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Arab News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
The families of hostages held in Gaza hope for their own ceasefire after truce in Israel-Iran war
'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families ForumOR AKIVA, Israel: Liran Berman hasn't had much to keep hopeful over the 629 days of his twin brothers' captivity in Gaza. Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on, and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian the war between Israel and Iran, and the US-brokered ceasefire that halted 12 days of fighting, have sparked fresh hope that his brothers, Gali and Ziv, may finally return Iran dealt a serious blow over nearly two weeks of fierce Israeli strikes, Berman believes Hamas, armed and financed by Iran, is at its most isolated since the war in Gaza began, and that might prompt the militant group to soften its negotiating positions.'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said. 'I think the dominoes fell into place, and it's time for diplomacy to reign now.'A long nightmare for the families of hostagesDuring their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most have been freed in ceasefire deals, but 50 remain captive, less than half of them believed to still be war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and families of hostages have faced a 20-month-long nightmare, trying to advocate for their loved ones' fates while confronted with the whims of Israeli and Hamas leaders and the other crises that have engulfed the Middle war with Iran, the first between the two countries, pushed the hostage crisis and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to the sidelines. Hostage families again found themselves forced to fight for the spotlight with another regional as the conflict eases, the families are hoping mediators seize the momentum to push for a new ceasefire deal.'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families.'To conclude this decisive operation against Iran without leveraging our success to bring home all the hostages would be a grave failure.'Netanyahu may have more room to maneuverIt's not just a diminished Iran and its impact on Hamas that gives hostage families hope. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has left him the most optimistic since a truce between Israel and Hamas freed 33 Israeli hostages earlier this year. Israel shattered that ceasefire after eight weeks, and little progress has been made toward a new Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be 'more flexible in their demands,' Berman 'Axis of Resistance' is in disarrayOver the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the ' Axis of Resistance ' that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and may have envisioned the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza.'We probably need Trump to tell us to end the war in Gaza,' Berman twins who remain in captivityGali and Ziv Berman, 27, were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border with Gaza, during the Oct. 7 attack. Seventeen others were also abducted there; of those, only the Berman twins remain family has heard from hostages who returned in the previous deal that, as of February, the brothers were alive but being held Berman said that's the longest the two have ever spent apart. Until their abduction, they were inseparable, though they are very different, the 38-year-old Kfar Aza, the twins lived in apartments across from each other. Gali is more outgoing, while Ziv is more reserved and shy with a sharp sense of humor, their brother said. Gali is the handyman who would drive four hours to help a friend hang a shelf, while Ziv would go along and point to where the shelf needed to war with Iran, during which Iranian missiles pounded Israeli cities for 12 days, gave Liran Berman a sense of what his brothers have endured as bombs rained down on Gaza, he said.'The uncertainty and the fear for your life for any moment, they are feeling it for 20 months,' he said. 'Every moment can be your last.'
