Hostages (also see Palestinian Hostages)
Updated 2024-08-25
2024-08-24 Slamming Israeli Media Lies, Freed Hostage Says IDF Strike—Not Hamas—Wounded Her Responding to reports in outlets including The Jerusalem Post—which on Thursday ran the headline “Hamas Beat Me All Over” “I cannot ignore what happened here over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context,” said Noa Argamani. “As a victim of October 7, I refuse to be victimized once again by the media.”
Prominent Israelis including President Isaac Herzog and pro-Israel voices around the world including writer Aviva Klompas and the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council amplified the false claim that Argamani was “beaten” by her captors.
An Israeli woman kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7 and held hostage for 245 days before being rescued lashed out on Friday at Israeli media outlets that twisted her words to make it seem as if she was wounded by her captors when in reality she was injured in an attack by the military in which she once served.
“Things were taken out of context,” the 26-year-old navy veteran from Be’er Sheva said of her earlier comments to Group of Seven diplomats in Tokyo. “I was not beaten… I was in a building that was bombed by the Air Force.” “I emphasize that I was not beaten, but injured all over my body by the collapse of a building on me,”
Prominent Israelis including President Isaac Herzog and pro-Israel voices around the world including writer Aviva Klompas and the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council amplified the false claim that Argamani was “beaten” by her captors.
Argamani was partying with her boyfriend Avinatan Or at the Nova rave near the Gaza border when the festival was attacked by Hamas-led militants in the early morning hours of October 7. In now-famous video footage, she is seen begging, “Don’t kill me!” as her captors whisk her away toward Gaza on a motorcycle. Or was also kidnapped and is believed to still be in Hamas custody.
Argamani was one of four Hamas captives rescued during a June raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, an operation in which Israeli forces killed at least 236 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Three other Israeli hostages taken from the Nova rave were also rescued in the raid.
“It’s a miracle because I survived October 7, and I survived this bombing, and I also survived the rescue,” Argamani said in Tokyo on Thursday. Argamani’s rescue fulfilled a dying wish from her mother, who had terminal cancer, to be reunited with her daughter before she passed. Argamani was also freed on the birthday of her father, Yakov Argamani, who, from the start of the hostage ordeal, urged Israeli leaders to eschew revenge after the October 7 attack. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/slamming-israeli-media-lies-freed-hostage-says-idf-strike-not-hamas-wounded-her/ar-AA1pmPcF?
2024-08-22 Former Hamas hostage refuses to meet with Netanyahu, accuses PM of stalling deal Margalit Moses, who was held hostage in Gaza and released in November, said on Thursday that she would not attend a Friday meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she was invited to along with other released hostages.
“Thank you for the invitation, but I will not take part in a meeting for the sake of a photograph and public relations while my friends are suffering in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza,” Moses, 78, wrote in a reply to Netanyahu, Ynet reported. “I saw them alive in captivity with my own eyes, and now, because of the continued neglect since October 7, we’re getting them back in caskets,” she said.
Moses’s response comes after the IDF recovered the bodies of hostages Alex Dancyg, 75, Yagev Buchshtav, 35, Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Avraham Munder, 78, on Tuesday. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/former-hamas-hostage-refuses-to-meet-with-netanyahu-accuses-pm-of-stalling-deal/ar-AA1pgbjd?
2024-07-27 Released Israeli captive recounts conversations with Hamas guards in Gaza Released Israeli captive Liat Beinin Atzili said in a recent interview that her time in captivity in Gaza was marked by long conversations she had with the Hamas members holding her. “I understood that what would help me survive was as much communication as possible with them,” she told Israeli newspaper Haaretz in an extensive interview published on Saturday.
“They wanted us to see them as people, and we wanted them to see us as people. So very quickly conversations started about family, about our lives, and it worked. I was totally dependent on those people. I wanted them to like me, I wanted them to get to know me, I wanted them to care about me. That’s how you survive.”
