Current:Home > FinanceIsraelis search for loved ones with posts and pleas on social media -TruePath Finance
Israelis search for loved ones with posts and pleas on social media
View
Date:2025-04-19 06:53:10
In the hours following an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel by the Palestinian Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israelis searched for loved ones with posts and pleas on social media.
Posts have flooded a Facebook group set up for Israelis who might be missing in the aftermath of the attacks. Family members post photos with a description of who is missing and the last time they have heard from their loved ones. One poster wrote in Hebrew, "Tamar...is nowhere to be found," and, "If anyone has any info please update me urgently!"
Another poster wrote that she was looking for her brother Sharon. She wrote, "Please help me guys!"
Another wrote they were looking for their beloved daughter Noam, who was on the phone at 8:30 a.m. in the morning when gunshots started.
Another was looking for her son Raz; the mother wrote she hadn't heard from him since the morning.
One poster said her friends Yuval and Moshe were missing and "she begs them to talk to me."
Over 700 Israeli civilians and members of the military have been killed, and 2,150 have been wounded, in the Hamas militant group's incursion in southern Israel, Israeli officials said.
"And these are not the final figures," said Jonathan Conricus, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson late Saturday night during a live update on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
The death toll makes it the deadliest attack in Israel in decades. The Israeli military confirmed Saturday that Hamas militants are holding Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage in Gaza. The military did not say how many hostages were seized, but their capture marks a major escalation in the fighting.
Many of the photos posted are of young Israelis attending a party near Kibbutz Re'im in Southern Israel. The Associated Press and Israeli media outlets reported that hundreds of terrified young people who had been dancing at the rave fled for their lives after Hamas militants entered the area and began firing at them.
One attendee, Esther Borochov, told Reuters that she had to play dead until she was rescued by Israeli soldiers.
International soccer star Lior Assolin was among those murdered at the party, Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club where he previously played, confirmed on X.
Haaretz, one of Israel's largest newspapers, described the scene as a "massacre" and a "battlefield," and reported that terrorists on motorcycles drove into the crowd "opening fire."
The Israeli rescue service Zaka said its paramedics removed about 260 bodies from the area where the music festival had been taking place, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The total figure is expected to be higher as other paramedic teams were working in the area.
Saturday, when the surprise attack took place, was Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, and many Israelis were celebrating.
Handwritten lists and Google documents with names and descriptions of missing Israelis appeared on social media, but those lists have not been verified.
One poster wrote, "The hours keep passing and not a single word of our people."
- In:
- Hamas
- Israel
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor for CBSNews.com. Contact her at [email protected]
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Rules fights and insults slow down South Carolina House on next-to-last day
- While illegal crossings drop along U.S. border, migrants in Mexico grow desperate
- Despite charges, few call for Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar to resign from office
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Skeletons missing hands and feet found at Hitler's former headquarters in Poland — but cause of death remains a mystery
- U.S. to empower asylum officials to reject more migrants earlier in process
- Who is in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final? Borussia Dortmund to face Real Madrid
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Dogs entering US must be 6 months old and microchipped to prevent spread of rabies, new rules say
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Kelly Rizzo, Bob Saget's widow, goes Instagram official with boyfriend Breckin Meyer
- These Trendy Michael Kors Bags Are All Under $100 – Hurry Before These Unbeatable Deals Are Gone
- Alabama lawmakers approve stiffer penalties for falsely reporting crime
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Indiana GOP governor nominee Mike Braun announces his choice for lieutenant governor
- NASA delays Boeing Starliner launch after rocket issue. When is it set to happen now?
- Angel Reese uses spotlight to shine light on everyone in WNBA, past and present
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Aerie's Swim Sale Is Up To 40% Off & It Will Have You Ready To Soak Up Some Sun (& Savings)
Remains found nearly 50 years ago in Arizona identified as a Vietnam veteran from Minnesota
The Best Suits for Women That’ll Make Going Into the Office During the Summer a Little More Bearable
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Judge won’t reconvene jury after disputed verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case
Michigan man accused of making explosives to target Satanic Temple in Massachusetts
Technology crushing human creativity? Apple’s ‘disturbing’ new iPad ad has struck a nerve online