Numerous people were kidnapped when Hamas attacked Israel. Much is still unclear: the following points are known:
How many people have been kidnapped?
There are currently no official figures on the number of people held hostage by Hamas. Various media and news agencies currently assume that there are at least 150 people.
Who are the hostages?
The detainees are known to be civilians, including women, children and older adults, as well as soldiers. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said the detainees included dozens of American citizens, most of whom had dual nationality. As the Keystone-SDA news agency also writes, the kidnapped include citizens from various Western countries, including a German. Many reportedly have dual nationality.
How were they captured?
We don’t know exactly yet. Most of the information available comes from family members and people close to the prisoners. Most were captured Saturday morning in their homes in small villages near the Israeli border.
However, others were arrested in a forest area near the border, where they had spent the night at the music festival attacked by Hamas.
Where are the hostages?
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, claimed in a statement on the Telegram app that the group had hidden “dozens of hostages” in “secure locations and in the resistance tunnels,” the New York Times reported. The militant group is said to use an underground network of defense tunnels – dubbed the Hamas ‘Metro’ system by the Israeli military – to travel undetected and transport weapons. The military has described the network as a “city within a city,” much of which lies beneath civilian infrastructure.
On Monday, Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said four Israelis held by the militants were killed in Israeli bombings overnight, as were the Palestinians they held captive. However, this claim could not be independently verified. One thing is certain: when shelling Palestinian areas, the Israeli army always risks the death of Israeli civilians.
What happens now?
The Israeli military said it also captured hundreds of Hamas members. Hamas told Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera that the group was open to mediation. The Islamist organization had previously called for a prisoner exchange and the release of 36 imprisoned Palestinian women in Israel in exchange for the transfer of elderly, kidnapped Israeli women.
An announcement from Israel’s foreign minister on Monday may have made the hostages’ situation even worse: Yoav Gallant promised a “full siege” on the Gaza Strip and announced he would stop providing electricity, food, water and fuel there. “I have given an order – Gaza will be completely besieged,” the minister said. “We are fighting barbarians and will respond accordingly.” The Israeli Defense Minister’s announcement sparked international criticism.
The response came quickly: Hours later, a spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing said it would begin killing civilian hostages and spreading messages if Israel attacked people in Gaza without warning. “We declare that we will respond without warning to any attack on our people who are safe in their homes by executing our civilian hostages, and we will broadcast this with audio and video,” Abu Obaida said in a statement about the Al-Qassam Brigades . Telegram channel.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
