Family Of 85-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Plead With Hamas For Her Release

The family of an elderly hostage from the Hamas attacks is pleading with the terrorist group for her release. 85-year-old Yaffa Adar was one of hundreds taken to Gaza during the attacks that left many dead.

Her granddaughter has begged for her release, saying she's "in a lot of pain" without her medication.

Viral footage from the attacks showed the hostages, especially women and children. Israel has issued a statement warning Hamas against harming any captives. In response, the group's armed wing threatened to start executing Israeli prisoners for any bombing attacks. 

Yaffa Adar, an 85-year-old Israeli woman, was one of hundreds kidnapped and taken to Gaza during the recent Hamas terrorist attacks. Adar was seen being abducted on a golf cart during the land attacks on Israeli territory. Her granddaughter, Adva Adar, spoke to Sky News about the family's worries about Adar's health.

Adva said, "We're shocked, it hurts in every inch of our bodies. We're very scared for her, she's ill, and of course she doesn't have her medicine with her. We don't even know how long she can survive without her medicine. What we do know is that without her medicine she's in a lot of pain."

During her conversation with Sky News, Adva shared the timeline of how they discovered Adar's kidnapping. They said she'd sent a message about hearing people fighting in the streets. By the time the family reached her street, they found Adar's house burned down.

Adva said, "We saw the videos showing men with guns taking her to Gaza. I cannot even start to imagine how scared she is." She further begged for her grandmother's release, saying she was a "very positive, very funny woman."

When the reporter asked Adva what message she wanted to send to Hamas, she said, "The situation might be hard, but there's no reason in the world that elderly women and kids and babies get kidnapped.." Adva added, "There's no reason, and bring them back home. Whatever you do, just bring them back home."

Adar is one of hundreds who were kidnapped since the attacks started on Saturday morning. Footage from Israel has gone viral on social media, showing women bloodied and bruised as soldiers marched them into trucks and other cars. Some hostages had their hands bound and were being dragged along.

The Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs confirmed that there are Americans amongst the civilians Hamas kidnapped. The viral footage has triggered heavy criticism on social media, especially the video of a young woman being kidnapped from a music festival on Saturday morning.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces, it has begun retaliating for the terror attacks. On October 9th, they announced that they'd executed over 500 strikes on the Gaza strip within the night. Palestinian officials confirmed later in the day that almost 500 died from the attacks, including 91 children.

Amid all the bloodshed, the Israeli foreign minister issued a warning to Hamas regarding the hostages. In the video statement, Eli Cohen warned the group not to harm any of the people being held in Gaza. He also assured the hostages' families that the government was working hard to bring all captives home "in the spirit of mutual responsibility."

Later on Monday, Hamas seemingly responded through its armed wing. Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the IQB, said they would start executing Israeli civilians for any Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip or Palestine. He insisted that the group had obeyed Islamic instructions so far and kept the Israeli captives in good condition.

Obaida further blamed their decision to start executions of Israelis on the increased bombing of Palestine and the hundreds of civilians that died from the air strikes. He said, "We have decided to put an end to this, and as of now, we declare that any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one [of] the hostages of civilians we are holding."

Since the shocking Hamas attack, several Hollywood stars like Mark Hamill, Amy Schumer, Gal Gadot, Natalie Portman, and Jamie Lee Curtis have come out in support of Israel.