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
The fighting has stopped between Israel and Iran. Families of hostages now hope for a deal in Gaza
OR AKIVA, Israel — Liran Berman hasn't had much to keep hopeful over the 629 days of his twin brothers' captivity in Gaza. Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on , and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian enclave. But the war between Israel and Iran, and the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted 12 days of fighting, have sparked fresh hope that his brothers, Gali and Ziv, may finally return home. With Iran dealt a serious blow over nearly two weeks of fierce Israeli strikes, Berman believes Hamas, armed and financed by Iran, is at its most isolated since the war in Gaza began, and that might prompt the militant group to soften its negotiating positions. 'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said. 'I think the dominoes fell into place, and it's time for diplomacy to reign now.' During their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most have been freed in ceasefire deals, but 50 remain captive , less than half of them believed to still be alive. The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians , according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. The families of hostages have faced a 20-month-long nightmare, trying to advocate for their loved ones' fates while confronted with the whims of Israeli and Hamas leaders and the other crises that have engulfed the Middle East. Israel's war with Iran, the first between the two countries, pushed the hostage crisis and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to the sidelines. Hostage families again found themselves forced to fight for the spotlight with another regional conflagration. But as the conflict eases, the families are hoping mediators seize the momentum to push for a new ceasefire deal. 'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families. 'To conclude this decisive operation against Iran without leveraging our success to bring home all the hostages would be a grave failure.' It's not just a diminished Iran and its impact on Hamas that gives hostage families hope. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Berman said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has left him the most optimistic since a truce between Israel and Hamas freed 33 Israeli hostages earlier this year. Israel shattered that ceasefire after eight weeks, and little progress has been made toward a new deal. The Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be 'more flexible in their demands,' Berman said. Over the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the ' Axis of Resistance ' that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria. Hamas may have envisioned the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. 'We probably need Trump to tell us to end the war in Gaza,' Berman said. Gali and Ziv Berman, 27, were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border with Gaza, during the Oct. 7 attack. Seventeen others were also abducted there; of those, only the Berman twins remain captive. The family has heard from hostages who returned in the previous deal that, as of February, the brothers were alive but being held separately. Liran Berman said that's the longest the two have ever spent apart. Until their abduction, they were inseparable, though they are very different, the 38-year-old said. In Kfar Aza, the twins lived in apartments across from each other. Gali is more outgoing, while Ziv is more reserved and shy with a sharp sense of humor, their brother said. Gali is the handyman who would drive four hours to help a friend hang a shelf, while Ziv would go along and point to where the shelf needed to go. The war with Iran, during which Iranian missiles pounded Israeli cities for 12 days, gave Liran Berman a sense of what his brothers have endured as bombs rained down on Gaza, he said. 'The uncertainty and the fear for your life for any moment, they are feeling it for 20 months,' he said. 'Every moment can be your last.' ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
The families of hostages held in Gaza hope for their own ceasefire after truce in Israel-Iran war
OR AKIVA, Israel (AP) — Liran Berman hasn't had much to keep hopeful over the 629 days of his twin brothers' captivity in Gaza. Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on, and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian enclave. But the war between Israel and Iran, and the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted 12 days of fighting, have sparked fresh hope that his brothers, Gali and Ziv, may finally return home. With Iran dealt a serious blow over nearly two weeks of fierce Israeli strikes, Berman believes Hamas, armed and financed by Iran, is at its most isolated since the war in Gaza began, and that might prompt the militant group to soften its negotiating positions. 'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said. 'I think the dominoes fell into place, and it's time for diplomacy to reign now.' A long nightmare for the families of hostages During their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most have been freed in ceasefire deals, but 50 remain captive, less than half of them believed to still be alive. The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. The families of hostages have faced a 20-month-long nightmare, trying to advocate for their loved ones' fates while confronted with the whims of Israeli and Hamas leaders and the other crises that have engulfed the Middle East. Israel's war with Iran, the first between the two countries, pushed the hostage crisis and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to the sidelines. Hostage families again found themselves forced to fight for the spotlight with another regional conflagration. But as the conflict eases, the families are hoping mediators seize the momentum to push for a new ceasefire deal. 'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families. 