(CNN) – Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday that fighters of the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” are holding up to 150 hostages in locations across Gaza after their raids on southern Israel on Saturday.
The presence of these hostages complicates Israel’s response to the deadly attack carried out by the militant group, but Ambassador Gilad Erdan told CNN on Monday that the government’s priority is to destroy Hamas to restore security for all Israeli citizens.
Here’s what we know so far about the hostages:
Music festival
Hundreds of attendees at the Nova Music Festival ran across the plains of the Negev Desert near Orem, a town near the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to escape Hamas gunmen pursuing them in vehicles in a terrifying chase. Video clips on social media showed the killing of some of them and the detention of others by armed kidnappers.
Gaza envelope settlements
Hamas fighters took hostages in the border town of Be’eri and the town of Ofakim, 20 miles east of Gaza, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Saturday, adding that the two sites were the “main focus points” of the unfolding crisis.
Soldiers
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had detained “dozens” of Israeli soldiers, on Saturday, as Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said in a post on the Telegram platform: “We give good news to our (Palestinian) prisoners and our people that the Al-Qassam Brigades are holding in their hands dozens of captive (Israeli) officers and soldiers. “They were secured in safe places and resistance tunnels.”
Aliens
US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Monday that it was “possible” that American citizens were among the hostages held by Hamas, and that his administration was working with Israeli officials on “every aspect of the hostage crisis,” noting that there were still American citizens. Their fate is unknown.
Among the missing are two Mexican citizens, three Brazilians, a Nepalese student and a British citizen.
Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said on Sunday that two Mexican citizens, a woman and a man, were “most likely” taken hostage by Hamas, and the Brazilians and British citizen Jake Marlow (26 years old) were all present at the Nova Music Festival near the Gaza border.
A source in the German Foreign Ministry told CNN on Sunday that “you should assume” that there are German citizens among those kidnapped by Hamas, adding: “As far as we know, they are all people who hold Israeli citizenship in addition to German citizenship,” but he did not… Comments on individual cases.
A spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that 11 Thai citizens were taken hostage, as Israel has long been a major destination for Thai immigrants, most of whom work in agricultural jobs, as there are about 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to the Foreign Ministry.
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2023-10-11 07:12:17
