Dozens of Israeli civilians have been taken hostage by Hamas as part of the group’s surprise attack from Gaza. As families described the horror of losing contact with loved ones, an Israeli woman said that she was talking with her kids on the phone when they were kidnapped by Hamas militants. A man named Yoni Asher told CNN that after losing touch with his wife Doron and the couple’s two daughters, he later saw them on video being loaded into a cart.
He realised they had been taken to Gaza by tracking their phones, “Later on when I saw the video there was no doubt. My wife and my two little daughters were on this cart. I know for sure they are taken," he said.
Elad Strohmayer of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs also brought attention to the case, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “The family of Doron and her two daughters, Raz and Aviv, saw how they were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Their family asked to share this so everyone will know the truth. There are many more Israelis who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Israel is under a heinous terror attack.”
Another Israeli woman, Emma Segev, told The Jewish Chronicle. “They told us that Hamas were outside their door and they could hear Arabic and gunshots, but now things have gone silent. I stopped breathing hours ago. Last thing we heard their house is on fire.”
{{/usCountry}}Another Israeli woman, Emma Segev, told The Jewish Chronicle. “They told us that Hamas were outside their door and they could hear Arabic and gunshots, but now things have gone silent. I stopped breathing hours ago. Last thing we heard their house is on fire.”
{{/usCountry}}Lt colonel Jonathan Conricus of the Israeli defense forces told CNN that Hamas is believed to have dozens of hostages in Gaza, but that the chaos of the war made finding an exact figure challenging.
“This is an extremely foggy situation,” he said.