Two hundred twenty individuals have been taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza, leaving their families desperate for any signs of hope.
The ordeal began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants forcibly breached the Gaza border, wreaking havoc and abducting men, women, and children.
Families Hold On
As Wired reports, one such family caught in this nightmare is the Polin-Goldberg family. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old dual Israeli-American citizen, was among those who went missing.
His family's ordeal began with two heart-wrenching WhatsApp messages, "I love you" and "I'm sorry," sent by Hersh just before the chaos unfolded.
Jonathan Polin, Hersh's father, had been at the local synagogue when air raid sirens pierced the air. Upon returning home, he discovered the haunting messages from his son.
The family initially believed Hersh was on a camping trip with a friend, only to learn he had attended the Supernova trance music festival, where tragedy struck.
Waiting for Pings
As the families grapple with uncertainty, many have turned to social media in their search for answers. The day of the attack was well-documented, with victims and perpetrators sharing footage online.
However, most of this documentation originated from within Israel, leaving many families in limbo regarding their loved ones' fate once they crossed into Gaza.
The lifeline that families cling to is the tracing of phone pings. These signals, emitted by mobile devices, can be used to approximate their location.
Speaking with Wired, Scott Greene, a digital forensics expert, attests to the reliability of triangulation. This method uses the signals phones emit when making calls, sending messages, or accessing the internet to determine their location.
When Israeli authorities don't provide triangulation data, desperate families turn to the find-my-phone features offered by iPhones and Androids.
With the password to the device, they can request it to report its location. This method provides a glimmer of hope for those who want to confirm the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Take Note
However, it is essential to note that phone pings are not indisputable proof of life. Phones can be separated from their owners and, in rare cases, provide inaccurate data.
Tragically, there have been instances where the phone's signal led to Gaza, only for the individual's body to be discovered within Israel.
Expert Help
As families grapple with this agonizing uncertainty, volunteer cyber experts have stepped in to offer assistance. Surveillance companies, NSO Group and Candiru, have reportedly been asked to enhance their spyware capabilities to aid in finding hostages.
These volunteers, often cybersecurity professionals, use their knowledge to help families. One such expert, Omri Segev Moyal, CEO of Israeli cybersecurity firm Profero, mentions their involvement in tracking down phones and aiding relatives in locating loved ones. He emphasizes that many individuals with expertise in mobile devices are engaged in similar efforts.
While the exact methods used by these volunteers remain closely guarded secrets to avoid endangering the hostages, they work relentlessly to reunite families with their missing loved ones.
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