IDF says it has identified 199 captives being held in Gaza, as death toll tops 1,400, with nearly 4,000 Israelis wounded.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
At least 199 Israelis are being held captive by terrorists in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said Monday.
Speaking to reporters Monday morning, the IDF’s top spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said that Israel has thus far identified 199 Israelis being held captive in Gaza and notified their next of kin.
The number of abductees known to Israeli authorities rose significantly over the past few days, rising from an estimated 100-120.
The death toll in Israel now stands at over 1,400, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.
Last week, a day after the October 7th invasion of southwestern Israel, Hamas claimed it was holding 130 Israelis captive in the Gaza Strip.
However, it is believed that other smaller terrorist groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have also taken a number of Israelis captive in Gaza.
Furthermore, according to MK Danny Danon (Likud), additional Israeli captives are being held by individual terrorists in Gaza not affiliated with any terrorist organization, and are not included in the estimate released by Hamas.
“Let’s be clear, a large part of the Gaza population took part in the riots and the pogroms against the Jewish people,” Danon told Radio 103FM Monday.
“It wasn’t just Hamas terrorists, it was also people [from Gaza] who simply came [into Israel].”
Hamas terrorists breached the Israeli security fence on the Gaza border in dozens of places during the Saturday morning attack eight days ago, allowing not only members of the terrorist organization to flood into Israel, but also civilians from Gaza who rioted and sacked Israeli border towns.
“Even with regards to the captives, some of the captives are being held by individual civilians [in Gaza]. I can’t say that the entire civilian population in Gaza was involved, and I can’t say what percentage were involved. But look at the photographs from the attacks.”
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