Israel carried out massive airstrikes on the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip from Sunday night to Monday, killing 67 civilians, including women and children. Israel says it is an operation to rescue prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

Two Israeli prisoners – identified as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – were rescued in the operation. They were captured on October 7 by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak.

Israel has called rescuing prisoners one of the main goals of its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 28,000 people, most of them women and children.

However, far more prisoners were released through diplomatic negotiations and during a brief ceasefire than were rescued through military operations. And Israel’s own military operations have resulted in the deaths of some prisoners.

How many prisoners were taken on October 7th?

At the time, Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had taken 200 to 250 prisoners.

According to Israeli authorities, the number of prisoners is 240, including Israeli soldiers, civilians and foreigners. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari has confirmed that a “significant” number of prisoners are military officers.

Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said in November: “All those captured for us are Israelis, although there is an appeal to respect their original nationality in the hope that this will save them.”

How many of the prisoners were released or rescued?

In mid-October, Hamas released the first prisoners, four in total. On October 20, two US citizens were released – Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie Raanan, 17. On October 23, two Israeli women were released – Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85.

At the end of October, soldier Ori Megidish was freed during a ground operation by Israeli forces.

By the end of a six-day ceasefire on November 30, 105 prisoners had been released by Hamas and 240 Palestinian prisoners by Israel. Among those released were several foreigners – a Filipino, an Israeli-Russian dual citizen and 23 Thai citizens.

How many of the prisoners were killed?

According to the Qassam Brigades, 50 prisoners were killed in Israeli airstrikes. According to Israeli intelligence officials, 30 prisoners have died in Gaza since being transferred to the enclave.

On December 16, three Israeli prisoners were accidentally killed by Israeli soldiers in the Shujayea district of Gaza City. The prisoners carried a stick with white flags that read “SOS” and “Help, three hostages” in Hebrew. They were identified as Yotam Haim Samer, Fouad Al-Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz.

That same day, hundreds of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv to protest the killing of the three prisoners, blocking major streets and business centers in the city.

“This is an unbearable tragedy, and all of Israel mourns their loss tonight,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

What did Israel say about its rescue operations?

On Sunday, Netanyahu was asked on ABC television how many of the 132 remaining prisoners were still alive. He said: “Enough to justify the kind of effort we are making and we will try to do our best to bring back all the living and, frankly, the bodies of the dead as well.”

After Marman and Har were released that night in an operation that killed 100 Palestinian civilians, Netanyahu said: “Only continued military pressure until complete victory will lead to the release of all our hostages.”

He refused to negotiate with Hamas about the release of the remaining prisoners.

However, Israeli and Hamas officials are in talks about another ceasefire and the release of prisoners, but details of the negotiations in Cairo and the terms have yet to be made public.

A three-stage ceasefire offer from Hamas last week was rejected by Israel.

It has since been said to be planning an offensive in Rafah amid international pressure against the operation in a city of 1.4 million people, most of whom have been displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip by a four-month Israeli bombardment and ground operation.

World leaders, including UN chief Antonio Guterres and US President Joe Biden, have warned against the offensive. The White House said Israel has an “obligation” to protect civilians in Rafah.

“A major military operation in Rafah should not take place without a credible plan to ensure the safety and support of more than a million people sheltering there,” Biden said Monday after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House.