As chaos reigns in Israel, reports have emerged that Hamas militants have captured a top Israeli military officer.
Both The Telegraph and The Jewish Chronicle reported on rumors that Hamas had captured Israeli Major Gen. Nimrod Aloni. The Chronicle reported that the claim came from Hamas itself.
An image purportedly showing Aloni being forcibly led down a street while barefoot and in his underwear quickly began spreading on social media.
⚡️Gaza Division Commander, General Nimrod Aloni, is in the grip of the resistance in Gaza pic.twitter.com/Hr6VxIHrZg
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) October 7, 2023
Aloni, the former commander of the Israeli Defense Force’s Gaza division, was described by The Telegraph as “one of the IDF’s most senior commanders [who] runs special forces operations.”
Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri said “senior officers” had been captured.
“Our detainees in [Israeli] prisons, their freedom is looming large. What we have in our hands will release all our prisoners. The longer fighting continues, the higher the number of prisoners will become,” al-Arouri told Al Jazeera.
“We managed to kill and capture many Israeli soldiers. The fighting is still on.”
The IDF denied that any major generals had been captured, according to The Telegraph.
Citing Israeli news stations, the outlet noted that Hamas militants have captured around 50 Israeli civilians.
Saturday morning marked a dark and violent turn in the already bloody and complicated history of Israel.
Hamas militants launched an all-out assault via air, land and sea on the southern part of Israel in a shockingly swift invasion.
The attack was condemned by U.S. President Joe Biden, who called it “unconscionable.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself — full stop,” he said on X.
The world is seeing appalling images.
Thousands of rockets raining down on Israeli cities. Hamas terrorists killing not only Israeli soldiers, but civilians on the streets and in their homes.
It’s unconscionable. Israel has a right to defend itself – full stop.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 7, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it crystal clear that the country is now at war.
We are at war.
We will protect our citizens.
We will not give in to terror.
We will make sure that those who harm innocents pay a heavy price.
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) October 7, 2023
This is a breaking story and will be updated accordingly.