'To conclude this decisive operation against Iran without leveraging our success to bring home all the hostages would be a grave failure.' Netanyahu may have more room to maneuver It's not just a diminished Iran and its impact on Hamas that gives hostage families hope. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Berman said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has left him the most optimistic since a truce between Israel and Hamas freed 33 Israeli hostages earlier this year. Israel shattered that ceasefire after eight weeks, and little progress has been made toward a new deal. The Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be 'more flexible in their demands,' Berman said. Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' is in disarray Over the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the ' Axis of Resistance ' that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria. Hamas may have envisioned the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. 'We probably need Trump to tell us to end the war in Gaza,' Berman said. Inseparable twins who remain in captivity Gali and Ziv Berman, 27, were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border with Gaza, during the Oct. 7 attack. Seventeen others were also abducted there; of those, only the Berman twins remain captive. The family has heard from hostages who returned in the previous deal that, as of February, the brothers were alive but being held separately. Liran Berman said that's the longest the two have ever spent apart. Until their abduction, they were inseparable, though they are very different, the 38-year-old said. In Kfar Aza, the twins lived in apartments across from each other. Gali is more outgoing, while Ziv is more reserved and shy with a sharp sense of humor, their brother said. Gali is the handyman who would drive four hours to help a friend hang a shelf, while Ziv would go along and point to where the shelf needed to go. The war with Iran, during which Iranian missiles pounded Israeli cities for 12 days, gave Liran Berman a sense of what his brothers have endured as bombs rained down on Gaza, he said. 'The uncertainty and the fear for your life for any moment, they are feeling it for 20 months,' he said. 'Every moment can be your last.' ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
Newsweek
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Viral Video Shows Gazans Cheering USA. But Is It Real?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A viral video showing what appears to be an American military contractor waving and greeting a crowd of Gazans penned inside a newly opened aid distribution site has ignited a fierce online debate over its authenticity. The clip, shared by Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva, among others, purports to show Palestinians entering a Secure Distribution Site (SDS) run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Rafah. In the video, a uniformed American contractor makes a heart sign with his hands and waves to the crowd, with his face covered by a camouflaged balaclava. According to Akiva, a source at the site said the crowd had broken through a Hamas roadblock and spontaneously shouted "Thank you, America" after reaching the food aid center. A source at one of the Gaza distribution sites tells me that Hamas set up a roadblock to prevent Gazans from getting aid. They broke through it and were shouting 'thank you America' upon reaching the site. — Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) May 27, 2025 After the video was posted on X, many users questioned whether the clip was AI-generated. Some claimed the shadows and fence visuals looked digitally altered, while others said the crowd audio sounded inconsistent with the footage. In response, Akiva issued a blunt rebuttal: "This video is not AI, and anyone saying so is simply in denial of the facts." The Context The debate erupted against a grim backdrop. That same day, May 27, at least one Palestinian was killed and 48 were wounded at the same GHF site, after thousands of civilians pushed through barriers seeking food aid. Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry blamed Israeli gunfire for the chaos. The GHF, a U.S.-backed organization operating independently of the United Nations, has faced criticism from aid groups for its approach to aid distribution, which is designed to bypass Hamas. What To Know Within hours, the video sparked a wide-ranging discussion on social media questioning whether the video was genuine, speculating that it had been generated or doctored with AI, particularly the new cutting-edge AI video tool released by Google last week. "I think it's quite clear that we're at a point where the lines are becoming very hazy and hard to define, and the implications for how this will be used politically are frightening," said one Reddit user on the ChatGPT subreddit, where users frequently discuss topics related to AI use. According to journalist Kassy Akiva, a source at the site said the crowd had broken through a Hamas roadblock and spontaneously shouted "Thank you, America" after reaching the food aid center. According to journalist Kassy Akiva, a source at the site said the crowd had broken through a Hamas roadblock and spontaneously shouted "Thank