Latest news with #BringThemHomeNow
The Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages taken on 7 October
ISRAELI FORCES HAVE recovered the bodies of two people who were captured during the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein Haggai were residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hit the hardest by the Hamas-led attack, with nearly a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage. In an operation conducted by Israeli intelligence services and the military, 'the bodies of two of our hostages, held by the murderous terrorist organisation Hamas, were returned to Israel,' the country's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X. He said the two dead hostages were 'murdered on 7 October and abducted to the Gaza Strip'. ' The heart aches for this most terrible loss,' he said. 'We will not rest nor be silent until we bring all our hostages home—both the living and the fallen.' The Families of the Hostages Embrace the Weinstein-Haggai Family in This Solemn Time. The return of Judi and Gadi for proper burial in their beloved homeland represents the closing of a circle and the fulfillment of the state's fundamental obligation to them. The hostage… — Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) June 5, 2025 An Israeli military official said the couple were killed on the morning of October 7 by fighters of the Mujahideen Brigades, an armed group close to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad. According to the kibbutz, 117 residents were killed and more than 60 percent of its houses were destroyed during the attack. Advertisement A joint statement from the army and the Shin Bet security agency said that the bodies were recovered from the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation. 'The rescue operation was conducted by… troops in coordination with the intelligence directorate and special forces,' it added. The spokesperson for the kibbutz in southern Israel where the elderly couple lived said in a statement that 'after more than 600 days of pain and waiting, the bodies of Gad Haggai and Judy Weinstein Haggai were brought back home to the State of Israel and to Nir Oz last night in a military operation'. The kibbutz said Gad Haggai was 72 at the time of the October 2023 attack and Judy Weinstein Haggai was 70. Gad, a music lover and talented cook, and Judy, a former English teacher, have four children and seven grandchildren, according to the kibbutz. 'We welcome the closure of the circle and their return for a proper burial at home, in Israel,' the family was quoted as saying in the statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz. The Hamas-led attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Another 251 people were also taken hostage, most of whom have been released in captive exchanges during ceasefires. Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Colorado terror attack took place at 'Run for Their Lives' event calling for release of all hostages in Gaza
Colorado police responded to a terror attack at an event calling for the release of hostages in Gaza in the Denver suburb of Boulder on Sunday, which left multiple people injured. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said his department received reports early Sunday afternoon of a man with a weapon and people being set on fire on Pearl Street. A male suspect with minor injuries was taken into police custody at the scene, Redfearn said. "Run for Their Lives," which was hosting an event in Boulder on Sunday, organizes run and walk events calling for the immediate release of all hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The police chief could not confirm whether the pro-Israel event attendees were targeted as there were people not affiliated with the group out in the area, but he said "this act is unacceptable." "The movement started by a group of Israelis in the Bay Area in California, in collaboration with the Hostage and Missing Families Forum (#BringThemHomeNow)," the group's website states. "But, local events are independently led by dedicated and committed leaders within their communities." "You don't need to be Jewish or Israeli to be disturbed by this crisis—all people around the world should be," the website says. "Innocent children, women, the elderly, and young people should not be living in tunnels 20 meters underground for over a year—they should be in their homes with their families. Until this crisis is resolved, the world risks normalizing this unbearable situation. Our focus is not on the "how" (pressure world leaders or military pressure). We are solely focused on the 'what': doing everything possible to bring them home!" Fox News Digital has reached out to the group. Boulder's Jewish Community said that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers participating in the event. "We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza," Boulder's Jewish Community said in a statement. "We don't have all the details of what is unfolding, and we promise to keep our community informed. "Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured," the statement continued. Witnesses at the scene told CBS Colorado that an unidentified suspect used Molotov cocktails to attack people who were participating in a walk. "We are aware of reports of an attack at today's Boulder Run for Their Lives event - a weekly meeting of Jewish community members to run/walk in support of the hostages kidnapped on 10/7," the Anti-Defamation League wrote on X. A motive for the attack has not been determined, the chief said. "I cannot confirm right now that this was targeted at a specific group of people," Redfearn said. "We understand that there's a lot of tensions right now and a lot of issues in the United States and everywhere. Once we have a clear motive, we will react accordingly." Redfearn stopped short of calling Sunday's event a terror attack, despite proclamations from FBI Director Kash Patel and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as other political leaders.
