AFP was not immediately able to verify the claim. Israel began massive air and artillery bombardment of Gaza after Hamas launched brutal attacks on southern Israel.
Earlier, the Israeli military had said that militants had abducted 224 people during the attack, which killed 1,400, mostly civilians.
“We have informed the families of 224 hostages. This number is changing depending on the intelligence we receive,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters.
“This will continue to change. Efforts to repatriate the hostages remain the top priority.”
According to Israeli government figures that could not be confirmed by AFP, at least half of the hostages hold foreign passports.