Latest news with #Dekel-Chen
New York Times
22-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Live Updates: Hamas Is Set to Release 6 More Hostages
People gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday, hours after militants turned over four bodies to Israel as part of a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel. For Jonathan Dekel-Chen, every day this week has been a mixture of joy and grief. He is celebrating the return of his son Sagui, who was released over the weekend as part of the cease-fire deal with Hamas. But reminders of Sagui's ordeal, and the torments of the remaining hostages, are impossible to escape. 'Today is a day with very mixed feelings,' Mr. Dekel-Chen said in an interview on Thursday. He had just visited his son in a Tel Aviv-area hospital on a day when Hamas turned over coffins that were said to contain the remains of four of Mr. Dekel-Chen's neighbors in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where about a quarter of the 400 residents were either killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. It has been 504 days since the Hamas-led attack, and roughly 60 hostages have yet to come home. 'We need to double down now on getting all the hostages home,' Mr. Dekel-Chen said. The four bodies returned on Thursday were said to include three members of the Bibas family — Ariel Bibas, 4, and Kfir Bibas, who was just 10 months old, and their mother, Shiri Bibas. The Bibases came to symbolize the plight of the captives after videos of them being taken to Gaza went viral. But early Friday, the Israeli military announced that the remains in what was said to be Ms. Bibas's coffin did not match the identity of any of the hostages. 'This is a violation of utmost severity,' the military said. The authorities did confirm the children's remains, and those of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was killed in captivity by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Image Hostages being handed over in Khan Younis, Gaza, this month as part of a hostage and prisoner deal. Credit... Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Mr. Lifshitz, a retired journalist, was captured along with his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was released weeks into the war for what Hamas called 'humanitarian and health reasons.' She has described abuse and harrowing conditions in Hamas's underground tunnels, warning that other hostages would not be able to endure them. Before the war, Mr. Lifshitz volunteered to drive Gazans seeking medical treatment to hospitals in Israel and was a founding member of a branch of Peace Now, a group advocating a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Dekel-Chen, who was friends with Mr. Lifshitz for decades, said he 'was a man truly committed to his values.' Thousands of Israelis paid tribute to Mr. Lifshitz and the other hostages during a Thursday night rally in what has become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. They were also there to pressure the Israeli government to secure the release of those still being held. Rally speakers demanded that the Netanyahu government not let the cease-fire fall apart. The first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect in January and is set to end in less than two weeks. Negotiations on the second phase have been delayed, leaving the fates of dozens of captives up in the air. The fragile truce has led to the release of hostages from Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails — but there are concerns among the relatives of hostages that there may not be another round of releases. Yael Adar, whose son Tamir Adar was killed in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz and whose body has not been returned from Gaza, spoke at the Thursday rally. She said that when Tamir's son heard that bodies would be returned to Israel this week, he asked if his father would be coming home. 'We told him no, not at this stage. Asaf couldn't understand why there were stages,' she said. Mr. Netanyahu's office said has said that six living hostages would be released on Saturday, instead of three as planned, and that four more bodies would be returned next week. But relatives are anxious. Image A poster showing Shiri Bibas, center, who was kidnapped with her husband and young sons on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas released what it said were her remains, but Israel's military said none of the returned bodies were a match for her. Credit... Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press Hamas's failure to return Ms. Bibas raises new questions about whether the next release of hostages and prisoners on Saturday will proceed and the fate of talks on the second phase of the cease-fire deal. If negotiations on the second phase fail, roughly 60 hostages, some believed to be dead, would most likely remain in Gaza. And if fighting resumes, those who are alive will be in even graver danger. On Monday, a rally in Hostage Square was held to mark the 500th day of captivity for those being held in Gaza. Among the speakers was Yeela David, the sister of Evyatar David, who was taken from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 attack. 'Phase 2 is the last chance to save the lives of dozens,' she said. 'If this deal falls apart and Phase 2 doesn't begin, it will remain a black stain in the pages of our history.' The hostages that have been freed say there is no time to spare. Keith Siegel's wife drove that point home during the Monday rally at Hostage Square. Mr. Siegel was held in Gaza for nearly 500 days, six months of which were spent locked in a small room alone. He was beaten, threatened at gunpoint and reduced by his captors to 'nothing,' in the words of his wife, Aviva. Image Aviva Siegel last year with a photograph of her husband, Keith Siegel, who was released this month. 'He went through 484 days of hell,' she said. Credit... Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times He ate only moldy pita bread, lost 65 pounds and some days thought he would not survive, Ms. Siegel said, describing details of her husband's experience for the first time. 'He went through 484 days of hell no human being should ever have to experience,' said Ms. Siegel, who was also taken hostage. She was released during a brief truce in November 2023. 'I was in Gaza. I survived. Keith survived. Others will not,' Ms. Siegel warned. It was a theme repeated by other former captives, including Iair Horn, 46, who was freed on Saturday along with two other hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners. He appeared in a video message at the Monday rally, recorded about 48 hours after his return to Israel, to plead for his brother, Eitan Horn, who was still in Gaza and was not slated to be freed in the first phase of the agreement. 'I was there. I was in Hamas's tunnels. I experienced it firsthand,' Iair Horn said. 'And I'm telling you, the hostages don't have time. They must be brought back now.' Since his return, he said, people kept asking what he needs. 'I answer them, 'I need only one thing: Bring back my brother. Bring back my brother and all the hostages.''
