Israeli civilians and soldiers held hostage in Gaza, army spokesperson says
Reserve Israeli soldiers line up to register for duty in a northern Israeli town on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a large-scale surprise attack against Israel. Photo by Getty Images
This article originally appeared on Haaretz, and was reprinted here with permission. Sign up here to get Haaretz’s free Daily Brief newsletter delivered to your inbox.
The military confirmed on Saturday evening that Israeli civilians and soldiers were being held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants who had infiltrated the country en masse earlier in the day.
The number of Israelis taken to the Strip was not specified by IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari. He said that civilians, soldiers, and officers were among the Israelis killed in the violent onslaught. At least 100 people have been killed and over 900 wounded in the attacks launched from Gaza.
According to Hagari, Israel had reclaimed control of several Gaza border communities captured by Hamas, but Israeli forces were conducting further searches to confirm.
“We’re at war; it’s a situation we haven’t known in many, many years,” Hagari added, listing 22 areas in Israel where fighting against Hamas militants had been occurring since 6 A.M.
Hamas militants controlled portions of border communities as well as many Israeli military posts. In certain areas, militants were holding captives inside their homes and other buildings, and fierce firefights were taking place, killing dozens of militants.
The focus of the combat, according to Hagari, were Kibbutz Be’eri and the town of Ofakim, which are 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) from the Gaza border.
Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas, which launched an unprecedented offensive under the cover of rocket fire. The strike, which began at 6 A.M., caught Israeli political officials and the defense establishment by surprise. Security forces had made no preparations to defend against the attacks.
Hagar acknowledged that “it certainly did not begin the way we wanted; we will conduct a thorough investigation at the end. We have a war ahead of us, and we need to retake control of the territory right away.” Hagari estimated that Hamas would fire further rocket barrages after launching about 2,000 rockets into southern and central Israel since the morning.
Hagari further said that the number of reservists to be called up for service would add up to hundreds of thousands. Northern and Central Command alert levels were also raised, and he stated that “whoever attacks us on the northern front will pay a very heavy price. We are focusing on Gaza, but remain on high alert” on the northern border with Lebanon.
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