Rescue the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. (Psalms 82:4)

As the hostage crisis Nairobi enters its third day, accusations and rumors of an Israeli presence on the ground have begin to swell, according to the Jerusalem Post. Somali Islamist group al Shabaab said on Monday Israeli and Kenyan forces have tried to enter the besieged Nairobi shopping center but we unsuccessful, Reuters reported, citing the group’s spokesman.

“Israelis and Kenyan forces have tried to enter Westgate (mall) by force but they could not, the mujahideen (fighters) will kill the hostages if the enemies use force,” Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, al Shabaab’s spokesman said in clip posted on www.somalimemo.net.

An Israeli source told AFP on Sunday that while Israeli advisers are at the scene helping with the negotiating strategy, “no Israels [are] involved in any imminent storming operation.”

The source said only a “handful” of Israelis, “purely in an advisory role,” were on scene at the upscale Westgate shopping center, which has several Israeli-owned outlets and is frequented by expatriates and Kenyans.

There have been a number of conflicting reports as to the IDF’s role in the current crisis, in which 68 people have already been killed, according to the JPost.

One Kenyan security source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the Israeli military was involved in the operation, while a private security official also said they were helping comb the mall.

But Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku insisted it was a national operation, despite offers of foreign support.
Meanwhile, Reuters reporters at the scene said brief but intense gunfire accompanied by at least two blasts were heard coming from the mall in the early hours of Monday.

A Kenyan Red Cross official, Abbas Guled, said there appeared to be clashes inside the building, yet there is no immediate information as to the condition of the hostages, who are being held by 10-15 gunmen in a supermarket.

Security forces said they had secured the bulk of the complex by Sunday, freeing many people who had hidden in terror. Though they hoped for a quick resolution, hostages were still being held, however.

Survivors’ tales of Saturday’s military-style, lunchtime assault by squads of attackers hurling grenades and spraying automatic fire, has left little doubt the hostage-takers are willing to kill. Previous such raids around the world suggest they may also be ready to die with their captives.

According to the Post, It was unclear how many may be held hostage. Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a Kenyan military spokesman, told Reuters that most of those freed in a search and rescue operation on Sunday had not been held by the gunmen but had found places of refuge. He said “a very small number” were still captive, but gave no detail.

“We will not negotiate with terrorists,” he added.

Asked at a news conference on Sunday about whether captives had been wired with explosives, Kenyatta declined comment.
The president, who lost a nephew in Saturday’s killing, vowed to hold firm in the “war on terror” in Somalia and said, cautiously, that Kenyan forces could end the siege.

“I assure Kenyans that we have as good a chance to successfully neutralize the terrorists as we can hope for,” he said. “We will punish the masterminds swiftly and painfully.”

A military spokesman for al Shabaab told Reuters his group had nothing to fear. “Where will Uhuru Kenyatta get the power with which he threatened us?” said Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab.