CNN –
At least four civilians were killed in Hamas custody just meters from where armed militants escorted them near the Gaza border, geolocated videos obtained by CNN show.
A video from Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel showed armed fighters with burned cars and a bulldozer in the background. Towards the end of the video, which was posted on a Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel, four bodies can be seen on the ground.
Another video previously geolocated by CNN showed five Israeli civilians captured by armed militants in almost the same location.
A CNN analysis of the videos found that the bodies and those escorted by heavily armed militants had matching clothing and hairstyles.
It is not clear what happened to the fifth hostage.
Be’eri is just five kilometers from Gaza’s eastern border.
Along with other towns and settlements near Gaza such as Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Aza, Yated and Kissufim, it was among the first targets of Hamas militants as they launched their unprecedented and carefully coordinated series of killings and hostage-taking on Saturday morning.
The Be’eri community was “hit very badly,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said during a briefing on Monday, more than 48 hours after Hamas launched the surprise attack.
Hecht said most of the Hamas fighters in Be’eri had been killed, but Israeli troops were still there trying to clear the area of any remaining fighters.
“We are still fighting. “We thought we were doing better this morning,” Hecht said.
According to Israeli authorities, up to 1,000 Hamas fighters broke through the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 700 Israelis were killed, leading to retaliatory attacks by Israel and a formal declaration of war on Sunday.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed, including 78 children, and medical care has been hampered by Israel’s disruption of electricity supplies to the area.
Hamas militants have taken more than 100 Israelis hostage, including senior army officers, a spokesman for the group claimed Sunday. They are believed to be in Gaza, but their fate is unknown.
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Video geolocated by CNN showed five civilians captured by Hamas in Be’eri, near the Gaza border.
Another Palestinian armed group, Islamic Jihad, said Sunday it was holding at least 30 hostages in Gaza. CNN is unable to verify the claims.
Israeli authorities have said dozens of Israelis are being held hostage in Gaza, but have not confirmed exact numbers. In addition to Israeli prisoners, it is believed that several other nationalities were also taken hostage.
Hecht said it was possible that Hamas fighters were still crossing into Israel from Gaza, adding that four combat divisions were stationed in the south.
He said about 20 vulnerabilities were fully secured, but other locations were more vulnerable.
“There are some areas where we are still holding out with tanks and air support. I can’t deny the fact that people are still coming in… It’s an ongoing battle,” he said.