The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today carried out operations in the Gaza Strip to locate Israeli citizens kidnapped by Hamas.
Infantry and tank units carried out operations in the Gaza Strip with the purpose of eliminating terrorists and locating hostages.
Military sources indicated that, in the course of the actions, significant evidence was recovered “that may contribute to the identification of the missing.”
The IDF also reported that, in the intervention, they neutralized several members of terrorist organizations, including a Hamas group that had launched anti-tank projectiles into Israeli territory. Despite the depth of the operations, the forces did not advance further into Gaza.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the official IDF spokesman, said that infantry and armor units carried out systematic searches and “put an end to attempts to launch anti-tank missiles into Israeli soil.”
Hagari emphasized: “The findings collected are fundamental to the mission to track down the missing.” And he added: “Our priority is to gather all possible information about missing citizens and those taken hostage.”
It is estimated that in the attack carried out by Hamas last Saturday, between 150 and 200 individuals were kidnapped. Of this number, the IDF has confirmed to the families of 120 of them that they are held captive in the Gaza Strip.
