Is there an accurate count yet on how many people were abducted from Israel during the invasion by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023? How many are still trapped in Gaza captivity?
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy shared the figures Wednesday with international media during a briefing with journalists. Watch.
At least one third of the remaining living hostages being held in Gaza have chronic illnesses and need regular medication, Levy noted.
While the hostages are receiving minimal and primitive medical care, if any at all, Gaza civilians are faring far better, with more than 340 medical personnel having entered the enclave since the start of the war.
Moreover, Hamas claimed Wednesday that 1,000 boxes of medicine are to be delivered to Gaza’s hospitals — including those in northern Gaza, where civilians are allegedly no longer present and all of which are proven military sites — for every single box of medicine intended for the hostages, delivered to Egypt by Qatar for inspection, and then to be distributed by Qatar within Gaza itself.
International claims of the “starving” Gaza population are also apparently vastly overrated. In central and southern Gaza — where the population was urged to relocate to avoid being in an active combat zone — there are currently 11 bakeries producing more than two million pita breads daily, Levy told journalists. (The entire Gaza population totals about 2.2 million, for comparison, including babies and children.) That basic Middle Eastern “staff of life” is being supplemented by the daily shipments of humanitarian aid entering the enclave, with most of the huge trucks carrying foodstuffs.
Any holdup on distribution and access is not coming from the Israeli end, Levy noted, reiterating that Israel has the capacity to inspect as many aid trucks as the international community cares to send.
Of course, there is also the issue of theft by Hamas operatives, under the “watchful” eyes of United Nations agencies in Gaza …
