More than 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities. Moshe Leimberg’s wife, Gabriela, and 17-year-old daughter, Mia, are among them. On today’s “Post Reports,” we hear about Leimberg’s family before war broke out and the devastating moment he discovered they were kidnapped.

Then Washington Post Jerusalem bureau chief Steve Hendrix explains the strategy behind Hamas’s taking of so many hostages, what has been learned from the few who have been released, and the dilemma the Israeli government faces as it prepares for a ground invasion of Gaza, where the hostages are presumed to be held.

“We are preparing for a ground incursion,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to the nation Wednesday. It was his strongest public indication yet that he would order an invasion of Gaza. “I won’t specify when, how, how many. … I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of.”