Health officials in Gaza reported at least 300 Palestinians killed and 2,200 injured.
It is also estimated that up to 100 foreign nationals have been killed or taken hostage. This includes multiple American, English, and German citizens along with Ukrainians and Belarusians.
The crisis has laid bare the brutal reality that Hamas has taken hostages as an insurance policy against Israeli retaliation, especially in the face of a massive ground assault, and as a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, summed it up, saying, “The cruel reality is Hamas took hostages as an insurance policy against Israeli retaliatory action, particularly a massive ground attack and to trade for Palestinian prisoners.”
