A senior IDF officer told Israel Army Radio that the IDF is working on the assumption that the boys are still alive.
He said the IDF is not working blindly or in a vacuum.
The IDF does not believe the boys were transferred to Gaza or the Sinai, and are presumed to still be in the Hebron area, being held by the Hamas terrorists.
The IDF has brought in thousands of troops to search the Hebron area for Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel who were kidnapped by Hamas on Thursday night.
Two of the Hamas terrorists that the IDF is searching for, were reportedly among those released from prison.