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
As Truce Talks Stall, Fears Mount for Israeli Hostages in Gaza After 500 Days
For Johnathan Dekel-Chen, every day this week has been a mixture of joy and grief. He is celebrating the return of his son Sagui, who was released over the weekend as part of the cease-fire deal with Hamas. But reminders of Sagui's ordeal, and the torments of the remaining hostages, are impossible to escape. 'Today is a day with very mixed feelings,' Mr. Dekel-Chen said in an interview on Thursday. He had just visited his son in a Tel Aviv-area hospital on a day when Hamas turned over coffins that were said to contain the remains of four of Mr. Dekel-Chen's neighbors in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where about a quarter of the 400 residents were either killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. It has been 504 days since the Hamas-led attack, and roughly 60 hostages have yet to come home. 'We need to double down now on getting all the hostages home,' Mr. Dekel-Chen said. The four bodies returned on Thursday were said to include three members of the Bibas family — Ariel Bibas, 4, and Kfir Bibas, who was just 10 months old, and their mother, Shiri Bibas. The Bibases came to symbolize the plight of the captives after videos of them being taken to Gaza went viral. But early Friday, the Israeli military announced that the remains in what was said to be Ms. Bibas's coffin did not match the identity of any of the hostages. 'This is a violation of utmost severity,' the military said. The authorities did confirm the children's remains, and those of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was killed in captivity by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Hostages being handed over in Khan Younis, Gaza, this month as part of a hostage and prisoner deal. Credit... Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
American-Israeli hostage only found out he was a new dad after 498 days in Hamas captivity
American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen spent 'the vast majority' of his almost 500 days in captivity not knowing that his family had survived Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack or that his wife had given birth to their third child while he was held in Gaza, his father told NBC News. The 36-year old was released from Hamas captivity Saturday along with two other hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. He is the second U.S. citizen after Keith Siegel, 65, to be freed in phase one of the ceasefire and hostage release deal. His father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, said in an interview Monday that his son, who was wounded in his right shoulder and his left leg when he was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, 'was given minimal medical treatment once he got to Gaza.' 'There was no follow-up treatment, and so there's considerable damage,' he said. 'He was in the tunnels for the vast majority of the time. Even in the short period that he was aboveground, there was no sunlight whatsoever,' he added. On the morning of the attack, Dekel-Chen put his wife, Avital Dekel-Chen, 34, and their two daughters, Bar, 7, and Gali, 3, into the safe room of their home. He then went out to confront the militants storming their kibbutz and was taken captive. He was one of around 250 people taken hostage on a day that also saw 1,200 killed, according to Israeli tallies. Avital Dekel-Chen was seven months pregnant when her husband was kidnapped and gave birth to their third daughter two months later. Dekel-Chen spent most of his 498 days in Gaza unsure whether his wife and daughters were still alive, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. 'In the tunnels, they're in a complete information vacuum,' he said. 'And so Sagui only began to piece together a partial picture two days before he was released.' Only then was he able to pick up 'bits of information here and there, which led him to believe that his wife and two older daughters survived,' Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, but 'he still didn't know whether his third daughter had survived, if she was ever born.' During the pregnancy, Dekel-Chen jokingly referred to the unborn baby as Mazal, an old-fashioned name meaning 'luck' in Hebrew, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. Moments after Dekel-Chen was reunited with his wife in southern Israel on Saturday, she told him she had named their daughter, Shachar Mazal. Shachar is the Hebrew word for 'dawn.' Video released by the Israel Defense Forces of the reunion shows Dekel-Chen becoming emotional after he learned the name of the baby he never met. 'Wow, perfect,' he whispered in response. 'What a name.' Later, he held the year-old Shachar for the first time at Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he also reunited with Bar and Gali. 'There are not words in the English language or any other language that I know that can truly express the power of that moment, of his reunion with his little girls.' Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. In the lead up to Saturday's exchange, which also saw Sasha Alexander Troufanov, 29, and Yair Horn, 46, freed by Hamas, the militant group had threatened to indefinitely delay the release of the hostages, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire by not allowing temporary shelters and heavy digging equipment into the Gaza Strip. That sparked a furious reaction from both Israel and President Donald Trump, who warned that unless they were freed, 'all hell is going to break loose' in Gaza, where health officials say more than 48,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign Oct. 7, 2023. The first phase of the agreement — which calls for the release of 33 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire and the release of around 1,900 prisoners and detainees — is due to expire March 2. Negotiations are underway to try to reach the second phase of the agreement, which would see the release of all living hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and detainees, a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Ultimately, ahead of Dekel-Chen's release, both sides backed down and reverted to the original terms of the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and 369 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for the three men. The days of uncertainty were 'brutal' as they waited to see if the ceasefire would collapse, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, adding, 'honestly, it was terrifying, not just for us but for the families of all of the remaining hostages.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