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First Post
28-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
600 days of Gaza war: ‘Save them now,' Israelis form yellow hostage symbols across the country
People stood in a circle at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, wearing yellow shirts and holding yellow balloons, as they waited for the moment when the digital board counting the days, hours, minutes, and seconds of captivity switched from 599 to 600 read more Israelis on Wednesday gathered at different locations at the exact same time Hamas launched its offensive on October 7, 2023 – 6:29 am –, to demand the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. The demonstrations, which included the human chain formation of the yellow hostage symbol, also mark the 600 days of the Israel-Hamas war. Hostage families and other protestors came together at predawn near the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, with the numbers 58 and 600 and the phrase 'Save Them Now' drawn on the sand. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD People stood in a circle at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, wearing yellow shirts and holding yellow balloons, as they waited for the moment when the digital board counting the days, hours, minutes, and seconds of captivity switched from 599 to 600. From the early morning hours, thousands of Israelis are gathering all over the country to mark 600 days since Hamas' vicious attack on Israel and the abduction of hundreds of men and women. 58 hostages are still held captive in Gaza. We must bring them all home. Now. Photo… — Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) May 28, 2025 'Go out on your porch and look at us. Our children were killed and assaulted on October 7. For 600 days, you have turned away from us. We won't let this break us, and we'll continue to fight,' the father of a victim said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring back all hostages, 'living and dead'. 'If we don't achieve it today, we will achieve it tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. We are not giving up,' Netanyahu said of freeing the captives. 'We intend to bring them all back, the living and the dead,' he added without mentioning a possible truce. Meanwhile, Hamas said Monday it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff, presented by mediators, but a spokesman for Witkoff later denied the Palestinian group had accepted. Meanwhile, a US-backed aid group in Gaza has begun its operation to distribute food in the war-torn region, days after relief was blocked from entering the Palestinian territory. Thousands of Gazans rushed into a new aid distribution centre, leading to chaotic scenes as Israel implemented a new distribution system. With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gal Gadot Said She's "An Indigenous Person Of Israel" And Reacted To Backlash She's Faced
Gal Gadot elaborated on her opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict amid the release of her new movie, the live-action Snow White. The actor was born in Israel and served in the IDF for two years, as Israeli law compels most of its citizens to do so. When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and taking 251 people hostage, Gal wrote on Instagram, "I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!" Over 46,000 Palestinians have been estimated to have been killed by subsequent Israeli attacks. Currently, Gal's Instagram bio is a link to the group Bring Them Home Now, a volunteer-led organization campaigning for the release of Israeli hostages. 'After October 7th [2023], I don't talk politics — because who cares about the celebrity talking about politics? I'm an artist," she told Variety in a new interview. "I want to entertain people. I want to bring hope and be a beacon of light whenever I say anything about the world." 'But on October 7th, when people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent. I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up," she continued. The Wonder Woman star explained, 'I'm not a hater. I'm a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor who came to Israel and established his family from scratch after his entire family was erased in Auschwitz. And on the other side of my family, I'm eighth generation Israeli. I'm an indigenous person of Israel.' 'I am all about humanity and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages," she said. On the backlash she's faced, she added, 'When your compass is clear, your conscience is clean. I know what I'm advocating for, and I know what I wish for the world.' 'I am praying for better days for all,' she said. 'I want everybody to have good life and prosperity, and the ability to raise their children in a safe environment.' Last night, Israel bombed Gaza, killing over 400 people and injuring 500 (many of them women and children), ending the ceasefire. UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the 'airstrikes and shelling, which killed hundreds, are horrifying. This nightmare must end immediately.' You can read the full interview with Gal here.
Buzz Feed
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Gal Gadot Said She's "An Indigenous Person Of Israel" And Reacted To Backlash She's Faced
Gal Gadot elaborated on her opinions on the Israel-Palestine conflict amid the release of her new movie, the live action Snow White. The actor was born in Israel and served in the IDF for two years, as Israeli law compels most of its citizens to do so. When Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 and taking 251 people hostage, Gal wrote on Instagram, "I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!" Over 46,000 Palestinians have been estimated to have been killed by subsequent Israeli attacks. Currently, Gal's Instagram bio is a link to the group Bring Them Home Now, a volunteer-led organization campaigning for the release of Israeli hostages. 'After October 7th [2023], I don't talk politics — because who cares about the celebrity talking about politics? I'm an artist," she told Variety in a new interview. "I want to entertain people. I want to bring hope and be a beacon of light whenever I say anything about the world." 'But on October 7th, when people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent. I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up," she continued. The Wonder Woman star explained, 'I'm not a hater. I'm a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor who came to Israel and established his family from scratch after his entire family was erased in Auschwitz. And on the other side of my family, I'm eighth generation Israeli. I'm an indigenous person of Israel.' 'I am all about humanity and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages," she said. On the backlash she's faced, she added, 'When your compass is clear, your conscience is clean. I know what I'm advocating for, and I know what I wish for the world.' 'I am praying for better days for all,' she said. 'I want everybody to have good life and prosperity, and the ability to raise their children in a safe environment.' Last night, Israel bombed Gaza, killing over 400 people and injuring 500 (many of them women and children), ending the ceasefire. UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the 'airstrikes and shelling, which killed hundreds, are horrifying. This nightmare must end immediately.'
