During the conflict, Hamas and other Palestinian Islamist extremist groups have claimed to have captured more than 150 Israeli and foreign nationals. Prior to this, Israeli citizens have been held captive by terrorists multiple times, putting their lives in jeopardy.
A war has been ongoing for five days between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas since the sudden attack by Hamas on October 7. In Gaza, over 900 Palestinian citizens have lost their lives in airstrikes so far, while more than 1,000 people are reported to have died in Hamas attacks on Israel. Additionally, Hamas and other Palestinian Islamist extremist groups have claimed to have captured more than 150 Israeli and foreign nationals, including Israeli soldiers.
U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that 14 Americans have been killed, and some have also been taken captive by the terrorists. The United States has been working to secure the release of captives in cooperation with Israel. This is not the first time that captives have been used as pawns in conflicts. Israeli citizens have faced difficult times before, with many losing their lives.
Munich Olympics: The security at the 1972 Munich Olympics in Germany was seriously compromised. During the Munich Olympics, a terrorist group from Palestine, Black September, launched an attack. This attack resulted in the deaths of two Israeli athletes, and nine athletes were taken hostage. All nine athletes were later killed.
The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, later sought revenge for the Munich attack by launching Operation Wrath of God. This operation lasted for about 20 years, and Mossad systematically targeted and eliminated those responsible for the Munich attack.
Ma’alot Massacre: About two and a half years after the Munich incident, in May 1974, Israel suffered the Ma’alot massacre. On May 15, which is also Israel’s Independence Day, a group of foreign Jewish students visited the city of Ma’alot. On the night of May 14, these students stayed at a school. On May 15, three terrorists associated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) infiltrated from the Lebanese border into Israel. These terrorists were disguised as Israeli soldiers. Upon reaching Ma’alot, they encountered a van carrying women from the Christian Arab village of Fassuta. One of the terrorists opened fire on the van, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to the driver and other passengers. A wounded woman later died as well.
The terrorists proceeded to enter several homes and killed people. They killed a couple, and their four-year-old son was shot and killed, while their five-year-old daughter Miriam was wounded. Among the victims, a pregnant woman named Fortuna was also killed. The only survivor in the family was their 16-month-old son.
The terrorists then moved to the Netiv Meir Elementary School, where students were on a field trip. On the way, they encountered a janitor named Yaakov Kadoosh. They beat him and shot him dead. They then invaded the school building. Inside, they separated the students from the teachers, and they held 115 people hostage. As a result of an attempted rescue operation by Israeli special forces just minutes before the deadline imposed by the terrorists, all three terrorists were killed. However, 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed by the terrorists. Others were injured, with over 68 people being wounded.
The next day, Israel responded with an airstrike on the terrorists’ bases in southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of at least 27 terrorists.
Operation Thunderbolt: In 1976, Operation Thunderbolt conducted by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad gained significant notoriety. On Sunday, June 27, Air France Flight 139, en route from Tel Aviv to Paris, made a stopover in Athens before reaching its destination. German Baader-Meinhof group and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijackers hijacked the plane. These hijackers landed the plane in Benghazi, Libya, and refueled it. During this time, the hijackers released a passenger, Patricia Martel, a British woman who was born in London. Martel was released because she had injured herself and staged a miscarriage.
Upon arriving in London, Martel reported the hijacking to MI6 and Mossad’s agents. She provided descriptions and identified the hijackers and their weapons by looking at photographs. Meanwhile, the plane left Benghazi for Entebbe Airport in Uganda on June 28, landing at 3:15 PM. Ugandan soldiers were deployed to secure the airport, and the plane was offloaded with 248 passengers, with the terrorists immediately separating Jewish and Israeli hostages from the others.
Mossad launched Operation Thunderbolt on July 3 to free its citizens from Uganda. Mossad had orchestrated the return of the hijacked plane with its citizens in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
Gilad Shalit: Gilad Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was abducted by Hamas in June 2006. At the time, Gilad was only 19 years old. Shalit is one of the few Israelis who was captured alive by Palestinian terrorists. He was held captive by Hamas for five years. Hamas released Gilad in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Shalit was conscripted into mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) at the time of his kidnapping. He was a corporal and later promoted to a sergeant-major before leaving the IDF. After leaving the army, he was kidnapped by Hamas.