Fairfax County woman living in Israel clings to hope after family members taken hostage by Hamas
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - The fallout from the brutal surprise attack on Israel perpetrated by the militant Islamist group Hamas has continued into its fourth day and the impacts are being felt around the world.
Witness reports and dramatic video coming out of the area showing widespread death, destruction, kidnappings and torture have drawn condemnation from leaders around the world, including President Joe Biden, who delivered remarks Tuesday calling this "sickening" and "an act of sheer evil."
"Today, Americans across the country are praying for all those families that have been ripped apart. A lot of us know how it feels. It leaves a black hole in your chest when you lose family, feeling like you’re being sucked in. The anger, the pain, the sense of hopelessness," Biden said. "This is what they mean by a "human tragedy" — an atrocity on an appalling scale."
The human costs of this crisis can be seen in the form of family members and friends racked with worry, hoping and praying to hear from loved ones caught in the chaos.
"There are still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they’re alive or dead or hostages," Biden said. "It’s abhorrent."
FOX 5 spoke with one of those family members who is clinging to hope that her relatives are still alive after learning that they were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
Abbey Onn is from Fairfax County but has called Israel home for the past eight years. Onn told FOX 5 that the enclave in Gaza called Kibbutz where her family lived was one of the many areas decimated in the bombings. They were hiding in a bomb shelter when Hamas terrorists started killing and kidnapping civilians.
"There are some people who survived but the Kibbutz was burned to the ground and there’s nothing left," Onn said. "We have five family members that are missing right now ranging from 12 to 80 — one of whom has special needs — so it is the most horrific possibility you can imagine."
Her older cousin Carmela Dan, her son-in-law Ofer Kalderon and three grandchildren Sahar, Erez and Noya were all taken.
Onn says she saw a video of 12-year-old Erez — a cousin of Abbey’s own 12-year-old — being dragged away by the terrorists and nearly half of the 400 residents of the family’s neighborhood have been killed by Hamas.
"As an American, I know how complicated the Israel-Palestine issue is for people," Onn said. "This is Hamas. This is a terrorist organization and we want people to be anti-terror and to raise their voices against that and make sure that these civilians are returned home safely."
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intel Committee tells FOX 5 that the U.S. needs to do what it can to bring hostages home.
"When 12-year-olds and 80-year-olds are being held as human hostages by terrorists we need to be absolute in standing and supporting Israel to be able to get those hostages back and effective in eliminating Hamas leadership," Warner said.
Right now, Abbey tells FOX 5 she’s with the U.S. government and the State Department. She says she’s trying her best to stay optimistic and believes that there will be some kind of diplomatic solution to the hostage situation.
It’s not yet known exactly how many U.S. citizens have been taken hostage, or how many have died. Biden said in his remarks that right now, at least 14 Americans are among the dead.
The president pledged support for Israel, saying the U.S. has already begun delivering munitions and military equipment to Israel. The Ford carrier strike group has also arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean to provide support whether it be air or long-range strike options for Israel if requested.
"Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, and tomorrow as we always have."
Biden also said that he directed his team to share intelligence and military experts to consult and advise Israelis.