Hostages

Israel returns bodies of 15 Palestinians for Israeli hostages' remains

Israel on Saturday returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza, hospital officials in the strip said, a day after militants returned the remains of a hostage to Israel under the terms of the tenuous ceasefire agreement in the two-year war. The exchange marked another step forward for the tenuous, US-brokered truce. As part of the deal, Israel has returned the remains of 15 Palestinians for each Israeli hostage. The Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis said the 15 bodies were brought there. The return came shortly after Israel confirmed the remains given back Friday night were of an Israeli man who died while fighting Hamas in the militants' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. The hostage's body was identified as that of Lior Rudaeff, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Rudaeff was born in Argentina and moved to Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, a farming community in southern Israel, as a child. H

Police had contacted ex-minister Kesarkar during Mumbai hostage crisis

Police had contacted former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar when Rohit Arya held 17 children and two adults hostage at a recording studio in Mumbai, during negotiation efforts, officials said on Monday, adding that the politician's statement may be recorded. Crime Branch officials stated that they will record statements of everyone connected to the case, including the senior inspector of Powai police station and a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-rank officer involved in the negotiations with Arya. A statement of Kesarkar may also be recorded, an official added. Additionally, the Crime Branch is in the process of recording statements of celebrities and actors who had visited the Powai studio during the audition' process. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is currently probing the death of Arya, who was killed in police firing during the rescue operation on Thursday. On the day of the incident, when it became known that Arya wanted to speak with Kesarkar, the ..

Mumbai hostage crisis: Last rites of Rohit Arya performed in Pune

The last rites of Rohit Arya, who was gunned down by the Mumbai police after he took 19 people hostage, were performed in Pune in the early hours of Saturday. The 50-year-old had held 17 children, between the ages of 10 and 12, hostage at a studio in Mumbai's Powai area on Thursday. Police rescued the children and two adults after a three-hour hostage drama that ended in Arya's death. His body was transported to Pune after a post-mortem at Mumbai's JJ Hospital. The last rites were performed in the presence of Arya's wife, son and other close members of his family. According to police sources, Arya had been living away from Pune for some time. Preliminary information suggests he had very little contact with his family in recent years. Arya had earlier claimed that the dues for a project he had undertaken for the Maharashtra education department were pending, and he had even staged a protest in Pune to get the amount.

How unpaid dues pushed Rohit Arya to take 17 children hostage in Mumbai

Arya, who took the children hostage inside the R A Studio in the Mahavir Classic building in the city's Powai suburb, carried an airgun and inflammable spray

Mumbai police rescue 17 children in Powai hostage case, accused shot dead

Mumbai Police on Thursday rescued 19 persons including 17 children from a studio in Powai area while the man who had held them hostage succumbed to bullet injuries sustained during the operation, officials said. Rohit Arya, who had released a video statement during the hostage drama that went on for about an hour, was shot by police when he tried to harm the children with an air gun and later died at hospital, an official said. "All the children are safe," said Satyanaranyan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order). Arya had apparently called the children -- boys and girls around 15 years old -- for an audition for a web series, the official said. Besides an air gun, Arya was carrying some chemicals, he added. Initially, police did not mention that there had been a firing during the operation. Police received a call at about 1.45 pm about a man holding children hostage inside R A Studio in Mahavir Classic building, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade. Powai p

Huge crowds gather at 'Hostages Square' in Tel Aviv, worried but hopeful

In the crowd, a group of youngsters, shy and reluctant at the beginning, but happy to talk after some encouragement, open up their hearts

Donald and Melania Trump to meet hostage freed from Gaza at White House

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will meet at the White House on Thursday with Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, who was released in May. The President and First Lady have met with many released hostages from Gaza, and they greatly look forward to meeting Edan Alexander and his family in the Oval Office tomorrow, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Alexander, now 21, is an American-Israeli from New Jersey. The soldier was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. He was released on May 12 by the militant group Hamas after 584 days in captivity. Alexander had been in Israel since he was freed until he travelled last month home to New Jersey, where his family still lives. He was among 251 people taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attack that led to the Israel-Hamas ...

​MEA confirms abduction of three Indians in Mali amid terror attacks

Three Indian nationals were abducted from a cement factory in Mali's Kayes region on July 1. The MEA is in contact with Malian authorities and urges swift action for their safe and early release

Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages after 613 days in captivity

One of the hostages was killed while defending his family during the Hamas-led abduction of Nir Oz residents on October 7. The identity of the second hostage has not been disclosed

Israel recovers bodies of 2 hostages, Netanyahu vows to bring all home

According to a joint statement by the Israeli military and Shin Bet, Weinstein-Haggai and Haggai were killed and taken into Gaza by members of the Mujahideen Brigades

Israeli strikes kill 46 in Gaza, with 31 in school-turned shelter: Medics

Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including 25 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, igniting their belongings, according to local health officials. The military said it targeted militants operating from the school. Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. It has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, from the Oct 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war. The strike on the school in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City also wounded more than 55 people, said Fahmy Awad, head of the ministry's emergency service. He said a father and his five children were among the dead. He said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze. Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred remains.

