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Women, children, and seniors believed to be among at least 100 Israeli hostages seized by Hamas and taken to Gaza

Lindsay Dodgson   

Women, children, and seniors believed to be among at least 100 Israeli hostages seized by Hamas and taken to Gaza
  • Over 100 people have been taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israel's ambassador to the UK.
  • This follows the Palestinian militant group's attack on Israel on October 7.

Women, children, and seniors are believed to be among at least 100 people captured and held hostage by Hamas following the Palestinian militant group's wave of attacks on Israel on October 7.

The exact number of hostages is unclear, but the Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that is it "unfortunately, a significant number."

Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, told Sky News that "over 100 people" have been taken, and their families "don't know where they are." She said they included people with dementia, and young children.

"I've seen the horrible photos and videos coming from people being taken to Gaza, and this is our duty to our people," she said.

Photos from AP show several hostages being taken to the Gaza Strip.

In one photo, an older woman with a pink, rose-patterned blanket sits in a golf buggy, surrounded by heavily armed Hamas soldiers.

An Israeli woman posted on social media with the photograph, saying it was her 85-year-old grandmother, per The Times of Israel.

"This is my grandmother, she was captured and taken to Gaza," she wrote. "Her name is Yaffa Adar and she is 85!!"

"She is apparently thrown somewhere, suffering from severe pain, without medication, without food and without water, dying of fear, alone."

In another, a captured woman in a red shirt sits between two Hamas soldiers on a motorbike and holds onto one of them for support.

A third photo shows a hostage covered in a white sheet as they are transported on a golf buggy.

Unconfirmed footage widely circulated on Israeli social media is of a confused-looking small boy, said to be an Israeli kidnap victim, being mocked and threatened by children in Gaza.

Another shows a bloodied young woman being dragged from the trunk of a jeep by a gunman in Gaza.

Hamas claims to have captured 52 civilian and military hostages, the Telegraph reported.

The initial attack and resulting conflict have left hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians dead.

The attack is the deadliest seen against Israel in 50 years and occurred during a major Jewish holiday on Saturday. Hamas fired rockets into buildings, including a hospital, AP reported, and opened fire on civilians, including partygoers attending a "Festival for Peace" at Kibbutz Re'im near the Gaza Strip.

Children, women, elderly and disabled people were among those taken prisoner, Lt Col Jonathan Conricus of Israel Defense Forces said in a Facebook video. He said some are presumed alive, while others are presumed dead, and Hamas's goal was "to kill and abduct as many Israelis as possible." He also condemned the videos he had seen of "Israeli citizens butchered, executed in their homes."

"These are numbers that were up until now unimaginable," he said. "This will shape the future of this war."

Videos obtained by CNN also show the treatment of several other hostages. One shows a bleeding woman with tied hands being pulled from the trunk of a Jeep. Another shows Israeli soldiers being captured and beaten while others lie motionless.

The spokesperson of the military wing of Hamas, Abu Obaida, said in a Telegram post that "dozens" of Israeli military personnel had been captured overall, CNN reported.

"We bring good news to our prisoners and our people that the al Qassam Brigades have dozens of captured officers and soldiers in their hands," the post said. "They have been secured in safe places and resistance tunnels."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas that they were responsible for the lives of those taken, and Israel would "settle the score with anyone who harms" them.

Latest reports put the Israeli death toll at 600 died and thousands wounded.

The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said 232 Palestinians were killed and another 1,697 were wounded as of Saturday afternoon.



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