Israeli cyber experts start 'war room' to track missing after Hamas attack

Hundreds of Israeli high-tech experts are trying to locate Israelis missing after last week’s attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hundreds of Israeli high-tech experts have temporarily put their private sector jobs aside to help locate Israelis missing after last week's attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hamas gunmen evaded heavy Israeli security measures to escape the Gaza Strip and storm Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,300 people and taking almost 200 into captivity. In response, Israel has bombarded Gaza for days, killing more than 2,700 Palestinians while its troops prepare a ground assault.

Karine Nahon, one of the leaders of the initiative, said volunteers have been analysing footage - including videos posted online by Hamas - to help identify and locate the more than 1,000 people who are still unaccounted for. Any information gleaned is passed on to Israeli authorities.

Based out of Tel Aviv, the centre of Israel's high-tech and cyber security sector, the volunteers have created a makeshift command centre where they use artificial intelligence and facial and voice recognition to help locate those unaccounted for after the attack, sometimes by clothing or recognisable features.

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"The government right now relies on the information that is coming from these rooms," Nahon said.

Pictures of the missing Israelis line the walls, reminding volunteers of their mission.