The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has set up a situation room in an effort to determine how many civilians and soldiers Hamas terrorists kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, the military announced on Sunday.
Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, the head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, has tasked Maj. Gen. (res.) Lior Carmeli to lead the effort.
Hamas claimed on Saturday to have abducted 163 Israelis and taken them to the Gaza Strip after dispatching dozens of terrorists into the Jewish state as part of a major attack.
“Late Saturday afternoon Israel had confirmed that at least 11 people ha been taken hostage in the Hamas-ruled enclave,. said channel 13 report
Unconfirmed footage circulating online showed alleged Hamas terrorists ushering numerous Israelis into Gaza. A father interviewed by Channel 12 said his two daughters, aged 3 and 5, were missing and feared kidnapped.
There were also unconfirmed reports that more than a dozen Nepalese nationals, working in Israel, were abducted and taken to Gaza.
The IDF says the situation room will work to compile a “situational picture” for locating the captives, noting that “some families have already received messages about their loved ones.”
An Egyptian official cited by the Associated Press (AP) claimed Israel has sought help from Cairo to bring the hostages home, and that Egypt’s intelligence chief had contacted Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which also took part in Saturday’s onslaught.
The official told AP that Palestinian leaders claimed that they don’t yet have a “full picture” of their captives, but added those who were brought into Gaza were taken to “secure locations” across the coastal enclave.
“It’s clear that they have a big number—several dozens,” said the anonymous Egyptian official.
On Sunday afternoon, 30 young Israelis who were attacked by Hamas terrorists while attending a “Nature Party” in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im were found in the city of Netivot, Ynet reported. The group hid for more than 24 hours, added the report.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate
Edited by Debrah and Newsdesk Manager
