Israeli Army Radio attempts to broadcast families' messages to hostages in Gaza

In an effort to bring a message of hope to the remaining 136 hostages in the Gaza enclave earlier this month, the IDF carried out a special mission, initiated by Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, to discover whether or not messages from family members could be communicated to their loved ones being held captive by terrorists.

On Jan. 4, IDF troops descended roughly 39 feet into a recently-conquered Hamas tunnel. Armed with unique device-dial-operated transistor radios, their goal was to test the AM transmissions in the complex, underground network of Hamas infrastructure and see whether customized radio messages sent by family members would be able to reach hostages in the upper levels of the tunnels.

Karhi, who recently expanded the nation's most popular broadcaster, Army Radio, from FM to additional AM channels, said the expansion was designed to improve emergency communication capabilities so civilians could receive critical updates while taking cover in bomb shelters, as well as provide communication to IDF troops in Gaza who are prohibited from using cell phones.

The IDF soldiers who carried out the operation determined that the AM signals were not able to be received underground beyond a distance of roughly 32 to 39 feet.

When multiple hostages were released in November, many of them said they were given limited access to transistor radios and televisions. The information provided by these former hostages is what prompted the Ministry of Communications to test the signal and try sending messages.

One reported how during one Israeli broadcast, she learned that her husband and daughter were still alive after they were separated from her during the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter and kidnapping that sparked the war. Another former hostage discovered that two of her relatives were dead from one such broadcast.

However, it was not clear whether the hostages were kept in tunnels that were out of range of the radio signals or if they were being held above ground-level with regular reception.

“It suddenly occurred to me that maybe some of those hostages also had access to transistor radios,” Karhi said. “If they had the means to hear their families’ voices, it would have a huge value in terms of morale, and for their relatives, too.”

The ministry realized that the maneuver would likely require cooperation from Hamas.

Dan O’Shea, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and hostage coordinator for U.S. forces in Iraq, said that while he “completely agrees” with the AM-radio operation, he saw little chance of Hamas cooperating while Israel continues to try and rescue the hostages.

“If Hamas knew that these radios could be picked up by Israeli forces, it’s the last thing they would want,” he said. “They’re paranoid about anything that’s going to track an IDF bomb to their position.”

However, Peter Duffett-Smith, emeritus reader in astrophysics at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, said AM transistor radios are designed to passively receive broadcasts and cannot easily be traced. But he did not rule out the possibility.

While transistor radios use oscillators which emit faint signals, Smith explained, “it is possible that these could be detected at a distance using specialized equipment. These signals decrease rapidly with distance, especially through ground.”

When Army Radio Director Danny Zaken was asked whether Israel could use the signals to discover location, Zaken said: “We cannot. It, a broadcast received by the radio, is not coming back. I mean, it’s not like sonar… It’s only one-way, unfortunately.”

Karhi said he is unaware of Israel or Hamas being able to track passive AM reception which is why troops in Gaza use transistor radios.

Army Radio’s expansion into AM was funded by the Defense Ministry’s National Emergency Management Authority and Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecom group. The radio station and the families of hostages have been pre-recording messages for airing several times a day.

While no one knows whether those hostages have access to radios or even if they’re in range of a signal, the message of hope is still being broadcast.

“They’re telling them: ‘Stay strong. We are fighting for you. Don’t worry. We’ll get to you. Stay strong,’” Zaken said.

At a recent Tel Aviv rally marking the first birthday of Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage being held in Gaza, an Army Radio reporter asked one of the baby’s relatives, Yosi Shnaider, to record an interview.

Shnaider agreed: “If they are hearing us… We want to tell you that the families love you, that no one has forgotten you.”