New website lets Gazans provide information on hostages in return for rewards
Following PM’s offer of $5 million and free passage out of Gaza, Israel launches site with images of hostages and contact channels
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
During a tour of Gaza on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a $5 million reward for anyone who can assist in the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups. The offer also included safe passage out of Gaza.
“Whoever brings us a hostage will find an open door for himself and his family to leave, and we will also give a $5 million reward for each hostage,” the premier said. He had previously suggested Israel would pay “several millions” for their recovery.
To facilitate the provision of intelligence information, Israel has launched a rudimentary Arabic-language website called Machtoffin (“captives” in Arabic)ץ
The site features the names, pictures and ages of the hostages, along with links to WhatsApp and Telegram channels, and two phone numbers for contacting Israeli forces.
“Call us to provide information on the captives in the Strip and receive a financial reward — contact us on WhatsApp or Telegram,” the webpage reads.
For unclear reasons, the site includes 136 hostages, including some who have already been recovered, either alive or dead (terror groups are now thought to be holding 101 people). For instance, at the very top of the page is a picture of Farhan al-Qadi, who was rescued by IDF troops in August.
The site also lists Noa Argamani, rescued in June, and six hostages whose bodies were discovered in a Gaza tunnel in August: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi.
It was not clear whether the inclusion of such individuals was an error or an effort to glean more information that may prove helpful in locating other captives.
This is not the first time that such an initiative has been launched. Last month, former SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum offered $100,000 to anyone who could return living hostages to Israel.
In a video with Arabic subtitles, the entrepreneur addressed Gazans directly, promising the reward and immunity and providing a WhatsApp and Telegram contact number. His offer was valid for only five days.
דניאל בירנבאום, מנכ"ל חברת סודהסטרים לשעבר במסר למי שמחזיקים בחטופים בעזה:
פרס כספי בסך 100 אלף דולר לכל מי שידאג להשבתו בחיים של חטוף או חטופה ישראלים. שתפו pic.twitter.com/t2UAEXs0vZ— ????️????????חגית קלימן – Hagit Klaiman????????????️ (@klaiman14) October 19, 2024
Such reward-based initiatives do not appear to have yielded tangible results thus far.
According to Channel 12, the ostensible failure of these reward plans is due to the inaccuracy of the intelligence provided or difficulties in conducting rescue operations.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. The bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
