People killed since 7 October 2023 Close Sources: Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza / UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) / Israeli authorities Disclaimer: Figures from Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and may periodically be late. Figures from Israeli authorities show that around 1,200 civilians and soldiers were killed in connection with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. 287 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 27, 2023. None of the figures have been confirmed by independent sources. The Palestinian figures are updated daily. Figures from Israel are updated at least twice a week. Close More information about the numbers – We thought “now again?!” But suddenly the bomb alarm got louder and louder. And when we turned on the television, we saw the terrorists shooting at the border fences. This is how 71-year-old Luis Har remembers the fateful Saturday 7 October that changed everything. He is a retired accountant and lived in one of the kibbutzim attacked by Hamas. MEET news: Correspondent Yama Wolasmal interviews Luis Har. Photo: Eirik Pessl-Kleiven / news Locked themselves in a bomb shelter Like many other Israelis, Har and his family locked themselves in a bomb shelter in the hope of being rescued by Israeli soldiers. Instead, they got Hamas at the door. – We heard several people speaking Arabic outside. We heard shots and shouting. It was the start of a four-month hostage nightmare for Luis, his girlfriend, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their daughter. He says that they were looked after by four or five Hamas fighters in an apartment where they stayed for most of their captivity. – They said that they kidnapped us to use us as a bargaining chip and exchange us with their prisoners who were in Israel. To the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Luis Har stated that “Hamas treated us like animals”. For news, the tone is not as sharp. He says that they were given three meals a day, they were not beaten, but that being in captivity was mental torture. In Israel there is a great desire to bring home the hostages captured by Hamas. At the weekend, four new hostages were taken out in an extensive attack. According to Hamas, 274 Palestinians were killed in Saturday’s action. Reuters reported that at least 698 were injured. After the attacks, Israel has received sharp criticism, including from the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell. – The reports from Gaza about another massacre of civilians are terrible. We strongly condemn this. The carnage must end immediately, Borrell wrote on X. The pictures show the Nuseirat refugee camp after the attack on 8 June. Photo: Jehad Alshrafi / AP/NTB The pictures show the Nuseirat refugee camp after the attack on 8 June. Photo: EYAD BABA / AFP/NTB The pictures show the Nuseirat refugee camp after the attack on 8 June. Photo: EYAD BABA / AFP/NTB The pictures show the Nuseirat refugee camp after the attack on 8 June. Photo: EYAD BABA / AFP/NTB Terrified for his own. Together with his family, he waited to be rescued by Israeli forces. At the same time, he was terrified of being killed by his own people in the intense Israeli bombardment of Gaza. – We heard the explosion from the bomb close by. It landed 200 meters away from us. It is a short distance. We didn’t know if the bomb would hit the house we were trapped in or not. It could easily have happened, says Har. Then, after four months in Hamas’ captivity, the IDF stormed into Rafah. According to the Reuters news agency, at least 67 Palestinians were killed in the attacks. They hit, among other things, 14 homes and three mosques, Palestinian health authorities said after the attack. – It was two in the morning. We heard a bang, an explosion. – I thought the whole building was going to explode, the fear we had every single day. That the IDF would blow up the building. He says that he rolled towards the stairs; the soldiers entered through the windows. – Then they said my name: “Luis, come here.” MISSING: Luis Har (top right) is among the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas. JOY OF REUNION: Here Luis Har is reunited with family members after a large-scale operation in Rafah in February. BACK: Luis Har was imprisoned for 129 days. WARM HUGS: Luis Har (back) and Fernando Simon Marman were freed in the action in February. INTERVIEW: Luis Har is interviewed here by news on 12 June. – A hell He meets news in a T-shirt with the inscription “bring them home now”, a call to bring home the hostages captured by Hamas. He is asked what he thinks about the way the Israeli authorities have handled the war. The Israeli replies that he does not want to comment on any political matters, and that in the long term he would see a Palestinian and an Israeli state side by side as a final solution to the 75-year-long conflict. – It is very important to put an end to it and bring everyone home. I talk to the families in the evacuation centers. It is sad to see the days go by without them having their family there. – It is hell, really. Published 13.06.2024, at 10.24 Updated 13.06.2024, at 10.42
ttn-69