Ten people of the same family were all taken hostage on October 7 as Hamas fighters attacked the kibbutz of Be’eri, in southern Israel. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to Annalee Milstein, who was away at the time, and who now awaits news of her family members.
The aftermath of a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 has left more than a thousand dead on each side of the conflict. More than 100 Israeli civilians and military personnel were abducted and taken back to Gaza following the surprise attack launched by Hamas.
Among the hostages were ten members of one family who were living in the kibbutz of Be’eri, about 4km from Gaza.
The kibbutz was the site of a massacre on October 7, with more than 120 of its residents, including children, killed in an attack.
‘Their cell phones were tracked in Gaza Strip’
Annalee Milstein is part of a family living in the kibbutz. She and her husband were away when the attack happened.
“We tried to call our family. They didn’t answer on the phone. At some point they answered us by text. They told us that they’re all together in thepanic room, that they’re scared, they’re terrified, they hear gunshots all over, they hear the terrorists shouting, and they don’t know if they will survive, they don’t know if they’ll get out of this, and that they’re in very very big trouble.
We know that their house is completely burnt, but there weren’t any bodies inside. So that is gives us… we are optimistic that they aren’t dead.
Another thing we know is that their cell phones were tracked in Gaza Strip. So we know that their cell phones are there.It’s weird to use the word “hope” because… it’s crazy that’s what we’re hoping for. But that really isn’t the worst case scenario. That means that they are still alive and they’ve probably been taken and been kidnapped to Gaza.”
