How we keep track of the Gaza hostagespublished at 16:53 BST 7 October
Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist
Image source, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Earlier we told you what we know about the hostages that are still being held in Gaza as well as how many have been returned home.
I’ve been part of a small team keeping track of the status of each hostage. A small team specifically helps avoid duplication, focus our efforts, and makes sure that tracing and distributing the information across the BBC is easier.
Initially, in the immediate aftermath of 7 October we used names being posted to social media as a way of starting a list of those who had been taken into Gaza. Names were being shared in posts by relatives and friends who were issuing pleas for help and information about their loved ones.
Then, as more information came to light, we started logging official updates from the Israeli government and the campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum which represents some of the relatives of those kidnapped.
Each time someone is released in a handover or rescue, along with when bodies are recovered or a hostage is pronounced dead by Israeli authorities, we update our list.
We keep all this information in our own database of names which we have kept updated throughout the conflict and is used by BBC Verify and other BBC colleagues.