When the fighters reached Atzili’s home on 7 October, she said she was not scared. “They had weapons but they didn’t threaten me,” she said. “They told me, ‘You don’t have to be afraid, we won’t hurt you, come with us.’ They gave me time to get dressed and organised, but I wasn’t capable of doing that because I was in shock.”
“After a few days, it was pretty clear that they weren’t going to hurt us. I was really afraid they would transfer us to other people.” One of the Hamas members guarding them was a lawyer, while the other was a teacher, according to Atzili. The conversations went from cooking to politics, with Atzili, a history teacher and a guide at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, talking to one of them about the genocide.https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/released-israel-captive-recounts-conversations-hamas-guards-gaza?
FB Meme https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10160327235245003&set=a.10150284474015003
2024-06-10 “Massacre”: Analyst Slams Israeli Military Raid That Frees 4 Hostages, Kills 270+ Palestinians Israel’s weekend attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp that freed four Israeli hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians and wounded nearly 700 was reportedly supported by the Biden administration, which provided intelligence to Israel ahead of the raid. “There’s no question that what unfolded in that operation was a massacre,” says Palestinian American political analyst Omar Baddar. “To look at a death toll of this scale and then to celebrate this kind of operation as some sort of success, you would basically have to openly say that the lives of Israelis are more valuable than the lives of Palestinians.” Baddar discusses the political and humanitarian impact of the raid and his outlook on ceasefire negotiations. “When push comes to shove, the Biden administration is unwilling to apply any meaningful pressure on Israel,” he says. “That dynamic is not going to lead to anything positive.” Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCE5CggVzAk
2024-06-08 ‘Horrific Massacre’: IDF Kills 200+ Palestinians Rescuing 4 Hostages Palestinian officials said at least 210 people were killed and more than 400 injured as the Israel Defense Forces conducted an operation in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday to rescue four of over 240 hostages taken by Hamas militants last year.
Israeli forces rescued Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv—all attendees or security guards at a music festival that Palestinian militants attacked on October 7—from two locations in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the IDF. There are 116 hostages still being held in the Hamas-governed enclave, and at least 41 are believed to be dead.
Abu Obaida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said Saturday that “the enemy succeeded in releasing some of its hostages by committing horrific massacres, but at the same time, killed some of them during the operation.”https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-hostages-gaza
2024-04-26 ‘No doubt’ Netanyahu preventing hostage deal, charges ex-spokesman of Families Forum Haim Rubinstein claims Israel rejected early Hamas offer to free all civilians if IDF didn’t enter Gaza, lays out PM’s alleged political meddling that led him to quit last month
On Sunday, Rubinstein began meeting with relatives of the abductees. One of those he met was Moshe Or, Avinatan Or’s brother. “Moshe told me something that still echoes in my ears, to this day,” Rubinstein recalls. “He told me, ‘We don’t need anything. They’ll be back within two days.’ I said I didn’t believe that would be the case.” By the end of that day, Rubinstein had an initial list of some 250 hostages and missing people, and he put together a list of their relatives so that he could stay in touch with them.
Rubinstein resigned last month as the Forum’s spokesman. This is the first time since that he’s agreed to share his almost six-month-long experience – and to explain why he felt he had to leave the Forum that he had co-founded.
“We left the meeting very disappointed because Netanyahu talked about dismantling Hamas as the goal of the war. He didn’t promise anything regarding the demand to return the hostages. He merely said a military operation in Gaza was needed to serve as leverage for the hostages’ release.
“We later found out that Hamas had offered on October 9 or 10 to release all the civilian hostages in exchange for the IDF not entering the Strip, but the government rejected the offer.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/amp/?
2024-03-31 For five months, we thought our son was alive. Release Hamas hostages and spare others our pain. Earlier this year, I wrote about the moment I learned my son was taken hostage. Last October – a few days after Hamas’ murderous rampage through Israel – a group of Israeli officials stood at my doorstep.
My 19-year-old son, Itay Chen, was taken captive while serving at the Gaza border. He was in the hands of terrorists who murdered, mutilated and raped hundreds of Israelis, but he was believed to be alive as there was no evidence to prove the alternative. So, there was reason for hope.
