30 Children Are Gaza Hostages and Elderly Are Among Those Captured, Israel Defense Forces Say
Oct. 19 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
At least 30 children are speculated to be held captive by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, according to new data from the Israel Defense Forces as the war rages on.
RadarOnline.com has discovered another 10-20 hostages are believed to be elderly while somewhere between 100-200 more people remain missing after Hamas unleashed a brutal surprise attack on the Nova Festival near Kibbutz Re'im, leading Israel to go on the offensive after the vicious October 7 assault.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently called for an "immediate and unconditional release of the hostages" captured by Hamas, while simultaneously asking Israel to allow the "immediate unrestricted access of humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza."
"To help realize these two appeals, I am calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," Guterres declared.
Tensions have boiled over after the Hamas-run Health Ministry claimed a massive blast hit a Gaza City hospital packed with Palestinians seeking shelter on Tuesday. However, the Israeli military denied involvement.
Local Hamas-run Gazan sources claimed that almost 500 people were killed while foreign independent intelligence sources said that number was far less and around 10 to 50, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Amid the outcry, President Joe Biden addressed the incident during a trip overseas, where he visited Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing conflict with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group," the 46th commander-in-chief said amid speculation the hospital blast was due to an airstrike from Israeli defenses.
"I understand. Many Americans understand," Biden said about the outrage felt by Israelis. "You can't look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice."
"But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it," he said. "After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."
Thirty-two American citizens have died in Israel, and 11 remain unaccounted for, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller shared in an update Thursday.
Visit the all-new RADAR SPORTS for all the on and off-field activities of the biggest names in the games.
During Biden's flight back home, he spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi who agreed to reopen his country's border crossing with Gaza to allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies to cross.
The White House revealed the two discussed "mechanisms to ensure the aid is distributed for the benefit of the civilian population."