Latest news with #Channel13News
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Israel ‘cares much more' about Palestinian civilians than Hamas
Channel 13 News political correspondent Lior Kenan says the state of Israel 'cares much more' about the civilian population of Gaza than Hamas does. A joint statement issued by 23 foreign ministers around the world, including Penny Wong, has slammed Israel's plan to take control of Gaza and administer aid via IDF-controlled zones. 'We see Hamas using them as human shields, we see them launch missiles from hospitals and schools, we see them take over the humanitarian aid,' Ms Kenan told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Israel ‘worried' about mounting international pressure over Gaza offensive
Channel 13 News political correspondent Lior Kenan says Israel is 'worried' about the international pressure mounting over the past few days regarding its military offensive in Gaza. A joint statement issued by 23 foreign ministers around the world, including Penny Wong, has slammed Israel's plan to take control of Gaza and administer aid via IDF-controlled zones. 'There is also the pressure from the United States and the Trump administration, which Israel greatly needs and wants its support in order to continue,' Ms Kenan told Sky News host Chris Kenny. 'Israel is at a crossroads now.'
Japan Times
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Hamas frees three hostages; Israel begins releasing Palestinians
GAZA/JERUSALEM/CAIRO – Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday handed over three Israeli hostages whose gaunt appearance shocked Israelis, and Israel began freeing dozens of Palestinians in the latest stage of a ceasefire aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Or Levy, who was abducted that day from the Nova music festival, were led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen. The three men appeared thin, weak and pale, in worse condition than the 18 other hostages already freed under the truce agreed in January after 15 months of war. "He looked like a skeleton. It was awful to see," Ohad Ben Ami's mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, told Channel 13 News as she watched the Hamas-directed handover ceremony, which included the hostages answering questions posed by a masked man as militants armed with automatic rifles stood on each side. In another show of force by Hamas, which has paraded fighters during previous releases, dozens of its militants deployed in central Gaza as it handed hostages over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The hostages were then driven in ICRC cars to Israeli forces and into Israel, where they had tearful reunions with family members and were flown to hospitals. "We missed you so much," the mother of Or Levy, Geula, said as she hugged her son. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the sight of the frail hostages was shocking and would be addressed. Israel's President Isaac Herzog described the release ceremony as cynical and vicious. "This is what a crime against humanity looks like," he said. The Hostage Families Forum said the images of the hostages evoked images of survivors of Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. "We have to get ALL THE HOSTAGES out of hell," it said. In exchange for the hostages' release, Israel was freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, as well as 111 detained in Gaza during the war. Cheering crowds greeted the buses as they arrived in Gaza, embracing the freed detainees, some of them weeping with joy and tearing prison-issued bracelets off their wrists. Among those freed in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was Eyad Abu Shkaidem, sentenced to 18 life terms in Israel for masterminding suicide attacks in revenge for Israel's 2004 assassinations of Hamas leaders. "Today, I am reborn," Shkaidem told reporters as the crowd cheered. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said six of the 42 released in the West Bank were in poor health and were taken to a hospital. Some prisoners complained of ill treatment. "The occupation humiliated us for over a year," said Shkaidem. Some hostages face a painful return. Sharabi's two teenage daughters and his British-born wife were slain in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, where one in 10 residents was killed. Israel's Channel 12 said Sharabi had not been told about their deaths and asked where they were when he arrived. Levy will be reunited with his 3-year-old son. His wife was killed in the attack. Dr. Hagar Mizrachi from Israel's Ichilov Hospital said the hostages exhibited severe weight loss and malnutrition. Sixteen Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released so far and 583 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been freed. The first 42-day phase of the ceasefire, mediated by Washington, Cairo and Doha, has largely held since it took effect on January 19. Netanyahu sent a delegation for talks in Doha on Saturday, Israel's Channel 12 reported, citing a political source. Concern the deal might collapse before all remaining 76 hostages are free has grown since President Donald Trump's surprise call for Palestinians to be moved from Gaza and for the enclave to be handed to the United States and developed into the "Riviera of the Middle East." Arab states and Palestinian groups have rejected Trump's proposal, which critics said would amount to ethnic cleansing. Hamas said on Saturday its armed display at the hostage handover showed it could not be excluded from post-war Gaza arrangements. Netanyahu welcomed Trump's intervention and his defense minister has ordered the military to make plans to allow Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza to do so. Under the ceasefire deal, 33 Israeli children, women and sick, wounded and older men are to be released during the first stage in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Negotiations on a second phase began this week aimed at returning the remaining hostages and agreeing on a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in preparation for a final end to the war. Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people and seized more than 250 as hostages in the October 7, 2023 attack, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive Israel launched in response in Gaza has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated much of the enclave.