For five months, we lived off that hope. The hostage families established a nonprofit organization to coordinate all the hostage family efforts for 241 families from more than 40 nationalities, and I joined its executive steering committee. I have met presidents, chancellors and ambassadors; visited Qatar, Germany and, of course, Washington, D.C., to try to influence the decision-makers so that the next time an official showed up at my door, it would be cause for celebration. My son was coming home.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. On March 11, the Israel Defense Forces and U.S. officials came back with new intelligence: My son was among the more than 40 American citizens murdered on Oct. 7, and Hamas savages took his remains, apparently to use as a future bargaining chip. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2024/03/31/hamas-hostage-crisis-amid-war-gaza/73131624007/
2024-03-02 Thousands protest in ‘Tel Aviv’, Israeli Police conduct arrests Israeli settlers protested on Saturday evening in “Tel Aviv”, condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government policies regarding the Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, calling for early elections.
Israeli media reported that thousands of settlers gathered in Kaplan Square in central “Tel Aviv” to protest against the government and demand an immediate detainee-captive exchange. The protesters at the “Azrael Junction” blocked the road in both directions, and Israeli police arrested seven demonstrators on charges of disturbing public order. Additionally, authorities recorded 15 traffic violations committed by the demonstrators. Hence, the Israeli police tried to disperse the demonstrators using force. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/thousands-protest-in–tel-aviv—israeli-police-conduct-arre
2024-01-22 Hamas still holds my American son hostage in Gaza. Every day has been a living nightmare. I wake up not knowing where my son slept last night, whether he was given any food or water, whether he’s been injured. We don’t even know if he is alive. A few days after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, we received the dreaded knock on the door by Israeli army officials. Our 19-year-old son, Itay Chen, was protecting southern Israel with the Israel Defense Forces, and we had not heard from him since the attacks broke out.
I was told there was, in fact, “good” news – Itay had been abducted by Hamas terrorists. Although far from being good news, it could have been worse; my son was alive. My wife and I were now members of a dreadful new club: the families of the 241 hostages who were being held by Hamas. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2024/01/22/hamas-israeli-american-hostages-gaza/72267891007/
2024-1-15 Family of 4-Year-Old Hamas Hostage Abigail Edan Share Her Story | The View https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/u-s-tanker-seizure-shown-on-iran-state-tv/vi-AA1n0IUn
2023-12-20 Netanyahu rules out cease-fire as Hamas leader visits Egypt | DW News The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has been in Egypt for talks on halting the fighting with Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again ruled out a cease-fire until Hamas is eliminated and the remaining hostages are freed. Several countries including Germany classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile there’s been no let up in attacks on the Palestinian territory.
We spoke live to Efrat Machi-kawa, from Israel. Her uncle, Gilad Moses, is still being held hostage in Gaza, after being kidnapped during the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7. His partner Efrat was killed in that attack. His wife and his partner’s daughter and two grand-daughters were among the hostages released during the week-long cease-fire. The Islamic Jihad militant group has just released a video showing Gilad in captivity – the first sign of life since his abduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e8fkwng56M
2023-12-06 Freed Israeli Hostages TEAR INTO Netanyahu For Incompetence In Leaked Audio Young Turks Freed Israeli hostages are furious at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of their captivity. Ana Kasparian discusses on The Young Turks. Freed hostage says Israel bombing terrorized them and caused injuries to some hostages and that IDF helicopter fired on them as they were taken to Gaza on Oct 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAixhJUi4AU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAixhJUi4AU&t=1s
2023-11-29 ‘They Assaulted All The Girls’ – Jailed For Posting a Palestinian Flag Palestinian teenager Zeina Abdo was jailed for posting a Palestinian flag on social media. She says Israel retaliated against Palestinian detainees after Hamas’ attack on October 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQP-eKSk21U
2023-11-28 Gaza hostage believed to be dead in captivity – report Ravid Katz, one of the remaining hostages held in Hamas captivity, was announced dead by his family on social media on Tuesday. The report came after a family member of Katz’s posted of his death on Facebook. Yesterday we received bitter news about Ravid Katz, brother of my wife Doron, who is no longer alive from the events of 10/7,” the message read. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gaza-hostage-believed-to-be-dead-in-captivity-report/ar-AA1kEwPs
2023-11-27 Israeli mother’s letter to Hamas: ‘Thank you for extraordinary humanity’ Danielle Aloni pens an emotional letter expressing gratitude to the Hamas fighters for the care they given to her daughter Emilia during their 49-day captivity in besieged Gaza. On November 24, the Israeli mother and daughter were released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel and reunited with their relatives.
