Among the thousands of people who have been killed, injured or taken hostage in Israel and the Gaza Strip in recent days are foreign nationals and dual nationals from over two dozen countries. A number of them were attending a music festival in the desert in southern Israel when Hamas militants stormed the grounds, shooting and abducting revelers.
Governments from around the world have condemned the violence and called for the release of their citizens and of all hostages. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said the number of foreign victims shows that “this isn’t an Israeli challenge only. This is something that concerns many of the free countries of the world.”
Here’s what we know about the foreign nationals affected by the Israel-Gaza war.
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The State Department said Saturday that 29 U.S. citizens have died in the Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent violence, and that 15 U.S. citizens and one U.S. permanent resident are missing.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” the State Department said in a statement.
The statement did not break down the circumstances of the deaths or make clear whether the U.S. nationals had died exclusively in the Hamas attack or whether some had died in Israel’s subsequent retaliation on targets in Gaza.
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Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said Thursday that seven Ukrainians were killed and nine were injured. Nine other Ukrainians are considered missing, he said.
A Ukrainian boy who the ministry previously said was rescued by Ukrainian diplomats in the Israeli town of Sderot “is recovering after a successful operation,” Nikolenko said Tuesday.
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Sixteen Russian nationals were killed and eight more are missing, Marina Ryazanova, press secretary for the Russian Embassy in Israel, told state news outlet Tass.
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Seventeen French nationals were killed in the conflict, and 15 are missing, the French Foreign Ministry said Saturday in a statement, adding that their disappearance is “considered very worrying.”
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“We know there are British nationals amongst the dead, the wounded and probably amongst those who have been captive,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News on Sunday, without providing specific numbers.
When asked about reports that there were at least 10 British nationals among the hostages, Cleverly said that was “not an unreasonable estimate.”
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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Wednesday that a “vibrant young Irish-Israeli woman” named Kim Damti was killed.
Kim gave happiness and joy to her family and those around her.
As we learn of her death, we pause to think of her, her family in Israel and Ireland and of all those now grieving in countless other nations.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) October 11, 2023
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an address to parliament Thursday did not say how many Germans have been killed or injured, but he said there are Germans among the hostages taken by Hamas.
“Many Germans live in Israel. Very often there is dual citizenship. Many Israeli citizens live in Germany. Many people have friends in the other country,” Scholz told lawmakers. “And that is why, when the attacks started, many Germans were in Israel. Over 100 hostages were taken by Hamas, and many of them were Germans.”
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Austria’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that an Austrian Israeli dual national was killed, without naming the victim, and added that two more remained missing.
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Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Saturday that 24 Thai nationals were killed and 16 have been injured, according to Agence France-Presse.
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Tanzania’s ambassador to Israel told Agence France-Presse that two Tanzanians are missing. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that 10 Nepalis in Israel were killed, four were injured and one was missing.
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Peru’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that two Peruvian nationals were killed in Israel, naming the victims as Brando David Flores García and Daniel Levi. The ministry said Wednesday that two Peruvians who were missing were found, adding that it was “redoubling its efforts” to look for one other missing person.
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Three Filipinos were killed, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv said Friday. The embassy added that three Philippine nationals remain missing, while 26 have been found or rescued.
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Paraguay’s Foreign Ministry said on Oct. 8 that two of itscitizens who live in Israelaremissing, adding that Paraguayan and local authorities are searching for them.
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Colombia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed the death of a Colombian Israeli woman, identified as Ivonne Rubio, who had been missing along with her boyfriend, Antonio Macías, after the “severe events that occurred in the desert in southern Israel.”
In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, the ministry said that Rubio’s identity was confirmed through a DNA test and that local authorities have informed the victim’s father. Macías, who is also Colombian, remains missing.
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At least three Chinese nationals have been killed, with multiple others injured and two missing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin confirmed during a news briefing Thursday. “We are deeply grieved by the death of the victims and extend sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and to the wounded,” Wang said.
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Five Canadians have been killed and three remain missing, CTV News reported Sunday, citing Julie Sunday, assistant deputy minister for consular security and emergency management.
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Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that two Brazilians, whom it named as Ranani Nidejelski Glazer, 23, and Bruna Valeanu, 24, were killed, the local outlet Globo and BBC Portuguese reported. The ministry confirmed Friday that a 42-year-old Brazilian national named Karla Stelzer Mendes was also killed, bringing the total of Brazilians killed in the fighting to three.
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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday that three of the hostages are Italian nationals, the public news agency ANSA reported.
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One Cambodian national who was studying in Israel was killed, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Oct. 8, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
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Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Israel, Nimal Bandara, told the local outlet Ceylon Today on Wednesday that two Sri Lankan nationals are missing. He named them as Anula Ratnayake, 49, and Bandara Yatawara, 48. The Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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Three Belarusian nationals were killed and one is missing, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Belarusian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
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At least four Romanian nationals were killed, the Romanian Foreign Ministry confirmed. All were dual Israeli-Romanian nationals and one was serving in the Israel Defense Forces, the ministry said.
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CNN Portugal, citing the Israeli Embassy in Portugal, reported Sunday that four dual Portuguese-Israeli nationals — Moshe Sadyaan, 26, Gilad Bem Yehuda, 28, Idan Shtivi, 28, and Orin Bira, 53 — were kidnapped by Hamas militants. The embassy told CNN Portugal that one other Portuguese national, 22-year-old Menachem Hillel Ben Kalifa, was injured. Portuguese Foreign Affairs Minister João Gomes Cravinho said Wednesday that one Portuguese national was killed, citing the victim’s family, according to local news outlets.
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The Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday that a Spanish-Israeli national named Maya Villalobo Sinvany was killed. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Villalobo Sinvany was doing her military service in Israel.
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Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said Friday that a 70-year-old Swiss-Israeli dual national was killed, Reuters reported.
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Turkish news outlets, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Ankara, reported Thursday that a Turkish-Israel dual national was killed.
Michael Birnbaum, Kate Brady, Mary Beth Sheridan, Sangam Prasai,Amanda Coletta, Lyric Li, Regine Cabato, Mary Ilyushina, Kelsey Ables and Bryan Pietsch contributed to this report.
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