U.N. Security Council to debate situation of Israeli hostages in Gaza
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called for an urgent meeting of the 15-member council after shocking videos of hostages Evyatar David, 24, and Rom Braslavski, 21, in which they appear severely emaciated, were circulated by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
"The international community must make it not worthwhile for the terrorists. The world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and center on the world stage," he said at a news conference Monday.
He thanked the United States and Panama for seconding his call for the special session meeting in New York.
The Israeli consulate in New York upped the pressure by uploading the video of David for all to see on a giant screen in Times Square in midtown Manhattan.
"Hamas kidnapped him. Hamas tortures him. Hamas is starving him. This is what real hunger looks like. This is what truth looks like. Evyatar David is being starved by a Nazi terrorist organization that dares, with the backing of parts of the media, to spread the blood libel that Israel is starving the people of Gaza," Consul General Ofir Akunis said in a post on X.
"We will continue to expose, everywhere and at all times, the lies of these vile terrorists and their collaborators. Now his face is on Times Square -- because the world can't look away anymore."
Hamas insisted that the same provisions were provided to the hostages as those available to its members and ordinary people in Gaza and that it did not purposely starve them, stressing that the enclave was in the depths of the hunger crisis.
World leaders joined in the condemnation of the images of the hostages released after Hamas said it would not lay down its arms until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy led the criticism, calling what he described as hostages being paraded for propaganda "sickening" and demanding their release without conditions.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Hamas stood for "abject cruelty," while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was left shocked by the images and reiterated that no cease-fire could be reached without the hostages' release.
Calling the videos "appalling," the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a post on X that the images provided "stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held," and demanded it be allowed to visit them.
"We know families watching these videos are horrified and heartbroken by the conditions they see their loved ones held in. We reiterate that all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. This dire situation must come to an end now."
Israel said David and Braslavski are among 22 hostages who remain alive out of 49 still being held captive.
In its latest update posted to social media Tuesday morning, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the number of malnutrition deaths recorded by hospitals in the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours had risen to 188 martyrs, including 94 children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
31 minutes ago
- UPI
Judge hears about 'Alligator Alcatraz' environmental concerns
1 of 4 | A protester from Chicago on Wednesday holds a sign in front of the entrance to the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in Ochopee, Fla. A judge heard evidence in a lawsuit on environmental concerns. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo Aug. 6 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday heard arguments from two groups seeking an injunction to halt the operation and further construction of an immigration detention center in the Everglades called "Alligator Alcrataz." District Judge Kathleen Williams conducted a hearing in Miami on a lawsuit by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, claiming the state and federal government bypassed mandatory ecological reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act during construction. They also said the detention facility, which now houses 1,000 detainees with plans for up to 5,000, was built in less than two weeks without public notice or comment, and didn't comply with other statutes, including the Endangered Species Act. The detention center, which is about 75 miles west of Miami and 44 miles southwest of Naple, is amid swampland that includes alligators, pythons, snakes and other predators. Randy Kautz, an expert in Florida wildlife, said 120 to 230 endangered panthers are in the "core area" and increased human activity will harm reproduction. "There has been a stable reproducing population of panthers in this area in this range at least over the last 30 years," he said in court. "Panthers have succeeded and resided here." Panthers were tracked in the 1,000 acres near the detention facility, which was built on a rarely used airstrip off U.S. 41 in Ochopee in Miami-Dade County near Collier County. The so-called Alligator Alley, which is part of Interstate 75, runs 80 miles across the state through the Everglades. Attorneys say the work is exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act because it was initially funded, constructed and managed by the state. But Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani testified the Department of Homeland Security wants the facility. More than 40,000 people opposed the detention center in a petition on the website of the Friends of the Everglades, a nonprofit, which is one of the parties in the lawsuit. "We are very concerned about potential impacts of runoff" and "large, new industrial-style lights that are visible from 15 miles away, even though having a dark sky designation," Eve Samples, the executive director of the group, told the court. "Driving out there myself many times, the increased traffic is visible. I saw two dead gators last time I visited, so definitely a difference in the area." The detention facility neighbors land leased to the Miccosukee Indian Tribe with villages, a school, hunting areas and sacred sites. Civil rights groups filed a second lawsuit alleging that detainees' constitutional rights are being violated. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 18. WTVJ-TV reported limited access to showers, spoiled food, extreme heat and mosquitoes. They also allege they are being barred from meeting lawyers with some held without any charges. President Donald Trump toured the facility on July 1 with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretry Kristi Noem before the opening two days later. The first deportation flights departed from the airstrip on July 25. Legislators in Congress and the state, who initially were denied access, were allowed to visit on July 12 but couldn't speak to the detainees and access to the property was limited. "Rural immigrant detention camps -- 750 people in cages like animals -- is un-American, and it should be shut down," state Sen. Carlo Guillermo Smith said. State and federal officials defend the conditions. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers," Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News last month. "Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority." DeSantis has said the airport site, called the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Facility, won't have any effect on the surrounding environment. DeSantis and Noem have touted the location because it is in a relatively remote area and surrounded by swampland. DeSantis utilized an emergency order in 2023 in response to Cuban and Haitian migrants arriving in the Florida Keys by boat, with the state offering to pay $20 million for the land. Florida will seek reimbursement from the federal government for the $450 million yearly cost of running the facility, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told the Miami Herald. County officials approve the use of the airstrip for immigrants. The airstrip was envisioned to become an airport with construction to begin in 1968. Work was halted in 1970 because of environmental concerns, but not before one runway was finished. The runway was used for training flights. The land later became Big Cyprus National Preserve, which encompasses 1,139 square miles. The preserve is north of Everglades National Park, which covers 2,356 square miles.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Voters in Neosho, Newton County reject use-tax propoals Tuesday
NEOSHO, Mo. — Voters in Neosho and Newton County rejected use-tax proposals in their respective jurisdictions Tuesday. Neosho residents rejected the plan, known as Proposition A, by a vote of 584 to 223, with more than 72% voting "no." Newton County residents rejected their plan, also known as Proposition A, by a vote of 1,665 to 846, with more than 66% voting "no." A use tax is a tax placed on purchases online from companies that do not have a physical presence in Missouri. The rates would have been the same as the existing sales taxes in those areas, 1.65% in Newton County and 3% in the city limits of Neosho. The state of Missouri already charges a use tax on purchases at 4.225%, the same as the state sales tax. Joplin residents in Newton County have been paying a use tax rate of 3.125% since 2023. Voters approved it in the November 2022 election. The county use tax would have been used mostly to fund moving sheriff's deputies and other county employees to the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System, or LAGERS, which offers better retirement benefits for county employees than the current system, known as the County Employee Retirement Fund. This was the second time in two years that Neosho voters rejected a use tax. They shot down a use tax in April 2025 by a vote of 570 to 603. At that time, Neosho City Manager David Kennedy had estimated the tax would bring in $300,000 to $400,000 annually based on state estimates, and the revenue was to be used to build a water park to replace Neosho's aging swimming pool. This time, the city proposed using the money, if passed, toward improved salaries and benefits for police officers and firefighters and to make improvements to roads and bridges. Solve the daily Crossword
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges
WASHINGTON — The Chicago man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crime and murder charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty. Elias Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting 'Free Palestine' as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,' federal authorities have said. Rodriguez had previously been charged with murder of foreign officials and other crimes, and the hate crimes charges were added after prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury. It means prosecutors will be tasked with proving Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged. Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the Capital Jewish Museum event with a handgun in his checked luggage. He purchased a ticket for the event about three hours before it started, authorities have said in court papers. 'This was an act of cowardice': Charges filed against Chicago man in the fatal shooting near DC Jewish museumAn attorney for Rodriguez didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said. Who were the Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead days before getting engaged?After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and stated that he 'did it.' 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,' he spontaneously said, according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as 'courageous' and a 'martyr.'