Before they left Gaza, Danielle Aloni wrote a “thank you” letter to Hamas saying, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your extraordinary humanity shown towards my daughter, Emilia.”
In her handwritten letter in Hebrew, Danielle said: “She (Emilia) acknowledges feeling like all of you are her friends, not just friends, but truly beloved and good”. Aloni acknowledged the good care given to hostages in Gaza and wrote: “Thank you for the many hours you spent as caregivers.” She further stated her daughter has not only bonded with Hamas but also felt like a queen. “Children should not be in captivity, but thanks to you and other kind people we met along the way, my daughter felt like a queen in Gaza,” she said.
Aloni ended her letter with compassion for Hamas, stating: “I will remember your kind behaviour shown in spite of the difficult situation you faced and the severe losses you suffered here in Gaza.” “I wish in this world we could truly be good friends,” she wrote and added her well wishes to Gazans “I wish you all health and well-being… health and love to you and your families’ children.” https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/israeli-mothers-letter-to-hamas-thank-you-for-extraordinary-humanity-16005866?
2023-11-27 Calls Mount to Extend Truce as Dozens of Hamas Captives and Palestinian Prisoners Freed Calls are mounting to extend the four-day truce in Gaza, which is now in its final day. Hamas backed the extension Sunday, as have international mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is open to extending the truce by one day for every 10 hostages released by Hamas. A total of 58 hostages have been released so far, including citizens of Thailand, the Philippines and Russia. A 4-year-old American girl, Abigail Edan, was among the captives released Sunday. One hundred seventeen Palestinian prisoners have been freed from Israeli detention during the truce. Scenes of reunited families and celebrations over the weekend offered a glimpse of hope amid the temporary lull in fighting. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians celebrated on the streets as their loved ones returned.
This is Hanan Takatkah, a mother in Bethlehem whose son was freed on Friday. Hanan Takatkah: “It was an indescribable feeling and happiness when I heard that there was a deal, thank God. In Palestine, our joy is not complete. We are happy that our children are released, but our joy is not complete. First of all, our families, children and beloved ones in Gaza are full of blood. At the end, we were very happy for our children, but there was a price we paid. There were other children who died.”
Ahead of the prisoners’ release, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir banned celebrations in East Jerusalem and ordered police to raid the homes of prisoners’ families. Ben-Gvir said, “My instructions are clear: There are to be no expressions of joy.” Some 15,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s assault on Gaza started on October 7, mostly women and children. Researchers say the rate of death is unprecedented in this century. The assault has also caused mass displacement and widespread destruction, including to hospitals and other essential infrastructure. Some displaced Gazans said they were barred by Israeli forces from reentering the neighborhoods and homes they fled. Meanwhile, the Red Crescent said northern Gaza is finally getting an influx of aid thanks to the truce. https://www.democracynow.org/2023/11/27/headlines/calls_mount_to_extend_truce_as_dozens_of_hamas_captives_and_palestinian_prisoners_freed
2023-11-27 Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Highlights Plight of Palestinian Prisoners, Many of Them Children With a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas set to expire after Monday, we look at who has been released and the growing pressure to extend the pause in fighting that has given Gaza residents small respite from Israel’s relentless bombardment and allowed humanitarian aid to reach people inside the territory. The pause began Friday to allow for the release of Israelis and foreign nationals kept hostage by militants in Gaza in exchange for the freedom of some of the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, many of whom are minors and women. “We are talking about over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners inside Israeli prisons right now. More than 2,500 are being held under administrative detention … without a charge and without a trial,” says Tala Nasir, a lawyer with Addameer, a group that advocates for Palestinian prisoners. We also speak with Israeli journalist Orly Noy, who says the sheer number of Palestinian prisoners shows “how central the tool of incarceration is in the Israeli project” of occupying and oppressing Palestinians. “The same system that allows every Jewish settler, citizen or soldier or policeman to walk away after killing Palestinians under the most outrageous circumstances is the same system that treats a 12-year-old who threw stones as a dangerous terrorist,” says Noy. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvDiXwqNxR8
2023-11-25 Delayed But Not Denied: 2nd Hamas-Israeli Prisoner Swap Goes Through The group included 13 Israelis and four foreign nationals believed to be Thai, Middle East Eyereported. Israel also began to release 39 Palestinian prisoners in exchange as the second day of a four-day cease-fire concluded. “After a delay, obstacles to release of prisoners were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian contacts with both sides,” Majed Al Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, tweeted, adding that the hostages were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Israeli military confirmed to The Associated Press that the hostages reached Israel after midnight local time. The hostages included seven children and six women, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. One of the hostages, a young girl named Emily Hand, was previously believed dead by her father.
