HOSTAGES snatched by Hamas could have been buried alive, hidden in secret tunnels across the border or even moved to Egypt, a counter-terrorism expert has warned.

Author Samuel Katz, who spent years observing elite special units of Israel‘s Defence Forces, explained that the fate of the Israeli hostages is a “nightmare scenario” for Israel.

The terror group has threatened to execute some of the 150 civilian hostages, amid escalation of the conflict.

Hamas issued a chilling warning on Monday, that they would kill a captive for every civilian house bombed in Gaza without warning.

The terrorists have even threatened to release disturbing videos of hostages begging for their lives.

Katz explained how the current hostage situation is unique as there are multiple locations where captives could be held and described it as “uncharted territory.”

He told The Sun: “We are in uncharted territories, this is unprecedented.

“Large-scale hostage rescues have usually involved one location- they’ve involved aircraft trains, tubular assaults that would enable one entry, one exit or multiple points that the rescuers could breach.

“You can have hostages that are now in a tunnel near the Israeli frontier, and you can have hostages that have been moved near the Egyptian border.

“You can have hostages that have been buried alive. The barbarism that was displayed by the attack provides no envelope into how these poor individuals might be treated and where they might be situated.”

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Desperate families are still waiting for news from their loved ones who have been forcibly snatched by Hamas.

The mum of tattoo artist Shani Louk, who was seized from the Supernova music festival during Saturday’s surprise attack, told how she was informed her daughter is still alive.

Another mum described in tears how she listened as Hamas fighters kidnapped her young daughter and elderly mum.

Galit Dan, 53, was five miles away when terrified Noya, 12, whispered in her last message: “Help me.”

While heart-breaking footage showed a screaming mum clutching to her young sons as she was being dragged from her home by Hamas fighters.

Katz explains how dealing with hostage incidents requires a huge amount of manpower including negotiators, psychologists, medical staff, and authorities need to figure out “how to breach, how to enter, how to make sure that the good guys are protected.”

It comes as…

  • Israeli troops are massing on the border with Gaza ready to ‘execute’ as 300,000 ready for a ground invasion
  • Horrific details continue to emerge after Hamas terrorists mass attack on Israeli civilians over the weekend
  • Babies and young children were reportedly slaughtered, with some beheaded, in the kibbutz of Kfar Aza
  • 1,200 people have been killed in Israel – while the death toll in Gaza hit 950
  • Strikes on Gaza continue – with reports of rockets also being fired into Israel from Lebanon and Syria
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed Hamas ‘worse than ISIS’ in a phone call with US President Joe Biden
  • Families are still desperately waiting for news on hostages captured by Hamas – including tattoo artist Shani Louk

Speaking about the current state the Israeli hostages might be in at the moment, he said: “It is a nightmare situation.

“And I think when we think of what happened over the last 72 hours in Israel and the number of hostages, the number of locations, and the amount of manpower that had to be summoned and the firefights that ensued the Israeli response was remarkable.

“It was dedicated, and in that perspective successful- going into Gaza is going to be a much more difficult situation.

“You have 150, perhaps even more hostages that are spread out in tunnels, in people’s homes. We don’t know if they’re still alive. We don’t know their medical condition.

“The intelligence has to be gathered. It has to be accurate and fluid otherwise you find yourself dedicating enormously precious resources around a location that doesn’t hold any value.”

It comes as at least three Brits have been confirmed dead while another 14 – including children- are missing. 

Scot Bernard Cowan, 57, was murdered by the terrorist group during the horror attacks.

And Corporal Nathanel Young, 20, who was serving in the Israeli Defence Forces, was confirmed dead on Saturday.

Daniel Darlington, a UK photographer, was also killed while visiting the country.

SURPRISE ATTACK

The bloody war in Gaza started on Saturday when Hamas fighters stormed over the border on Saturday shooting down civilians in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor music festival.

Shocking footage showed terrified ravers fleeing the music festival as Hamas fanatics gunned down innocent revellers.

Katz described it as “Pearl Harbor, and 9/11 wrapped into one” and noted that it was the “perfect storm of circumstances” that allowed Hamas to stage the attack that saw hundreds slaughtered and others being kept hostage.

He said: “When the news came down it was shock and an absolute disbelief that something on the ground of that scale had happened. 

“However this is the sort of attack that Hamas has been planning unsuccessfully, for years. 

“I think that the scale of the attack, the perfect storm of the Music Festival, the Jewish holiday and all of the other circumstances around that gave them an element of surprise.

“I think the best way to describe it is an absolutely horrific, perfect storm of circumstances that allowed the terrorists to achieve what they achieved, for the death toll to be so horrific and for events to really go beyond the pale of anyone’s imagination.”

Katz explains that it’s now evident that there is no political landscape where Hamas and Israel can coexist and negotiations about the hostages are not going to be easy.

He added: “I think Hamas cannot be dealt with, and I think that the only negotiations that really can take place will be that Israel will not devastate and decimate everything that Hamas has built up over these years unless its citizens are returned and returned immediately. 

“I don’t think that this can go on as a protracted hostage ordeal with negotiations. I mean, this isn’t a regular incident. 

“And the captives, they’re kidnapped. They’re victims of a crime. This isn’t the type of reality where you can sit down and negotiate in good faith. 

“I think all that went out the window at 6.30 in the morning and October 7.”

Hostage negotiator Scott Walker told The Sun why saving captives from Hamas terror group has high stakes but urged Israel to remain resilient.

Israel unleashed a barrage of missiles in response to the deadly strike as Netanyahu vowed to destroy Gaza before cutting off the area’s 600,000 inhabitants from food, electricity and water.

After a night of devastating air raids, it urged civilians in Gaza to flee south to Egypt ahead of an all-ground assault.

In one town, Hamas terrorists are claimed to have massacred at least 40 babies and kids in a sickening rampage.

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And today Tel Aviv launched 250 airstrikes in just one hour amid mounting fears the Middle East is on the brink of an all-out war.

More than 2,000 people have been killed on both sides so far with the number expected to rise as dozens of buildings were reduced to rubble in the attack.