It is believed that at least two of the six American hostages still held in Gaza are alive — Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. Four other Americans are believed to have been killed in captivity.

Hamas-led militants have freed three more hostages from the Gaza Strip after more than 15 months in captivity.

The group mostly consists of armed gunmen, but it has lost a lot of its arsenal, which is why it must showcase its strength in numbers.