The swap appeared to be in danger earlier in the day when Hamas said that Israel had not allowed enough aid to enter northern Gaza, which has taken the brunt of the Israeli military’s force since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 [MEK Note: After one month, Comon Dreams still doesn’t know IDF killed at least half the civilians] and taking around 240 hostages. Israel has since killed more than 14,800 Palestinians in Gaza in its response. The two sides have agreed to a four-day cease-fire beginning Friday that will see a total of 50 Hamas-held hostages and 150 Israeli-held Palestinians released. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2nd-hamas-israel-prisoner-swap
2023-11-25 Emily Hand among latest Gaza hostages freed A nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl is among the latest hostages to be freed by Hamas in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The Irish department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Emily Hand is one of 13 hostages freed on Saturday night. Tanaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) saidd in a statemend that “a bright and beautiful girl” had been released and would now be reunited with her family. He said it was “a precious and deeply moving moment for the Hand family”. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/emily-hand-among-latest-gaza-hostages-freed/ar-AA1kwAcR
2023-11-25 ‘Sign of Hope’ as First Israeli Hostages and Palestinian Prisoners Freed The first 24 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released Friday evening in exchange for 39 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. The exchange came on the first day of a Qatari-brokered four-day cease-fire that is slated to see at least 50 Israeli hostages exchanged for at least 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israel. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the pause would be extended a day for every additional 10 hostages released. “It’s a sign of hope for Palestinians and Israelis that the cease-fire will continue and the killing will stop,” Mohammed Khatib, who watched the release of the first Palestinian prisoners Friday, toldBBC News. https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-hostages-palestinian-prisoners-released
2023-11-24 After successful release: what can be expected in the coming days? | DW News The Israeli military has confirmed that the first hostages released by Hamas are now in Israel. The International Red Cross confirmed Hamas released a total of 24 hostages. Among them are Israelis who have been freed in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian detainees. This swap is part of the deal brokered by Qatar. Also among the freed captives are a group of Thai nationals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkhyP7-LCw8
2023-11-24 Hamas Captives and Palestinian Prisoners Released 24 captives held by Hamas and 39 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel have been set free. The exchange is part of the truce deal that also stipulates a 4-day pause in fighting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWP1JG-0ndY
2023-11-24 Israel-Hamas war: Freed hostages return to Israel from Gaza The freed hostages will be taken to four hospitals across Israel – where they’ll be reunited with their families and be given specialist medical and psychological care. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said each and every one was “an entire world” – declaring “we are committed to the return of all our abductees”. Israel has also released the first group of Palestinian prisoners – as part of the exchange deal. They include 24 women and 15 teenage boys – and have been greeted by a crowd waving Palestinian flags. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZFzWavGuQ
2023-11-24 Hamas releases footage of hostages handover Video released by Hamas’ military wing shows women and children being shepherded out of a vehicle and into the care of Red Cross workers. A total of 24 people held by Hamas for the past seven weeks have been released as part of a hostage deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEKoAdvqX4E
2023-11-24 New footage from Hamas shows Israeli hostages being released https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGROicXEu08
2023-11-24 Israel-Hamas hostage deal: Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis Photos included. Israel teargassed Palestinians awaiting released of the their families and froeinds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkaFtF3o0T4
