Oct 28 (Reuters) – Families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are worried about their loved ones since the military intensified ground assaults inside the Palestinian territory, a pro-government lobby group said on Saturday. families.
“Tonight has been the most terrible of all (…) against the backdrop of the major IDF (Israel Defense Forces) operation in the Strip,” the Hostages and Missing Relatives Forum declared in a statement. .
He claimed that the hostages held by Hamas were being subjected to the same intense shelling as Palestinian residents and that their families were tormented by “anxiety, frustration” that Israel’s long-awaited ground invasion would put them in further danger.
Israel has been bombing the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group launched a deadly attack on Army outposts and civilian communities in the area on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians. .
Hamas brought more than 200 hostages into Gaza during its raids. He has so far freed four and on Thursday claimed that Israeli bombing had killed another 50, a claim Reuters could not verify.
Israel’s airstrikes and artillery fire have demolished large swaths of Gaza and killed more than 7,000 people in the past three weeks, according to Palestinian health authorities, including about 3,000 children.
Israel stated on Saturday that it had intensified ground operations inside Gaza overnight, amid internet and electricity outages in the Strip, and that forces were still fighting in the area, without giving further details.
The Hostages and Missing Relatives Forum criticized Israel’s cabinet for failing to meet with those whose loved ones remain held as Israel continues its assault.
“Families are worried about the fate of their loved ones and are waiting for an explanation. Every minute seems like an eternity,” he said.
Israel declared Wednesday that more than half of the hostages held by Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries. Many are believed to have dual Israeli nationality.
The hostages are believed to be hiding in the Gaza Strip, possibly in a warren of tunnels that Hamas has built there. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)
Source: Ambito
