Over 120 civilians have been taken prisoner by Hamas, according to the IDF during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Israeli Defense Forces said on Saturday that Palestinian civilians are not their enemies, a day after Israel ordered them to flee ahead of an anticipated ground onslaught against Hamas in revenge for its worst attack on Tel Aviv in history on October 7. The statement came as the Israel-Hamas conflict was in full swing.

The army added that in the previous 24 hours, Israeli ground troops had conducted “localized” raids in Gaza “to purge the area of terrorists and weapons” and locate “missing persons.” Additionally, it was emphasized that they were attempting to evacuate Palestinian civilians and were not targeting them.

Additionally, Israel has relocated its troops, tanks, and other heavy equipment to the southern desert region near Gaza. Without going into more detail, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning that the nearly week-long ferocious assault of Gaza was only the beginning. Contrarily, Hamas has sworn to fight till the very last drop of blood and has urged people to remain in Gaza.

While Palestinians trapped in Gaza were experiencing severe shortages of food, water, and power, US President Joe Biden stated that continued discussions with regional governments about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza were taking place. He said that his government was “working like hell” to free American hostages held by the militant organization Hamas, which has its headquarters in Palestine.

Israel has pledged to completely destroy Hamas in retaliation for the onslaught on October 7 in which its fighters killed 1,300 Israelis, primarily civilians, and took several captives. Over 600 children have been among the more than 1,900 people murdered in Gaza as a result of Israel’s rounds of retaliatory missile attacks on the territory.