you, America" after reaching the food aid center. Kassy Akiva @KassyAkiva Like their counterparts on X, Reddit users were particularly skeptical about the audio, with some questioning the quality of the recording and arguing that the acoustics of the space don't match the sound heard in the clip. However, the video's legitimacy has been verified, according to leading misinformation journalists. BBC Verify's Shayan Sardarizadeh confirmed the footage was filmed at the Tel al-Sultan aid hub, pointing out that "the video is real and was filmed by the main entrance to the site, which is visible in satellite images, drone footage and other videos." There are viral but false claims that this video of the new Tel al-Sultan aid distribution centre in Gaza is AI-generated and fake. The video is real and was filmed by the main entrance to the site, which is visible in satellite images, drone footage and other videos. — Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) May 28, 2025 In his post, Sardarizadeh tagged journalist Tal Hagin, a research fellow at FakeReporter—an Israel-based group fact-checking war-related claims on social media—who also verified the authenticity of the video using geolocation methods. "I was able to geolocate the image and find a unique detail present in both images that I'd find very hard (and surprising) if the AI had managed to replicate it," Hagin wrote on X, pointing to destroyed buildings and unique fence alignments visible in both the video and satellite maps. I also thought the video looked a bit "odd". While I can't speak for the authenticity of the audio - I was able to geolocate the image and find a unique detail present in both images that I'd find very hard (and surprising) if the AI had managed to replicate it: 1. We can see… — Tal Hagin (@talhagin) May 28, 2025 Hagin added more granular detail pointing to the configuration of metal fences near the entrance: four facing left and two to the right. He noted that these details precisely matched overhead video and mapping data, stating that the alignment would be extremely unlikely for an AI to fabricate with precision. Remnants of a destroyed building are visible in the distance. That same building is visible in a satellite image in roughly the same direction. Remnants of a destroyed building are visible in the distance. That same building is visible in a satellite image in roughly the same direction. Tal Hagin @talhagin He also responded to users questioning that faces in the video appeared to "phase" through the fences or that shadows were unnatural. "A higher quality of the footage doesn't showcase any of the faces 'fazing' through the fence, as it might appear in a screenshot," Hagin explained. "This appearance is very likely due to image quality, not AI." On the issue of shadows, Hagin noted, "The people behind the fence are standing very tightly together, with some of their arms raised—I think those are what the shadows are of." When a user suggested the video was manufactured, Hagin replied, "There is a direct connection, as markers in the video shared by the [original poster] can be lined up perfectly with satellite/drone imagery of the area. That's geolocation. If you disagree, please state what I got wrong with the geolocation analysis." Though they authenticated the visuals in the video, both Sardarizadeh and Hagin were unable to verify the audio track. "While I can't speak for the authenticity of the audio," Hagin noted, "the markers in the video align perfectly with satellite/drone imagery." Sardarizadeh, similarly, only confirmed the video location, not the sound. Brave New World The debate over the authenticity of the short clip reflects growing concerns about the accelerating capabilities of generative artificial intelligence to distort reality and fuel misinformation. As synthetic media tools become increasingly sophisticated, the ability to fabricate realistic imagery and sound is beginning to challenge the foundations of trust in visual journalism and digital evidence. Even in cases where the video is verified to be authentic, the mere fact that an AI could conceivably have created it adds a new layer of complexity to the fight against misinformation and so-called "fake news." "In the past couple of years, we've witnessed the proliferation of generative AI text and image generators, but video feels even more high-stakes." wrote AI reporter Victoria Turnk in an op-ed for The Guardian. Google's Veo 3 and OpenAI's Sora represent the latest wave of high-powered AI tools capable of generating photorealistic videos from text prompts. Veo 3, introduced by Google just last week, can produce clips that include synchronized speech, background noise, and even environmental effects, raising the bar for what AI-generated content can simulate. In one viral demo of Google's Veo abilities, a clip that purports to be footage from an auto show was generated entirely from scratch. Nothing in the below video is real. OpenAI's Sora similarly allows users to create lifelike moving images based solely on descriptions, giving creators—as well as propagandists—access to unprecedented tools of visual storytelling. The implications are especially significant in conflict zones. Verification of footage from war-torn regions has always been difficult, but the rise of accessible, high-fidelity generative video now allows bad actors to simulate real-world events, frame opponents, or discredit authentic documentation. The Gaza video controversy, where viewers disputed the authenticity of audio and visuals despite expert geolocation and forensic validation, illustrates the fragility of trust in the digital age. "The advances in generative video are stunning, but they're