The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recently sent text messages to Palestinians in Gaza offering cash rewards in exchange for information about Israeli hostages. The message, written in Arabic, urged recipients to come forward with any reliable information about the abducted individuals or their captors in order to receive a valuable cash reward. The text included two phone numbers and a link to a website, machtoffin.com, which displayed photos, names, and ages of the Israeli hostages.
Background information reveals that Gaza is currently grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis following extensive Israeli bombardment in the region. A recent UN-backed report indicated that 70% of the population in Gaza is already experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger.
The situation escalated after a Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 last year, resulting in the group taking Israeli hostages back to Gaza. Tragically, it has been reported that 33 out of the 130 hostages from the October 7 incident are now believed to be deceased.
