Israel-Hamas war rages as Gaza humanitarian crisis continues

An 80-year-old Israeli-American and her 13-year-old granddaughter, who were both kidnapped by Hamas militants from their kibbutz on October 7, have been found dead, the family told CNN on Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the deaths of Carmela Dan and Noya Dan to family on Wednesday, according to Jason Greenberg, a relative who lives in Massachusetts.

“Their bodies are being returned to their families for burial at this moment,” he said.

Carmela Dan had Israeli, US and French citizenship. Her granddaughter, Noya Dan, was an Israeli citizen.

The spokesperson of another family member also posted about the deaths on Facebook.

The news comes more than a week after five members of the family were kidnapped from their home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel just a few miles from the border with Gaza. Greenberg previously told CNN there had been a flurry of text messages from the family members saying they were hiding in a safe room and had heard gunfire and smelled smoke.

One last message read:

The family’s house was set ablaze and they were taken hostage, according to Greenberg.

Three other family members, all Israeli citizens, are still missing: Noya’s siblings Erez Kalderon, 12, and Sahar Kalderon, 16, and their father Ofer Kalderon, 50.

The Hamas attacks killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, officials have said.