Bring them home: Six-month-old baby Ariel among missing in Israel after Hamas massacre
12 October 2023, 12:02 | Updated: 12 October 2023, 17:50
A six month old baby is among the missing in Israel after Hamas launched its devastating attack on Saturday.
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The infant was identified as Ariel at a press conference on Thursday, but not further details were given about her.
Relatives of the missing have pleaded for them to be found amid fears they are dead or being held by Hamas, who have threatened to execute hostages in revenge for Israeli retaliation.
During the press conference, photos of the missing, including Ariel - whose surname was not published - were draped over a table.
While it was initially reported the missing were British, the photos of the victims are the images of several victims, including Israelis.
They included Noam Elyakim, Dikla Arava, 50, Dafna Elyakim, Tomer Eliaz Araya, 17, Ela Elyakim, Abigail, Yafa Adar, 85, Ariel, six months, Tamir Adar, 36, and Kfir, three.
Sharon Shochat of Defend Israeli Democracy UK said: "They snatched babies from their mothers and children from their beds - handcuffed them… and brutally slaughtered them.
"Entire families were butchered in their homes.
"Young people at a music festival were surrounded and attacked…. at a music festival for peace. Girls were raped over their friends' bodies.
"More than 1,000 civilians have been executed. Murdered in one single day."
She added: "These horrific acts were celebrated…even by some here in London.
"The terrorists kidnapped over 200 people and dragged them into Gaza.
"We have never before experienced such a brutal, horrendous and traumatic event that will take years if not generations to overcome."
Read more: Devastated father tearfully says the death of his daughter, 8, at the hands of Hamas is a ‘blessing’
Noam Sagi, a British citizen, said his 75-year-old mother has been kidnapped.
"I woke up on Saturday morning to the news of a massacre, a second Holocaust," he said.
"What keeps us going is that my son has one grandmother and I want him to be with her for his next birthday.
"What keeps me going is that every one of these people are family - they teach me how to swim, they teach me one plus one. This is how we grew up. I will do everything I can for them."
Four Brits have been confirmed as dead in the wake of the attack.
The heartbroken mother of British man Jake Marlowe confirmed her son has died in Israel after a Hamas massacre over the weekend.
Nathanel Young, 20, a serving member of the Israeli military was killed in the attack.
Bernard Cowan, who grew up in Glasgow, was killed, while the sister of photographer Dan Darlington said he was "murdered" in southern Israel.
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The death toll in Israel has risen to 1,300 while in Gaza it is estimated some 1,200 people have been killed.
More than 338,000 Palestinians, out of a population of some two million, have been displaced.
It is feared death tolls on both sides will only increase as Israel pummels Gaza while Hamas continues to fire rockets.
Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas's ability to harm its civilians after Saturday was described as the worst day for Jewish life since the Holocaust.
A ground invasion is expected, which would force its army into the densely urbanised Gaza strip, having cut off its power supply.
