Alex Trelinski
ISRAEL’S Foreign Ministry has confirmed that missing Spaniard Ivan Illarramendi Saizar is being held hostage by Hamas terrorists following their attack on Israel on October 7.
Illarramendi Saizar, 46, hails from the Basque Country town of Zarautz and lived with his Chilean wife Loren Garcovich, 47, on the Kissufim Kibbutz just two kilometres from Gaza.
They tried to get into a safe room when Hamas terrorists entered their property- both were kidnapped with an estimated 200 hostages said to be held by the extremist group.
In a message on X, formerly Twitter, the Israeli Ministry has included the Spanish flag among those of the 42 countries from which there are nationals in the hands of Hamas.
The Spanish government has so far not gone into details about Illarramendi’s circumstances.
Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said on October 9 that two Spaniards were ‘affected’ by the Hamas attack.
Two days later, the government confirmed that the other Spaniard, 19-year-old Maya Villalobo from Sevilla, who was doing her military service in Israel, had died.
She had dual Spanish-Israeli nationality.
In its message on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stressed that ‘there are currently foreign citizens from more than 40 countries being held hostage by Hamas’.
“We ask you as parents, as children, as human beings to share their stories and help us bring them back home,” it stated.
READ MORE:
- Spain confirms death of Spanish 19-year-old in Hamas attacks on Israel
- Spain ramps up security at Israel embassy as ex-Hamas leader calls for ‘day of Jihad’
