Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip amid a Hamas attack, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson confirmed. “There are hostages and prisoners of war that Hamas took,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.“There are also deaths among IDF soldiers. We don’t have an exact number yet. We are at war.” Haaretz and the Times of Israel reported that the number is estimated to be “dozens,” including in Kibbutz Be’eri, in the country's south. One Kibbutz Be’eri resident told Haaretz that his family had been hiding in a bomb shelter since early Saturday morning, and that they could hear gunfire outside. In his acknowledgement of the hostage situation Daniel Hagari listed 22 sites where fighting has taken place. “We are engaged in very heavy fighting” Hagari said. “Our goal is that all the terrorists who entered Israel will be eliminated, that all the sites will be cleared.”
Read it at Haaretz
