How Israel is trying to get information on hostages held by Hamas

Israel is doing all it can to secure hostages, as the West Asian country has pledged to wipe out Hamas. On Tuesday, the Israeli army deluged the Gaza Strip with leaflets urging residents to provide information about the hostages held by Hamas in return for financial rewards, AFP journalists reported. The messages were dropped by Israeli aircraft amid the waves of air strikes targeting Gaza, that Hamas health officials said have killed more than 5,000 people. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) offered money in a post on X for providing correct information that could lead to the hostages’ rescue. The IDF has vowed to safeguard and keep discreet those who provide information on where the hostages are being held. Also Read: US sanctions 10 Hamas operatives, financial facilitators: What we know “If you want a better future for yourself and your children, do the right thing and send us safe and useful information about kidnapped people in your area,” said the Arabic message on leaflets seen by AFP. “The Israeli army promises to do everything to preserve your security and that of your homes, as well as a financial reward,” the leaflet added. “We guarantee you total discretion.” [caption id=“attachment_13292152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Thousands of people pack London’s Trafalgar Square, Britain, to demand the liberation of the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas in its incursion into southern Israel. Reuters[/caption] The document provided a telephone number along with details regarding Telegram, Whatsapp and Signal messaging services, where information could be sent about the hostages. Leaflets torn up The Israeli army confirmed the launch of the effort. “As part of the extensive efforts to free the Israeli and foreign national hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organisation in Gaza, the (army) today used multiple channels to communicate with the residents of Gaza and ask for information about the hostages,” the army said in a statement. So far, four female hostages have been released as a result of negotiations brokered by Qatar, which is also thought to be trying to negotiate an agreement in which 50 more dual nationals held by Hamas would be released.

The Israeli military is utilising surveillance, special forces raids, and interrogation of captured Hamas militants to piece together a picture of where the captives are being held, including infants, children, and elderly civilians, as well as male and female combatants. Also Read: ‘Bring me home’: How countries are ramping up efforts to free hostages held by Hamas The leaflets will supplement this effort while also attempting to create uncertainty among Hamas supporters about who may have accepted the Israeli offer. Many were promptly torn up by Gaza residents, according to witnesses, as reported by the Guardian. While trashing the leaflets, one Palestinian man taking refuge at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said referring to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “We don’t care, do whatever you want.” “All of us in Gaza are resisting from east to west,” as reported by Reuters. Many complications in rescue efforts Israeli forces are massed near the border with the Gaza Strip, awaiting orders for an expected ground invasion intended to free the hostages and wipe out Hamas. Israel says the hostages, who include foreign nationals, were taken to Gaza, but their exact whereabouts are not known, complicating their rescue. Officials have said many could be held in a warren of tunnels under Gaza. [caption id=“attachment_13292172” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Residents of Tel Aviv show solidarity with the families of hostages and missing people. Reuters[/caption] Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, one of the two hostages released on Monday, told reporters in Tel Aviv that she was hit with a stick as she was carried away from her home in a kibbutz near Gaza and led through “a spider’s web” of tunnels under Gaza to an underground chamber where she and other hostages were treated “gently.” It is also unclear whether all of the detainees in Gaza are held by Hamas, which the US and several other Western countries have designated as a terrorist outfit. Some are believed to be kept by other extreme groups or criminal gangs. Also Read: What’s Israel doing to rescue hostages in Hamas captivity? The presence of dual nationals among the hostages complicates the situation even further. In addition to the missing US citizens, there are 17 Thais and eight Germans among the captives. According to a report in the Guardian, seven French citizens are still missing, and some are believed to be hostages as well. More than 220 Israelis, dual nationals and foreigners were kidnapped by Hamas militants during their shock attack on southern Israel on 7 October which killed more than 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials. With inputs from AFP