Tag: hostage
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…
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…
Family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says new returned body is hers
The family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says a body handed over by Hamas on Friday is hers. “Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home,” the family said in a statement. Israel’s forensic officials who have been examining the body are yet to confirm the identification. Remains handed over by Hamas…
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…
Freed Israeli hostage was unaware wife and daughters killed, British family says
An Israeli hostage freed from Gaza did not know his wife and daughters were killed in the 7 October attack until after his release on Saturday, his British family said. Eli Sharabi was taken by Hamas 16 months ago and released on Saturday in Deir al-Balah, in Gaza. His wife Lianne Sharabi, who was from…
‘I just want to hug her’: Family of British-Israeli hostage on news she will be released
It has been 471 days since Emily Damari was shot in the hand and dragged into Gaza from her home in southern Israel. The British-Israeli national was also injured by shrapnel and saw her dog Choocha shot and killed on 7 October. She has now been named by Hamas as being among the first hostages…
Israel’s cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
Israel’s government has approved the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for it to take effect on Sunday. The decision came after hours of discussions that continued late into the night. Two far-right ministers voted against the deal. The security cabinet earlier recommended ratifying the agreement, saying it “supports…
White House working on hostage release deal in Gaza before Trump’s inauguration, says CIA director
William Burns said talks between Hamas and Israel are serious and could lead to deal in next couple of weeks The White House is working to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before president-elect Trump’s inauguration, William Burns, the director of the CIA, has suggested. “Negotiations going on right now are quite serious…
‘He brought us back alive’: A former hostage remembers Jimmy Carter
By Ari Shapiro , Elena Burnett , Courtney Dorning Former President Jimmy Carter left Washington for the final time Thursday afternoon. The nation’s capital was never a comfortable place for the man from Plains, Georgia, and it’s generally believed that Carter was a better former president than president. One reason for that perception is the…
Israeli Hostage Declared Killed in Gaza as Fears for Captives Mount
Middle East Crisis Hamza Ziyadne, 23, was abducted in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel alongside his siblings and father, whose body was also recovered this week. By Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem The Israeli military said on Friday that Hamza Ziyadne, an Arab citizen of Israel held hostage in Gaza, had been killed in…
Israeli military says body of Bedouin hostage found in Gaza
The Israeli military says its troops have found the body of a Bedouin Arab hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, as well as evidence that suggests another may also be dead. The body of Yousef Zyadna, 53, was recovered from an underground tunnel in the southern Rafah area on Tuesday. The troops also made what…
Hostage Is Found Dead in Gaza Tunnel, Israel Says
Middle East Crisis The hostage, Youssef Ziyadne, an Arab Bedouin, was seized along with three grown children on Oct. 7, 2023. Two of them were released, but there is “serious concern” about the fate of the third. By Ephrat Livni The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it had discovered the body of a hostage…
Reports of optimism about Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal
US secretary of state says he is confident agreement can be reached in renewed push before Donald Trump takes office Israel and Hamas appear to be edging closer towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could bring the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip to an end amid reports of optimism among decision makers. The…
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 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…