USA Today
08-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Hamas frees three hostages, Israel begins releasing Palestinians
Hamas frees three hostages, Israel begins releasing Palestinians Show Caption Hide Caption Trump says US will take over war-torn Gaza Strip President Donald Trump said during a news conference with Israel's prime minister that the U.S. should "takeover" the war-torn Gaza Strip. GAZA/JERUSALEM/CAIRO Feb 8 (Reuters) - Palestinian militant group Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages on Saturday, whose gaunt appearance shocked Israelis, while Israel began freeing dozens of Palestinians in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the 15-month war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, were led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen. The three men all appeared thin, weak and pale, and in worse condition than the 18 hostages who had previously been freed under the truce agreed last month. "He looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see," Ohad Ben Ami's mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, told Channel 13 News as she watched the Hamas-directed handover ceremony, which included the hostages answering questions posed by a masked man as militants armed with automatic rifles stood on each side. In another show of force by Hamas, which has paraded fighters during previous releases, dozens of its militants deployed in central Gaza as it handed hostages over to the International Committee of the Red Cross. They were then driven in ICRC vehicles to Israeli forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the sight of the frail hostages was shocking and would be addressed. Israel's President Isaac Herzog described the release ceremony as cynical and vicious. "This is what a crime against humanity looks like," he said. The Hostage Families Forum said the images of the three hostages evoked images of survivors of Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. "We have to get ALL THE HOSTAGES out of hell," it said. Palestinians complain of ill-treatment In exchange for the hostages' release, Israel is freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, as well as 111 detained in Gaza during the war. In Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a bus carrying 42 freed Palestinian prisoners was welcomed by a cheering crowd. Among those freed was Eyad Abu Shkaidem, sentenced to 18 life terms in Israel for masterminding suicide attacks in revenge for Israel's 2004 assassinations of Hamas leaders. "Today, I am reborn," Shkaidem told reporters upon arrival in Ramallah, as the crowd cheered. Many of the prisoners freed appeared in poor health and some complained of ill-treatment. "The occupation humiliated us for over a year," said Shkaidem. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said they have taken six of the 42 released prisoners to hospitals. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict. Rights groups have reported grave abuses of Palestinians in Israeli detention since the start of the Gaza war. The Israeli military is investigating several cases of alleged abuse but rejects allegations of systematic abuse within its detention facilities. Painful return Some hostages face a painful return. Sharabi's two teenage daughters and his British-born wife were slain in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, where one in 10 residents was killed. Levy will be reunited with his three-year-old son after losing his wife in the attack. The exchange is the latest in a series of swaps that have so far returned 13 Israeli and five Thai hostages and released 583 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Despite hiccups, the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire mediated by Washington, Cairo and Doha, has held since it took effect on January 19. But fears the deal might collapse before all the hostages are free have grown since U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise call for Palestinians to be moved from Gaza and for the enclave to be handed to the United States and developed into the "Riviera of the Middle East". Arab states and Palestinian groups have rejected Trump's proposal, which critics said would amount to ethnic cleansing. Hamas said on Saturday that its armed display at the hostage handover demonstrated it could not be excluded from post-war Gaza arrangements. Netanyahu, however, welcomed Trump's intervention and his defence minister ordered the military to make plans to allow Palestinians who wished to leave Gaza to do so. Under the ceasefire deal, 33 Israeli children, women and sick, wounded and older men are to be released during the first stage in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Negotiations on a second phase began this week aimed at returning the remaining hostages and agreeing a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in preparation for a final end to the war. Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. In response, Israel launched an air and ground war in Gaza that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated much of the enclave. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Andrew Mills in Doha, Leonardo Benassatt in Ganei Tikva and Yigal Elimelech in Hod Hasharon; Writing by James Mackenzie and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Alistair Bell, David Evans and Alex Richardson)
Dubai Eye
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Hamas frees three hostages, whose frail condition shocks Israelis
Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages on Saturday, whose emaciated appearance shocked Israelis following their release on live TV, in the latest stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the 15-month war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, were led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen. The three men all appeared thin, weak and pale, and in worse condition than the 18 hostages who had previously been freed under the truce agreed last month. "He looked like a skeleton, it was awful to see," Ohad Ben Ami's mother-in-law, Michal Cohen, told Channel 13 News as she watched the Hamas-directed handover ceremony, which included them answering questions posed to them by a masked man as militants armed with automatic rifles stood on each side. Dozens of armed Hamas fighters were deployed at the site in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, as the men were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross which was to transport them to Israeli forces in Gaza. In exchange, Israel will release 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people and including 18 serving life sentences and 111 detained in Gaza during the war, according to Hamas. For families of the Israeli hostages who have been held incommunicado in Gaza for more than a year, the wait has been a rollercoaster of dread and hope as the moments of reunion drew near. Some face a painful return. Sharabi's two teenage daughters and his British-born wife were slain in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Be'eri, where one in 10 residents was killed. The exchange is the latest in a series of swaps that have so far returned 13 Israeli and five Thai hostages abducted during the Hamas attack and released 583 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
