two years, was seen in a video published by Hamas. His wife, Wanida Maarsa, identified him to BBC Thai.

Boonthom Phankhong and Nattawaree “Yo” Moonkan, who are husband and wife, were working at a mushroom-packing factory near Gaza when Hamas gunmen burst in and began firing, according to Thai TV reports. Yo, aged 35, screamed while everyone else was hiding and was taken along with her husband, 45.

O-wat Suriyasri was pictured with his hands tied behind his back as armed men looked on, in a photo sent by a colleague to his family, according to Thai TV reports. He has a child with his wife back in Thailand.

Manee Jirachat, who travelled to Israel for work four years ago, was seized by Hamas along with five other workers who had taken cover together, according to a Thai TV interview with his father, who had spoken to survivors.

Natthaporn Onkaew, Komkrit Chombua, Parinya Taemklang, Pattanayuth Tonsokri, Kiattisak “Top” Patee and a Mr Pongtorn (no first name given) were all named by the Thai foreign ministry as hostages. Thailand said 14 of its nationals in total were captured.

Five hostages are now known to be free. Two Americans – Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan – were released on Friday 20 October. Two elderly women – Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifschitz – were freed on Monday 23 October. An Israeli soldier – Ori Megidish – was freed during ground operations in Gaza on 29 October and was reunited with her family, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.