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(A7) IDF data that was published on Thursday shows that among the Israelis who are being held hostage by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, there are over 20 children.
Between 10 to 20 of the captives are above the age of 60. The majority are believed to be alive, but the terrorists did capture dead bodies as well.
The amount of individuals who are considered missing in action currently stands at less than 200, in contrast to the approximately 3,000 who were unaccounted for on the first day of the war.
The IDF estimates that the majority of the hostages are being held by Hamas, but some are being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while others were kidnapped by mobs that apparently identify with Hamas.
The IDF is continuing its effort to bring bodies from the field in the Gaza Strip, with the assumption that there are still Israeli bodies near the border. Just yesterday, IDF forces brought 90 bodies from Gazan territory, the majority of which were the bodies of terrorists, but some were Israelis.
At the same time, the IDF is trying to work with civilian bodies, high-tech companies, and headquarters that families created, which offer creative solutions that may shed some light on the fate of the missing and kidnapped.
“Hamas was not prepared for such a large number of captives. We have unsolvable cases. Hundreds of shocking cases. The soldiers dealing with it break down from time to time, but they continue to work. Hamas is using psychological warfare to cover up and disrupt and hold on to its secrets.”
The IDF admitted that “mistakes were made. Among the families, there is a great loss of trust, it is important that we decrease the number of missing. We want to prevent a situation similar to that of the Yom Kippur War when people were missing for months. In the next 24 hours, we will reach the families of all the missing. I will take many more days to identify all the bodies.” According to the IDF, “The Red Cross and international organizations in the Gaza Strip are not answering.”
The commander of the intelligence apparatus for locating the POWs and MIAs, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nitsan Alon stated: “My entire soul and mind are in this work, together with hundreds of people. We will not stop for a moment until we find every way to return our loved ones.”
According to Alon, “Upon the creation of the apparatus, dozens of teams joined it, including intelligence, technological, and security experts, who work together constantly to get a picture that is exactly possible regarding the conditions of those who are out of contact. The apparatus consists of reservists and volunteers, some of whom are leaders in Israel’s high-tech sector.”