20-02-2025
- NBC News
American-Israeli hostage only found out he was a new dad after 498 days in Hamas captivity
American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen spent 'the vast majority' of his almost 500 days in captivity not knowing that his family had survived Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack or that his wife had given birth to their third child while he was held in Gaza, his father told NBC News. The 36-year old was released from Hamas captivity on Saturday along with two other hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. He is the second U.S. citizen after Keith Siegel, 65, to be freed in phase one of the ceasefire and hostage release deal. His father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, said in an interview Monday that his son, who was wounded in his right shoulder and his left leg when he was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, 'was given minimal medical treatment once he got to Gaza.' 'There was no follow-up treatment, and so there's considerable damage,' he said. 'He was in the tunnels for the vast majority of the time. Even in the short period that he was aboveground, there was no sunlight whatsoever,' he added. On the morning of the attack, Dekel-Chen put his wife, Avital Dekel-Chen, 34, and their two daughters, Bar, 7, and Gali, 3, into the safe room of their home. He then went out to confront the militants storming their kibbutz and was taken captive. He was one of around 250 people taken hostage on a day that also saw 1,200 killed, according to Israeli tallies. Avital Dekel-Chen was seven months pregnant when her husband was kidnapped and gave birth to their third daughter two months later. Dekel-Chen spent most of his 498 days in Gaza unsure whether his wife and daughters were still alive, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. 'In the tunnels, they're in a complete information vacuum,' he said. 'And so Sagui only began to piece together a partial picture two days before he was released.' Only then was he able to pick up 'bits of information here and there, which led him to believe that his wife and two older daughters survived,' Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, but 'he still didn't know whether his third daughter had survived, if she was ever born.' During the pregnancy, Dekel-Chen jokingly referred to the unborn baby as Mazal, an old-fashioned name meaning 'luck' in Hebrew, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. Moments after Dekel-Chen was reunited with his wife in southern Israel on Saturday, she told him she had named their daughter, Shachar Mazal. Shachar is the Hebrew word for 'dawn.' Video released by the Israel Defense Forces of the reunion shows Dekel-Chen becoming emotional after he learned the name of the baby he never met. 'Wow, perfect,' he whispered in response. 'What a name.' Later, he held year-old Shachar for the first time at Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he also reunited with Bar and Gali. 'There are not words in the English language or any other language that I know that can truly express the power of that moment, of his reunion with his little girls.' Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. In the lead up to Saturday's exchange, which also saw Sasha Alexander Troufanov, 29, and Yair Horn, 46, freed by Hamas, the militant group had threatened to indefinitely delay the release of the hostages, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire by not allowing temporary shelters and heavy digging equipment into the Gaza Strip. That sparked a furious reaction from both Israel and President Donald Trump, who warned that unless they were freed, 'all hell is going to break loose' in Gaza, where health officials say more than 48,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign Oct. 7, 2023. The first phase of the agreement — which calls for the release of 33 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire and the release of around 1,900 prisoners and detainees — is due to expire March 2. Negotiations are underway to try to reach the second phase of the agreement, which would see the release of all living hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and detainees, a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Ultimately, ahead of Dekel-Chen's release, both sides backed down and reverted to the original terms of the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and 369 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for the three men. The days of uncertainty were 'brutal' as they waited to see if the ceasefire would collapse, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, adding, 'honestly, it was terrifying, not just for us but for the families of all of the remaining hostages.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Father of Bloomfield man taken hostage by Gaza shares details on son's return home
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Sagui Dekel-Chen's father conducted an on-camera interview talking about his son's release from being held captive in Gaza. The 36-year-old grew up in Bloomfield but has duel U.S. and Israeli citizenship. Dekel-Chen was captured on Oct. 7, 2023. '500 days is a very long time to not know if a loved one is alive and if so, in what condition,' Watch the full video in the player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