2023-11-24 Israeli TV stations: Israeli captives have been transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza Israeli TV stations are saying that the Israeli captives have been transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza and are on their way to the crossing with Egypt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAvWeM-IwDg
2023-11-24 The hostages’ families should have been jailed to shut them up, says former US citizen who was an Israeli spy. Jonathan Pollard, a former US intelligence analyst imprisoned for spying for Israel, has called for hostages’ families to be silenced and arrested. Pollard told Israeli media that the families of Israeli hostages should have been jailed to shut them up. He also said posters of the captives should never have been hung up. “When Israel declared war, the first thing that the government should have done was declare a state of national emergency and told all the hostages: ‘You will keep your mouth shut or we will shut them for you,'” Pollard said. He said the Israeli government should have prevented the hostages’ families from “interfering” with their management of this war. He implied that the hostages’ families were being “used by the international community” or “by our own leftists” as a weapon against the Israeli government. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-hostages-families-should-have-been-jailed-to-shut-them-up-says-former-us-citizen-who-was-an-israeli-spy/ar-AA1ktxTD
2023-11-22 Don’t Trust a Model UN Nerd Hostage deal: Israel and Hamas just agreed to a four-day pause in fighting during which 50 Hamas hostages will be returned to Israel, and 150 Palestinian prisoners currently held by Israel will be returned to Gaza. The pause will allow more humanitarian aid to reach Gazans in need, and the Israeli government has also declared that “the release of every 10 additional hostages will result in an additional day in the pause.” Hostages will not be released until tomorrow at the earliest. “Our hands will remain on the trigger,” said Hamas, and “our victorious brigades will remain on the lookout to defend our people and defeat the occupation and its aggression.” All statements from Hamas and Israel relating to the deal can be found here, via Al Jazeera.
Aid sites hit: “The Biden administration has been providing Israel with the location of humanitarian groups in Gaza for weeks to prevent strikes against their facilities,” reports Politico. But this has not dissuaded the Israeli military from hitting those areas. “Israel’s continued bombardment of these humanitarian facilities raises more questions about whether Washington has the political sway many in the administration want with Israel.”
Aid workers have said that the Israeli military’s commitment to protecting humanitarian groups from strikes has been stronger in the past, but that they are showing less concern for those sites now. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what they consider collateral damage or military necessity and what we consider a very high civilian toll, whether it’s in life or in infrastructure, including ours,” a United Nations official told Politico. https://reason.com/2023/11/22/dont-trust-a-model-un-nerd/
2023-11-21 Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Reportedly in ‘Final Stages’ Israel and Hamas are reportedly on the verge of a deal that would involve the release of hostages and a pause in bombing that has killed more than 13,000 people in Gaza and intensified the strip’s humanitarian crisis. An unnamed source briefed on the talks toldReuters on Tuesday that negotiations are in the “final stages” and a deal is “closer than it has ever been” since October 7, when a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. The Qatar-mediated deal, according to Reuters, “envisages the release of around 50 civilian hostages by Hamas and of female and minor-aged Palestinian detainees from Israeli custody, as well as a multi-day pause in fighting.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-hamas-hostage-deal
2023-11-20 ‘Very embarrassing’: Hear what families of hostages have to say ahead of Israeli war cabinet meeting CNN’s Oren Liebermann details what happened in Israel’s Knesset when families of Israeli hostages confronted lawmakers about a proposed law to reinstitute the death penalty for terrorists, saying the proposal could endanger hostages. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/very-embarrassing-hear-what-families-of-hostages-have-to-say-ahead-of-israeli-war-cabinet-meeting/vi-AA1kg8gc?
2023-11-18 US ‘Indispensable’ in Israel-Gaza Peace Process: Bahrain Crown Prince Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, told reporters on Friday that the United States is “indispensable” in creating peace between Israel and Gaza.
“This is an intolerable situation, and we must do everything in our power to stop it. I condemn Hamas, unequivocally,” he said Friday ahead of the annual Manama Dialogue security summit. “The attacks on October 7 were barbaric. I unequivocally condemn the air campaign that resulted in the death of over 11,000 people in Gaza, 4,700 of which are children.”
The Arab leader called on Hamas to release the women and children hostages, but also requested that Israel “release the women and children they hold, in exchange that we can get some sense and a few days or weeks or months or maybe years of peace and calm.” Hamas has offered to exchange its hostages for roughly 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, which Israeli officials have rejected. https://www.newsweek.com/us-indispensable-israel-gaza-peace-process-bahrain-crown-prince-1844958
2023-11-15 Peter Beinart: Israel Will Only Be Secure & Safe If Palestinians Are Given Freedom Peter Beinart, editor-at-large of _Jewish Currents_, discusses proposals for a prisoner swap with Hamas, the ongoing cycle of Palestinian oppression and resistance, censorship of pro-Palestine advocacy in the United States, what he calls a “generational struggle” among American Jews over Zionism, and more on Israel’s current assault of Gaza. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0s8phVmcOI
2023-11-10 Hamas offered Israel 50 hostages for a 5-day cease-fire but the deal got rejected, reports say Hamas proposed exchanging 50 Israeli hostages for a five-day cease-fire in Gaza, but Israel rejected the offer, according to The New York Times. Citing Arab and Western officials with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Times said that the negotiations took place in the days leading up to the ground invasion of Gaza.
The invasion took place on the evening of October 27. The incursion had been delayed briefly to allow time for negotiators to try to reach a deal, two officials told the Times.According to The Guardian, which cited three sources familiar with the talks, the originally proposed deal for a five-day cease-fire primarily involved the freeing of children, women, the elderly, and sick people. Hamas said it needed a five-day pause in Israel’s bombardment to gather the hostages, the Times reported. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/hamas-offered-israel-50-hostages-for-a-5-day-cease-fire-but-the-deal-got-rejected-reports-say/ar-AA1jHTi9?
2023-11-07 Israel Threatening to Bomb Gaza’s Only Pediatric Cancer Unit, Says Palestine Children’s Relief Fund As the U.N. secretary-general repeats his call for an immediate ceasefire, the death toll in Gaza has topped 10,000, including 4,000 children. We speak to an American doctor who just left Gaza and the founder of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, which runs the only pediatric cancer unit in Gaza. Israel has just ordered the hospital with the unit to be fully evacuated. “They’re not getting care right now because their hospitals are under attack,” says PCRF founder Steve Sosebee, who describes medical workers trying to evacuate to Egypt or continuing to provide care while sheltering in the hospital. “We can’t heal their bodies until this conflict stops.” Dr. Barbara Zind, a pediatrician who arrived in Gaza to support the PCRF a day before the Hamas attack, describes finding shelter and rationing food and clean water. After nearly a month trapped in Gaza, she was finally evacuated through the Rafah border crossing and arrived back home on Monday. Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sITnlKEdGDs
2023-10-24 Freed Hamas Hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, Says She Was “Treated Well” After Enduring “Hell” Hamas has released two Israeli civilians held hostage in Gaza, 79-year-old Nurit Cooper and 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, with the militant group saying they were let go for “humanitarian reasons and poor health grounds.” Hamas shared a video of armed fighters releasing the elderly hostages that shows Lifshitz reaching back to shake the hand of one of her captors and saying “Shalom” — the Hebrew word for “peace.” We feature comments from Lifshitz upon her release as she describes humane treatment by her captors and expresses criticism of Israel’s intelligence failure, and we get a response from Palestinian American journalist Rami Khouri. “She represents probably the essence, I think, of what makes Judaism such a special religion. It is based on ethics … and the pursuit of justice,” Khouri says. The struggle of Palestinians “is not with Jewish people. It is with the Zionist movement that became the state of Israel, which is widely recognized around the world as an apartheid system.” Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzGd92axe_o
2023-10-20 Rights Groups Call On Hamas to Release Civilian Hostages ‘Unconditionally and Immediately’ Nearly two weeks after Hamas led a deadly surprise attack on Israel, which has retaliated with an intense bombing campaign and “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, human rights advocates worldwide are demanding that Palestinian militants release all civilian hostages. In a statement Friday, Amnesty Internationaldeclared that hostages should be freed “unconditionally and immediately.”
“Amnesty International is calling on Hamas and other armed groups to urgently release all civilian hostages, and to immediately stop firing indiscriminate rockets,” said Agnès Callamard, secretary general of the group, which has also documented proof of war crimes by Israeli forces.
“A spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Musab Al-Breim, said in an interview that the group had around ’30 prisoners’ but would not share the exact number,” according to the newspaper.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), another group urging Palestinian militants to free the captives, explained in a statement Thursday that “Hamas has said it will not release the hostages until Israel ends its bombardment of Gaza, and only then in exchange for the release of 5,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including women and children.”
“Islamic Jihad has also said that it will not release hostages until Palestinian prisoners are freed. They have made unverified claims that 22 hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza,” the group added. “As of October 1, Israel held, according to Israeli Prison Services figures, 5,192 Palestinians in custody for ‘security’ offenses, including 1,319 in administrative detention without trial or charge.”attack.https://www.commondreams.org/news/hamas-hostages
2023-10-16 Newly released video shows a woman taken hostage by Hamas One of the more than 200 hostages now known to be held hostage by Hamas is being seen and heard for the first time since her abduction — in a video released by the terrorists. We do not know if she was forced to speak. But we do know the 21-year-old woman was attending a music festival a little more than a week ago when Hamas terrorists invaded, killing hundreds of people and kidnapping others. Hamas claims that Israeli airstrikes have already killed dozens of hostages. Scripps News cannot verify the accuracy of that claim. Hamas is claiming that it, and other groups it’s allied with, are holding up to 250 people.
In the video, the hostage identifies herself as Mia Shem — a 21-year-old French-Israeli national taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack. She speaks as the sound of air strikes or artillery fire are heard in the background. Early in the video, we see Shem treated by someone in a white coat and gloves for an obvious arm injury. Speaking in Hebrew, Shem says she underwent three hours of surgery and begs to be returned to her family. Shem had previously been reported as a hostage after going missing from a music festival on Oct. 7, just three miles from the Gaza border.
The video was released just days after a previous Hamas video showed even younger hostages, including a baby. In that video, a small child is made to repeat “bismillah” — an Arabic blessing — before drinking from a cup.
The Israel Defense Forces say representatives have been in continuous contact with Shem’s family, and IDF says it is deploying all possible measures to bring her and other hostages back home. According to IDF, the video is Hamas’ attempt to “present itself as a humanitarian organization while in fact it is a murderous terror group, responsible for the murders and kidnappings of babies, women, children and the elderly.” https://www.kxlh.com/newly-released-video-shows-a-woman-taken-hostage-by-hamas
2023-10-13 Hamas Says 13 Hostages Captured in Israel Have Died in Gaza Airstrikes Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, says 13 of the hostages it took during its weekend attack in southern Israel were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza over the past day. Meanwhile, Israeli relatives of those slain and kidnapped by Hamas are reeling from the ongoing tragedies. https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/13/headlines/competing_pro_israel_and_pro_palestine_demonstrations_raise_tensions_on_college_campuses
2023-10-11 Families of Israeli Hostages Speak Out as Survivors Grapple with Hamas Attack In Israel, over 100 bodies were found at the Be’eri kibbutz near Israel’s separation barrier with Gaza. It was one of several kibbutzim attacked by Hamas fighters, killing entire families, including children. Meanwhile, at least 100 hostages are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza. Among those missing are U.S. citizens. https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/11/headlines/death_toll_in_israel_and_gaza_tops_2_200_as_gazans_face_total_energy_blackout_and_no_safe_refuge
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