In a statement to the media the Israeli military has said that it has confirmed that Hamas is holding 199 hostages in Gaza.

The hostages were seized on Saturday 7 October when Hamas fighters broke through the Israeli border fence in southern Israel, and attacked a music festival and multiple settlements killing more than 1,300 Israelis.

The army said that at least 291 Israeli soldiers have been killed so far in the conflict, and reiterated the statement from the prime minister’s office that there is no temporary ceasefire in place in southern Gaza.

Earlier the Gaza health ministry said that at least 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack.