Tag: Hamas
Israel Announces Plans to Seize ‘Large Areas’ of Gaza as It Expands Offensive Against Hamas
Middle East Tensions The announcement suggests that Israel is shifting tactics to hold on to swaths of the territory, at least temporarily. By Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem The Israeli government on Wednesday laid out plans to expand its renewed military offensive in the Gaza Strip and seize large parts of the enclave, a strategy…
Israeli strike at Gaza hospital kills Hamas official and aide
An Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza killed a senior Hamas leader and an aide on Sunday evening, a Hamas official told the BBC. Ismail Barhoum, the head of the group’s financial affairs, was killed in the strike on Nasser Hospital, the main medical facility in Khan Younis. He was receiving treatment at…
US rejects ‘impractical’ Hamas demands as Gaza truce hangs in balance
Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement, a Palestinian official has told the BBC, as the US accused Hamas of making “entirely impractical” demands at meetings in Qatar. Negotiators have been trying to find a way forward after the first phase of the temporary truce ended on 1 March. The…
Hamas says it’s willing to release the five American hostages in Gaza
Russell Lewis TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas says it’s willing to release the one living Israeli-American hostage and the bodies of four other dual-national Americans it’s been holding in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. Hamas put out a statement on its official Telegram channel, saying it’s willing to release “[E]dan Alexander,…
Trump issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas as US confirms direct hostage talks
US President Donald Trump has issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas to release the hostages being held in Gaza. “I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump said in a lengthy post on…
With Cease-Fire Shaky, Israel and Hamas Consider Both Diplomatic and Military Options
Middle East Tensions As the first phase of the truce in Gaza ends, the two sides are continuing negotiations but also preparing for a possible return to war. By Adam Rasgon and Iyad Abuheweila Adam Rasgon reported from Jerusalem, and Iyad Abuheweila from Istanbul. When the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced in…
Israeli hostage release: Hamas hands over four bodies
Hamas has handed over what it says are the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Gaza. Israel is testing DNA samples to confirm they are the remains of Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, Tsachi Idan, 50, and Itzik Elgarat, 69, all of whom were taken by Hamas in the 7 October 2023 attacks. Israel…
Israel and Hamas Exchange Prisoners and Hostage Remains
Trump Administration The militant group turned over four coffins it said contained the bodies of Israeli captives, and Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners. By Aaron BoxermanAdam RasgonNatan Odenheimer and Ephrat Livni Aaron Boxerman, Adam Rasgon and Natan Odenheimer reported from Jerusalem. Hamas turned over what it said were the remains of four Israeli hostages early…
Hamas Says It Has Returned Another Body It Believes Is Shiri Bibas
Middle East Tensions Less than 24 hours after Israel found that remains delivered by Hamas did not belong to Ms. Bibas, a slain Israeli hostage, the militant group said it had returned another body. By Talya Minsberg and Adam Rasgon Hamas on Friday said it had turned over to the Red Cross the body of…
Israel’s ‘hearts lie in tatters’ as Hamas hands over first dead hostages
“The hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters,” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has said, as the bodies of four hostages taken alive by Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023 were returned to Tel Aviv. Hamas says the bodies are those of a mother and two children from the Bibas family, whose unknown…
The next Israeli hostages Hamas will release include U.S. and Russian nationals
By Daniel Estrin , Kat Lonsdorf TEL AVIV, Israel — An American and a Russian are among three hostages Hamas says it will release Saturday, resolving a dispute with Israel that had threatened to derail the ceasefire deal. Hamas had previously said it would delay the release, alleging ceasefire violations by Israel, which Israel denied.…
Hamas releases names of hostages due for release on Saturday
Hamas has released the names of three hostages due to be freed on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, after days of fears over the future of the ceasefire. They are Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, and US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen. Israel has said it will resume bombing if the three are not…
Israel says Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not free hostages by Saturday
Israel’s prime minister has warned Hamas it will end the ceasefire in Gaza and resume intense fighting if the Palestinian group “does not return our hostages by Saturday noon”. Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered Israeli forces to amass inside and around Gaza in response to Hamas’s announcement that it was postponing freeing more hostages…
Hamas blames Israel as it postpones hostage release
A spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas says the group is postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages, blaming what he says are Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal. Three hostages held in Gaza are due to be freed on Saturday in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Israel’s Defence Minister…
Trump Issues Cease-Fire Ultimatum After Hamas Postpones Release of Israeli Hostages
Middle East Tensions Stalling the next release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, scheduled for the coming weekend, raises new challenges for the already tenuous six-week truce and chances for a lasting end to the war. By Lara JakesRonen BergmanAdam Rasgon and Johnatan Reiss Lara Jakes reported from Jerusalem, and Johnatan Reiss from Tel Aviv.…
Hamas Makes Gaunt Israeli Hostages Thank Captors Before Release
Middle East Tensions The scenes at the latest hostage release in Gaza angered Israelis and created even more uncertainty surrounding the next steps in a phased cease-fire deal. By Aaron Boxerman and Fatima AbdulKarim Aaron Boxerman reported from Jerusalem, and Fatima AbdulKarim from Ramallah, West Bank. Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange…
Hamas names next hostages to be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners
Hamas has released the names of the next hostages to be freed on Saturday in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. They are male civilians Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy. So far, 18 hostages have been freed since the ceasefire began on 19 January with Israel in…
Trump’s Gaza Plan Has Many Pitfalls, Hamas Among the Biggest
Trump Administration News Analysis President Trump’s proposal to “own” Gaza and transfer its population elsewhere has stirred condemnation and sarcasm, but it is an opening bid and could disrupt a tired diplomatic paradigm. By Steven Erlanger Steven Erlanger has written about the Middle East and diplomacy for many years. President Trump took the world aback…
Hamas Names 3 Hostages It Says Will Be Freed This Weekend
Middle East Tensions Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli, will be released along with Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon in exchange for about 90 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons, the group said. By Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem Hamas on Friday announced the names of three hostages — including an American citizen — whom it said…
Palestinians’ return on hold as Israel accuses Hamas of breaching truce deal
Thousands of displaced Palestinians have been prevented from returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip, after Israel blocked a main road, accusing Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal. The dispute came after Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers – and Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners. But the Israeli…
Hamas releases 4 more hostages as part of ceasefire agreement with Israel
Jerome Socolovsky Four female soldiers taken hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023 incursion into southern Israel by fighters belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza have won back their freedom. Liri Albag, 19; Karina Ariev, 20; Daniella Gilboa, 20 and Naama Levy, 20, were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of…
Hamas Names Four Hostages It Says Will Be Released Saturday
Middle East Middle East Middle East Hamas identified four female soldiers abducted from a military base as those who will be freed in the next exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. By Aaron Boxerman and Patrick Kingsley Reporting from Jerusalem Hamas said on Friday that it would release four female soldiers held hostage for…
Hamas Takes Charge in Gaza After 15 Months of War
Middle East Middle East Middle East Israel says it has killed thousands of the armed group’s members and destroyed much of its infrastructure, but since the cease-fire started Hamas has shown it still holds power in the enclave. By Adam Rasgon and Iyad Abuheweila Reporting from Jerusalem and Istanbul The morning the cease-fire in Gaza…
Who are the three Israeli hostages being released by Hamas?
A young woman described as “at her happiest when she dances” is thought to be among the three Israeli women released after 471 days held hostage by Hamas. Romi Gonen, 24, was captured as she tried to escape the Nova music festival when it was targeted by the militant group as part of the 7…
33 hostages are expected to be released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire with Israel
By NPR Staff After more than 15 months of fighting, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, raising hopes for families that their loved ones could soon return home. In the first phase of the deal, Hamas is expected to free 33 hostages over six weeks — starting with three on…
Israel and Hamas Near Agreement on Cease-Fire Deal, Qatar Says
Middle East Crisis Middle East Crisis Middle East Crisis The negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, appear to be making progress after months of failed attempts to achieve a breakthrough. By Adam RasgonAaron BoxermanIsabel Kershner and Ismaeel Naar Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement to declare a cease-fire in Gaza…
Hamas and Israel are negotiating the release of 34 hostages from Gaza
By Daniel Estrin , Abu Bakr Bashir TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas has named 34 Israeli hostages in Gaza — including two dual U.S. citizens — it is willing to release in a ceasefire deal under negotiation with Israel. After more than half a year of sporadic ceasefire talks, the offer is the most serious…
Hamas Approves List of Hostages It May Free Under a Cease-Fire Deal With Israel
Middle East Crisis Israel says Hamas has not provided any information about the status of those 34 hostages, dampening any notion that the endorsement is a step toward a deal to stop the war. By Isabel Kershner and Abu Bakr Bashir Reporting from Jerusalem and London As Israeli and Hamas officials continued indirect talks on…
Middle East crisis live: Israel and Hamas wrangle over potential ceasefire and hostage deal
Israel and Hamas are wrangling over the details of a potential deal to halt Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and return hostages home, as Palestinian officials said intensified Israeli bombardments had killed more than 100 people over the weekend. A Hamas official said the group had approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to…
Hamas lists 34 hostages it may free under ceasefire
A senior Hamas official has shared with the BBC a list of 34 hostages that the Palestinian group says it is willing to release in the first stage of a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel. It is unclear how many hostages remain alive. Among those named are 10 women and 11 older male hostages aged…
Hamas releases video of Israeli hostage Liri Albag as ceasefire talks resume
Hamas has released a video showing a 19-year-old Israeli captive, as indirect talks between the group and Israel on a ceasefire and hostage release deal resume in Qatar. The footage shows Liri Albag calling for the Israeli government to reach a deal. She was taken hostage along with six other female conscript soldiers at the…
Hamas police chief among 11 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza, medics say
The chief of Gaza’s Hamas-run police force and his deputy have been killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced families. The Hamas-run interior ministry condemned what it called the “assassination” of Mahmoud Salah and Hussam Shahwan, who it said had been “performing their humanitarian and national duty”. Nine other people, including…
Israel and Hamas Each Claim Wins in Fierce Fighting in Northern Gaza
Middle East Crisis As the renewed clashes in the north of the enclave neared the three-month mark, there was no sign of them abating. By Ephrat Livni After nearly three months of an intensified Israeli military campaign in northern Gaza to quell what Israel has said is a Hamas resurgence, fighting raged unabated on Monday,…
Tension in the Middle East: Israel-Palestine Conflict Escalates with Genocide Accusations and International Peace Efforts
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has reached a critical new stage in recent weeks. With more than 44,550 Palestinians killed since the start of the war, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has sparked a wave of international condemnation and urgent calls for a ceasefire.
The Gaza Conflict: Genocide Accusations Spark International Controversy
The Gaza conflict, which has devastated the region for over a year, has reached a critical point with Amnesty International’s recent accusations of genocide against the Israeli government. These claims have ignited intense debate within the international community, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Pope Francis Calls for International Investigation into Possible Genocide in Gaza
In a statement that has resonated globally, Pope Francis has called for a thorough investigation to determine whether Israel’s military actions in Gaza constitute genocide against the Palestinian people. This request is based on excerpts from an upcoming book where the Pontiff mentions that international experts believe the operations in Gaza exhibit characteristics of genocide.