Israel-Hamas conflict: the horror of the Australian grandfather upon discovering that his two grandsons and his daughter-in-law had been kidnapped by Hamas in Israel
- Grandsons of Australian kidnapped in raid
- Hamas gunmen used baby as ‘human shield’
- READ MORE: Hamas threatens hostages
Hamas terrorists kidnapped an Australian man’s two grandsons and daughter-in-law, while killing his son’s girlfriend, in Saturday’s sneaky and bloody attack on Israel.
Adi Kaplon, mother of two and daughter-in-law of Australian Yonadav, is believed to be among hundreds of people captured by insurgents after their influx into southern Israel.
Family friend Moïse Ben-Giat said The Australian Ms. Kaplon’s little boy was used as a “human shield” by gunmen who brought hostages back to the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Ben-Giat said Yonadav’s two sons live with their families in the village of Kibbutz Holit, located just two kilometers from the border with Gaza.
Adi Kaplon, young mother of two children and daughter-in-law of an Australian, was allegedly kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
At the time of the surprise attack, Yonadav’s sons were in a nearby kibbutz where they were pinned down by Hamas fire.
Meanwhile, in Holit, Ms. Kaplon barricaded herself with her four-month-old and four-year-old sons in the family home.
The terrified mother sent messages to neighbor Avital Aladjem as they desperately hid from marauding gunmen who shot anyone who resisted.
“Adi tried to hang on as much as she could,” Ben-Giat said.
He reported that Hamas fighters threw a grenade into the living room of Ms. Kaplon’s home, blowing down the front door.
They then stormed the house and took Ms. Kaplon and her boys.
Mr Ben-Giat said ruthless Hamas insurgents had already stormed the home of Yonadav’s youngest son and killed his girlfriend in cold blood while she slept.
“Her body is still there, on the bed, we can’t reach her yet,” he said.
The armed men went from “house to house,” tearing defenseless families from their homes.
“They would take entire families into their homes, anyone who opposed them, by any means… they would kill them,” Mr. Ben-Giat said.
A family friend said Ms. Kaplan desperately tried to hide in a shelter even as terrorists threw a grenade into the family home, blowing out the front door.
“They were not hit by a bomb, they were killed one by one,” he said.
The attack on the kibbutzim began around 6 a.m., but Hamas fighters did not manage to breach the fence around Holit until later in the morning.
Mr. Ben-Giat said the brutal assault was launched from 50 trucks, each in which were four to five terrorists “heavily armed with RPGs, M16s and machine guns.”
Once inside the kibbutz, the armed men methodically went from house to house, killing or kidnapping the occupants.
Yondav was too upset to talk about what happened, Mr. Ben-Giat said.