WATCH: Freed by Hamas, US-Israeli hostage reunites with family in Israel

US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander freed after 19 months by Hamas reunites with family in Israel as ceasefire talks loom amid escalating Gaza conflict and Trump's regional visit

FBI committed to bringing home US hostages held in other nations: Director

The FBI will work to zero out the population of Americans detained or held hostage in foreign countries, Director Kash Patel said Thursday at a State Department ceremony honouring the hostage community and their families. My singular promise to you in this community is that I will do everything as the director of the FBI to marshal the resources necessary to make sure that no other American family feels that pain, he said during the flag-raising event. Patel spoke as the Trump administration is working to bring home Americans from multiple countries, including Russia and Venezuela. The government is also trying to secure the release of remaining American hostages held by Hamas, with Adam Boehler, President Donald Trump's nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, leading direct talks with the militant group. We still don't have everybody back," Patel said. Whatever lawful authorities we have at the FBI, we are going to give 24/7, 365 days to make sure that we zero out this ...

Gunman takes hostages at Pennsylvania hospital, one officer killed

A man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties entered a Pennsylvania hospital's intensive care unit on Saturday and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, authorities said. Three staffers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, and two other officers were shot and wounded in the attack, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said. A fourth staff member was injured during a fall, Barker said. Gunfire erupted after officers from several different agencies went to engage the shooter, who Barker identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49. He said Archangel-Ortiz was holding at gunpoint a female staff member hostage who had her hands tied with zip ties when police opened fire. "This is a huge loss to our community," Barker said at a press conference following the shooting. "It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using

Trump vows to back Israel's decision as Hamas fails to release all hostages

In a statement shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump noted that Hamas has released three hostages, including a US citizen and added that they appear to be in good shape

Israel announces identity of three Hamas hostages set to be released today

The hostages, who are expected to be released on Saturday, were all kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023

Pressure mounts on extending Gaza ceasefire as details on hostages emerge

New details and growing shock over emaciated hostages renewed pressure Sunday on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend a fragile Gaza ceasefire beyond the first phase ending in three weeks. Talks on the second phase, meant to see more hostages released and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, were due to start Feb. 3. But Israel and Hamas appear to have made little progress, even as Israeli forces withdrew Sunday from a Gaza corridor in the latest commitment to the truce. Netanyahu sent a delegation to Qatar, a key mediator, but it included low-level officials, sparking speculation that it won't lead to a breakthrough. Netanyahu, who returned after a U.S. visit to meet with President Donald Trump, is expected to convene security Cabinet ministers on Tuesday. Trump himself suggested he was losing patience with the deal after seeing the emaciated hostages released this week. I watched the hostages come back today and they looked like Holocaust survivors. They were i

Hamas must release all hostages now: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

The President was clear - Hamas MUST release ALL hostages NOW! Rubio was quoted as saying in a White House post on X

Hamas to release 3 Israelis, 5 Thais in upcoming hostage swap: Official

An Israeli official said Wednesday that Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, and five Thai nationals in the next hostage release, slated for Thursday. The official named the Israel women as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and the man as Gadi Mozes, 80. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, said the hostages' families had approved publication of their names. The official did not name the Thai nationals set to be freed. The release is part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has paused the war in Gaza in exchange for freedom for dozens of hostages held in the Palestinian territory and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Word of the next round of releases comes as hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are streaming toward the north of the war-ravaged territory to return to what is left of their homes, after being told to evacuate the area earlier o

Families of hostages appeal to Trump to pressure Netanyahu to end war

Families of hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza are appealing to US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel's prime minister into ending the war and bringing their loved-ones home. Under the deal, about one third of the hostages are to be released during the six-week first phase. The release of the remaining hostages, along with an end to the war, are to be negotiated during a second phase. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled readiness to return to the war after the first phase is complete, and hard-liners in his coalition have threatened to bring down the government if he does not resume the war. Hostage families gathered Saturday and appealed to Trump to make sure that Netanyahu ends the war. The radicals in the coalition are threatening to bring down the government and demand the renewal of the war, said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is a hostage and not scheduled to be released during the first phase. She urged Trump to demand that Netanyahu implement the