Hamas' brutality continues to affect Israeli families unsure if their loved ones are hostages in Gaza or were killed during the terrorist group's massacre, Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Masha Michelson told Newsmax on Monday.
Michelson, appearing on "National Report," said families of 199 presumed hostages have been notified by Israeli authorities. She added, however, there are people in the country wondering if loved ones were murdered by Hamas or taken to Gaza.
Michelson said Hamas "did everything in their power" to make bodies "unrecognizable" during the terrorists' attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
"The first thing that you have to do when you receive a body to know who it is, is to take fingerprint impressions. And so we've seen countless bodies arriving at those stations, with their fingers and toes cut off with their teeth ripped out," Michelson said.
"We have seen people burned to a crisp, people who have been already shot dead. Their faces slashed with a knife, so they're unrecognizable. This process takes time."
Michelson said Hamas is preventing civilians in northern Gaza from fleeing before IDF begins an expected ground assault in the area, where Israel has dropped leaflets encouraging people to evacuate.
"In Gaza, it's not mixed messaging. It's Hamas putting up roadblocks, and you've got the city and not allowing people to evacuate and get out of dangerous way," Michelson said. "It's Hamas, continuously for years we have been saying that. Using their own people as human shields because they know that the IDF takes that into account.
"It is a cynical abuse of human life. And the IDF uses whatever means we have to communicate to those people that they need to evacuate. And they have two choices, either to listen to the IDF and get to a relatively safe place, or to listen to Hamas and keep being used as human shields. But Hamas are actively blocking people from evacuating."
Michelson was asked about the many Israeli reservists who have been called to duty in the war against Hamas.
"We have seen the fastest recruitment of reservists, possibly in Israel's history," she said. "Over 300,000 people in less than 48 hours have been called to duty. A lot of them flew in from abroad or are still flying in.
"I've had soldiers flying from abroad to help us in our effort, and they're training. They're getting back onto their feet and into the speed of the army."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.