Page 4 - Hostages

Any campaign in south Gaza must avoid civilian displacement: US to Israel

The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid "significant further displacement" of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior US officials said. The Democratic administration, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before the current temporary pause in the fighting, underscored to the Israelis that they must operate with far greater precision in southern Gaza than they did in the north, the officials said, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House. Amid mounting international and domestic pressure about the rising Palestinian death toll, the White House has begun to put greater pressure on Israel that the manner of the coming campaign must be "carefully thought through", according to one of the officials. The Israelis have been receptive when administration officials have raised these

Hamas releases 11 Israeli hostages on fourth day of truce, confirms IDF

Moreover, the 11 Israeli hostages released from Gaza were identified from five families

Palestinian prisoners start to be released and Israeli hostages return

Israel began releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday following Hamas' release of 13 Israelis and four foreigners in the second round of swaps under a ceasefire deal, the Israeli military said, after the militant group initially delayed the exchange for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal. The Israeli military said the released hostages, including four Thais, had been transferred to Israel. They were being taken to hospitals for observation and to be reunited with their families. Hamas released a video showing the hostages appearing shaken but mostly in good physical condition as masked militants led them to Red Cross vehicles headed out of Gaza. Some of the hostages waved goodbye to the militants as they headed out of the besieged enclave. Nurhan Awad received a hero's welcome by hundreds of people at the Qalandia refugee camp near Jerusalem when she arrived shortly after her release. The woman was 17 in 2016 when she was sentenced to ..

Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages under a cease-fire deal: Israeli media

Israeli media say the Hamas militant group has released the first batch of hostages under a cease-fire deal on Friday, including 13 Israelis who have been held in the Gaza Strip for nearly seven weeks. The media cited Israeli security officials. Twelve Thai nationals were also released, according to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. In all, 50 captives are set to be freed during a four-day truce. Israel is set to free 150 Palestinians over the next four days, as part of the deal. Thirty-nine prisoners are to be freed Friday. A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, allowing sorely needed aid to start flowing into Gaza and setting the stage for the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. There were no reports of fighting in the hours after the truce began. The deal offered some relief for Gaza's 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment and dwindling supplies of basic necessities, as wel

Hostage release under truce deal not before Friday, says top Netanyahu aide

National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi circulated a statement that said the negotiations for the hostages "are constantly progressing"

Netanyahu faces battles on multiple fronts amid calls to free hostages

"We cannot allow ourselves to have a prime minister who has lost the public's trust, whether from a social or a security point of view," Lapid told Israel's Channel 12, according to CNN

Israel pounds Gaza Strip, dismisses calls for cease-fire, hostage swap

Here's what is happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war: PROTESTS SPREAD, CALLING ON ISRAEL TO STOP GAZA WAR Paris: Police encircled hundreds of people who defied a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration Saturday in central Paris. The officers tried to contain the protest but fired tear gas when tensions rose as a breakaway group tried to march. The protest collective known as Urgence Palestine called for a cease-fire in the increasingly intense war between Israel and Hamas. At least 80 people were given citations, according to French media. Other pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in Marseille and Strasbourg in the east. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin's order to ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France was trimmed back by the nation's highest administrative authority. The Council of State ruled any protests in favor of either side in the war are to be authorised on a case-by-case basis after assessing risks to public order. Demonstrations also took place Saturday in

US to provide full support in recovery to 2 American hostages Hamas freed

Two American citizens held hostage by Hamas since October 7 have been released, US President Joe Biden announced Friday, assuring that his government would fully support the duo in their recovery and healing process. Biden thanked the governments of Qatar and Israel for their partnership in securing the release of the two hostages -- a mother and her teenage daughter. Soon thereafter, Biden spoke over the phone with the two released hostages and their family. Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7, the president said in a statement. Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who have been wracked with fear. These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy at this moment, he ..

Release hostages, allow humanitarian aid: UN chief appeals to Hamas, Israel

To Israel, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for humanitarian supplies and workers for the sake of the civilians in Gaza, Guterres said

Israel military's Canine Unit rescues 200, kills 10 militants in Kibbutz

But a separate encounter on Kibbutz Kfar Aza had a more tragic outcome

Israeli bombardment of Gaza killed 13 hostages, including foreigners: Hamas

Hamas says Israel's heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed 13 hostages, including foreigners, held by the group. Hamas' military wing said in a statement Friday that the 13 were killed in various locations over the past 24 hours. It did not give the nationality of the foreigners. There has been no confirmation from Israel.

Gaza is tiny, watched closely by Israel; rescuing hostages would be a task

The Hamas-run Gaza Strip is a tiny enclave, measuring 40 kilometres long and no more than 12 kilometres wide, surveilled continually by Israel, surrounded by its guns. But rescuing or even locating more than 150 hostages hustled there by Palestinian militants who overran Israel's southern border on Saturday will be a daunting task. Gaza's densely populated terrain, its network of underground tunnels and the sheer numbers of men, women and children taken captive present Israel with the most complex hostage crisis that the country has ever faced. Mounting rescue operations in the midst of the massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza that followed the deadly Hamas rampage in southern Israel would only make an already difficult mission even more formidable. The situation is unprecedented, said Gershon Baskin, who helped to negotiate the 2011 release of Staff Sgt. Gilad Schalit after more than five years of Hamas captivity. I think Hamas was surprised at the ease it was able to take hostag

Hamas terror group holding up to 150 hostages in Gaza: UN envoy Gilad Erdan

Speaking to CNN, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan on late Monday said that their situation would not "prevent us from doing what we need to do in order to secure the future of Israel"

ISIS 'Beatle' El Shafee Elsheikh sentenced to life for killing US hostages

A high-ranking ISIS fighter was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for his participation in a hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens in Syria

No report of hostage situation regarding Indian students in Kharkiv: MEA

India said it has not received any report of a hostage situation regarding Indian students in Kharkiv and has requested the support of Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for students

Amsterdam Apple shop hostage-taker sought 200 mn-euro ransom

A gunman who held a hostage for hours in the Apple Store in Amsterdam demanded a ransom of 200 million euros (more than $226 million) in cryptocurrencies

Texas synagogue hostage-taking incident 'act of terror': President Biden

The US President Joe Biden on Sunday (local time) termed synagogue hostage-taking incident in the Texan city of Colleyville as an "act of terror.""This was an act of terror, and not only was he (44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram) related to someone who had been arrested, I might add, 15 years ago and had been in jail for 10 years," said Biden.At least four people were taken hostages by a man at a synagogue in the town of Colleyville for more than ten hours on Saturday.Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Dallas Division on Sunday (local time) identified the man killed as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram.According to the law enforcement officials, the hostage-taker demanded the release of the Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan.Biden said he had spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland about the hostage crisis. "Regarding Texas and the synagogue, I spoke this ...

British hostage-taker demanding Pak scientist's release shot dead in US

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was aware of the death of a British man in Texas and are in contact with the local authorities

Hostages safe after hours-long Texas synagogue standoff; captor dead

Four hostages are safe and their captor is dead after an hourslong standoff that began when the man took over services at a Texas synagogue where he could be heard ranting on a livestream

A closer look at case of Pak neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, jailed in Texas

The man who was holding hostages inside a Texas synagogue demanded the release of a Pakistani woman who is imprisoned nearby on charges of trying to kill American service members in Afghanistan.