Editing Hostage (section)

== Notable hostages crises ==
{{main|List of hostage crises}}
[[Image:BringThemBackNow1.jpg|thumb|Empty strollers symbolize the children abducted, displayed at a demonstration demanding the return of [[Gaza war hostage crisis|Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza]], 2023]]

Several hostage crises have stood out in history due to their impact, duration, and the international attention they garnered. Some notable crises include:

* The [[Munich massacre]] (1972) - During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, a Palestinian terrorist group known as [[Black September]] took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage and killed them along with a West German police officer.
* The [[Norrmalmstorg robbery]] (23-28 August 1973) - Four bank employees and civilians were taken hostages by [[Jan-Erik Olsson]] in [[kreditbanken]] while he was in [[parole]], two police officers were injured while trying to communicate with the robber. It is best known as the origin of the term [[Stockholm syndrome]].
* The [[Iranian Embassy Siege]] (1981) - A group of six armed men stormed the Iranian Embassy on Prince's Gate in South Kensington, London. The gunmen, Iranian Arabs took 26 people hostage, including embassy staff, several visitors and a Metropolitan Police officer. The crisis ended with the SAS storming the building, killing 5 of the 6 gunmen.
* The [[Iran hostage crisis]] (1979-1981) - Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage for 444 days. The crisis ended with the hostages' release, minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the U.S. president.
* The [[Japanese embassy hostage crisis]] (1996-1997) - Members of a revolutionary movement in Peru took hundreds of hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima. The siege lasted 126 days and ended with a government raid, which resulted in the deaths of all the insurgents and one hostage.
* The [[Moscow theater hostage crisis]] (2002) - Chechen terrorists took 850 hostages during a performance at the Dubrovka Theater. Russian forces pumped narcotic gas into the building before storming it, which led to the deaths of at least 170 people, including 130 hostages.
* The [[Beslan school siege]] (2004) - Over 1,100 people were taken hostage, including 777 children, after armed Chechen separatists seized a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia. The crisis lasted three days and ended with over 330 deaths, including 186 children.
* The [[In Amenas hostage crisis]] (2013) - An al-Qaeda affiliated group took over 800 people hostage at the Tigantourine gas facility in In Amenas, Algeria. The Algerian army's intervention resulted in at least 39 foreign hostages killed along with 29 militants.
* The [[Gaza war hostage crisis]] (2023-) - 251 Israeli civilians and soldiers, dual citizens, and foreign nationals were taken as hostages by [[Hamas]] to the Gaza Strip, of which the number of kidnapped children was about 30. As of February 23, 62 remain in captivity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-23 |title=Israel delays Palestinian prisoner release as hostages freed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjry4nqw4z0o |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moshe |first=Or |title=A Brother's Relentless Pursuit: Moshe Or's Journey to Find Avinatan and Fight for Justice |date=22 November 2024 |url=https://girliegirlarmy.com/exclusive/20241122/a-brothers-relentless-pursuit-moshe-ors-journey-to-find-avinatan-and-fight-for-justice/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Monitoring the status of hostages still in Gaza after Hamas's attack |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/hamas-hostages-israel-war-gaza/}}</ref>