Fact-checking claims that no female hostages made it out of Gaza

Claims that "not a single woman" survived Hamas captivity following the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel have spread widely on social media following the release of 20 male hostages earlier this month.

However, these claims ignore the fact that dozens of women and children were released in previous hostage deals over the past two years.

Following the breakthrough as part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the remains of 28 deceased hostages were also meant to be returned by the militant group.

Meanwhile, a number of European journalists, commentators and social media users relayed the claim that no women survived the "horrors" of captivity in several posts shared on X, with one amassing more than 8 million views.

The remaining 20 living hostages who were released from Gaza are indeed all men, as stipulated in the list released by Hamas, as well as the list compiled by the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum.

However, claims shared on social media are misleading, as they disregard the fact that women and children were prioritised during prior successive hostage deals.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas took 251 hostages from Israel into Gaza, 51 of whom were female, while 200 were male. In total, 37 hostages were aged under 18 years old.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the complexity of making "tough decisions, between a difficult choice and an even more difficult choice" during hostage negotiations in November 2023.

"The effort to bring all of them home is ongoing, and at this time, we can achieve the release of infants and children, mothers and women, who have swords at their necks", added Netanyahu.

All the hostages released up to that point were women.

Media reports, as well as official communications from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israeli government, provide a timeline detailing the successive release of female hostages.

On 22 June, the Israeli government stated that of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October, 49 were still in captivity, including one woman.

On 15 October, the body of the last female hostage was returned to Israel, following identification carried out by forensic experts.

Although online posts alleging that no female hostages survived Gaza are misleading, many reference the sexual violence experienced by women on 7 October, as well as that faced by captive hostages.

Following investigations, the UN reported in March 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe sexual violence, including rape and gang-rape, occurred during and after the 7 October attack.

In exchange for the release of 20 living hostages on 13 October, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the ceasefire deal.

Palestinian militants have so far released the bodies of 13 hostages, as Israeli authorities confirmed on Tuesday morning that a body returned on Monday evening had been identified as hostage Tal Haimi.

Yet the ceasefire deal remains in a precarious state: Hamas says it has not been able to reach all of the remains because they are buried under rubble left behind by the two-year Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has accused the militants of dragging their feet and threatened to resume military operations or withhold humanitarian aid if all of the remains are not returned.

On Sunday, Israel's military accused Palestinian militants of firing at its troops, killing two Israeli soldiers in areas of Rafah in southern Gaza that are under Israeli control along agreed ceasefire lines.

Strikes by Israel killed 45 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Strip's Hamas-run health ministry, which says a total of 80 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.

Nevertheless, US President Donald Trump assured on Monday that the ceasefire deal was still on track, with Vice President JD Vance arriving in Israel on Tuesday to strengthen the agreement.