also deeply unsettling," said Hany Farid, a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information and a leading expert on deepfakes. In an interview with ABC News, Farid warned that "as these tools get better, the burden of proof for visual content becomes steeper. People will either fall for fakes—or doubt the truth." Both Google and OpenAI have acknowledged these risks. Google has said it will limit Veo access to vetted partners and use metadata tagging to identify AI-generated videos, while OpenAI has stated that it is working on watermarking technology and content provenance tracking to accompany outputs from Sora. Gaza Aid Starts to Flow The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations on Monday. Recently launched with U.S. and Israeli backing, the group has drawn criticism from the United Nations and Palestinians on the grounds related to its ties to Israeli security groups, and fears it could be used to further displace Gazans to the south of the besieged enclave. The U.N. affiliated agencies have declined to join the operation, citing violations of neutrality. "What we saw yesterday is a very clear example of the dangers of distributing food under these circumstances," said Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories (UNRWA). Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization approved by Israel, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini was equally blunt. "This new aid model is not only wasteful but a distraction from atrocities," he told Reuters. The GHF system, Lazzarini argued, circumvents established humanitarian norms and risks using food as a weapon of population control. The aid project has strong ties to President Donald Trump's administration, which has publicly endorsed it as a way to prevent Hamas from intercepting relief supplies. "Aid is getting to the people in need and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty-handed," a senior Trump official told the Daily Wire. What People Are Saying Senior U.S. administration official to Newsweek: "GHF is a threat to Hamas' longstanding system of looting the assistance intended for the people of Gaza. The UN and other aid agencies were wrong to criticize. Aid is getting to the people in need, and through their secure distribution system, Israel is kept safe and Hamas empty handed." Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: "It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border; [aid] needs to get in." Hamas in Arabic statement, via Telegram: "The scenes of thousands of our people rushing into the center designated for implementing the occupation's mechanism for aid distribution, and the accompanying live fire directed at citizens who had gathered at the distribution center under the pressure of hunger and siege, leave no room for doubt that this suspicious mechanism has failed. What Happens Next As uncertainty on the ground looms over humanitarian assistance operations, Israel said hundreds of air trucks have been permission to enter and distribute food in Gaza.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doja Cat, Madonna, Zendaya and More Take Over Richie Akiva's 11th Annual Met Gala After Party
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways As fashion's biggest night came to a close, celebrities wasted no time gearing up for the Met Gala after parties, including Richie Akiva's 11th annual 'The After' at Casa Cipriani hosted with Badius. Taking things up a notch from last year, Akiva also enlisted 29-year-old singer Doja Cat and South African pop star Tyla as hosts, joined by cohosts Edward Enninful and Colman Domingo. More from WWD While the party — which had DJ sets by Kaytranada, Pedro and Kitty Cash, to name a few — was slated to begin at 11 p.m., things didn't heat up until well past midnight. In fact, Akiva himself strolled in after midnight, casually greeting guests before sinking into a couch for a quick phone call — only to later reemerge as the ultimate hype man, rallying the crowd to center stage. At around 1 a.m., New York City Mayor Eric Adams was spotted deep in conversation with reality TV star Jonathan Cheban, who just flew in from the Formula 1 race in Miami. 'I only slept for 20 minutes and watched the Met on the plane,' Cheban said. 'I rushed here immediately after landing….I couldn't miss it.' Just after 1:30 a.m., Leonardo DiCaprio slipped in, dressed incognito in a black suit and matching cap. He made a beeline to the back of the venue (aka the VIP section), where he was soon joined by Enninful. Fast-forward to 3 a.m., Doja Cat — previously seated in the VIP section — came out to the center of the room to dance with a friend near the stripper pole to Drake and PartyNextDoor's hit song 'Nokia.' Meanwhile, Heidi Klum held court nearby, escorted by two sharply dressed men who acted as both bodyguards and arm candy for the night. On the other side of the room, Jaden Smith danced to Rihanna's 'Loveeeeeee Song,' while Madonna lounged comfortably in her private section. Then, just after 4 a.m., 'Boys' singer Lizzo jumped on stage for an impromptu dance moment that included a few playful moves with Akiva. Toward the end of the night, 2024's Model of the Year Alex Consani, made her entrance in a Swarovski crystal minidress. The party showed no signs of slowing down as celebrities and socialites — including Cheban, Zendaya, Law Roach, Serena Williams, Colin Kaepernick, Simone Biles, Rickey Thompson, Marcello Hernandez, Ana Batlle, Santi Nunez and Matthew Cancel, to name a few — danced well into the early hours. Launch Gallery: Richie Akiva's "The After" Met Gala 2025 After-Party Photos Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
