Kidnapped by terrorists
Berlin: There are probably also Germans among Hamas hostages
October 8, 2023, 6:58 p.m
As part of the major attack on Israel, Hamas fighters abduct more than 100 people to the Gaza Strip. The Foreign Office in Berlin believes that there are also Germans among those kidnapped. However, the authority does not want to comment on individual cases.
The federal government assumes that there are also German nationals among those abducted from Israel by the Islamist Hamas. The Foreign Office in Berlin said that, according to the Foreign Ministry’s findings, these were people who all had Israeli as well as German citizenship. During the day, the federal government’s crisis team met again at the Foreign Office.
Based on the information currently available, the Foreign Office said that the German embassy in Tel Aviv was coordinating very closely with the Israeli authorities. We also ask for your understanding that, in order to protect the people affected, we cannot comment publicly on either the number or individual cases. The media previously reported on suspected kidnappings of German citizens.
Israel speaks of more than 600 deaths
Hamas attacked Israel with thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. In addition, fighters from the radical Islamic Palestinian organization invaded Israel, attacked soldiers and civilians and abducted hostages to the Gaza Strip. According to preliminary Israeli information, as of this afternoon more than 600 people have been killed in Israel and more than 2,000 others have been injured, 200 of them critically. Estimates carried by Israeli media suggest that around 170 people are held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Old people and children are said to be among those kidnapped.
In 2011, an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas to the Gaza Strip was released after five years of captivity in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The current Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya, was also released in the exchange. In addition to Egypt, a German BND man was also involved in the negotiations.
Efforts to reach another deal with Hamas have so far been in vain. This involved the handover of the remains of two soldiers held since the 2014 Gaza war and the release of two Israeli prisoners. In return, Hamas demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.