Latest news with #Ethiopian-Israeli
Sky News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel postpones release of 620 Palestinian prisoners after 'humiliating hostage ceremonies'
The handover of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners has been postponed "until the release of the next hostages is secured without humiliating ceremonies", Israel has said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office accused Hamas of "repeated violations" of their truce deal and lashed out at "disgraceful ceremonies" during the release of the captives in Gaza. The 620 Palestinians were due to be freed on Saturday 22 February following the group's release of six Israelis. On Sunday, Hamas said talks with Israel on extending the ceasefire deal - the first phase of which expires soon - was dependent on the prisoners being released as agreed. The White House later said Israel's decision was an "appropriate response" to the "barbaric treatment" of the hostages. The Israeli statement came as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, only to turn around and go back in. Five of the six Israeli hostages were escorted by masked, armed militants in front of crowds - displays the UN and others have criticised as cruel. The final hostage was released to the Red Cross in private. Ezzat el Rashq, of Hamas's political bureau, denied the ceremonies were insulting to hostages. He said Mr Netanyahu was endangering the ceasefire and making "flimsy excuses" not to honour his part in the deal. Hamas had speculated the delay was due to some prisoners being "assaulted", something Israel denied, claiming Red Cross officials were present at the last-minute negotiations. The Gaza ceasefire continues to hold, despite tensions earlier in the week when Hamas initially handed over the body of an unidentified Palestinian instead of mother-of-two Shiri Bibas. A video released by Hamas purported to show two Israeli hostages, Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, in distress as they were taken to watch one of the handovers on Saturday. The footage shows them speaking under duress. The hostage-prisoner exchange earmarked for Saturday was supposed to be the last for the first phase of the ceasefire. Who are the freed Israeli hostages? The first two hostages released on Saturday were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu. Mr Shoham, 40, was visiting his wife's family in Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas militants stormed into the community during the October 7 attacks in 2023. His wife, two young children and three other relatives were also abducted, but they were freed in an exchange in November 2023. Mr Mengistu, a 39-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since he entered the territory on his own in 2014. Watching the moment he was freed on TV, his family broke out in song as he walked free for the first time in more than a decade. Later on Saturday, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Mr Shem Tov, 22, was taken during the October 7 attacks on the Nova music festival. The computer programmer had shared his live location with his family, who eventually noticed he was headed towards Gaza and contact with him was lost. 0:59 Mr Cohen, 27, was also taken from the Nova festival, alongside his fiancee. Released hostages have said that he was kept in chains and deprived of food and sunlight during his time in captivity, according to reports. Mr Wenkert, 23, was taken from Nova. He suffers from colitis and requires special medical care, it has been reported. Finally, Hisham al Sayed, 28, was handed over in a private ceremony. The Bedouin-Israeli, from the village of Hura in the Negev desert, has been a captive since he crossed into Gaza in 2015. Who were the Palestinian prisoners meant to be released? According to the prisons office, run by Hamas, they included 50 who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 described as having "high" sentences, 47 prisoners from the "Wafa al Ahrar" 2011 prisoner exchange deal who had since been re-arrested, and 445 who were arrested after 7 October attacks. The "Wafa al-Ahrar" deal was the 2011 prisoner exchange agreement that saw the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners. Among the most high-profile Palestinians who had been set to be released was Nael Barghouti - the longest-serving prisoner, who has been inside for 43 years. Also on the list were several journalists, many of whom covered events at al Shifa hospital, and Yousef al Mansi, a Palestinian minister in Gaza. It had been expected that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, would be among those being released on Saturday. However it later emerged that he was not on the list of those set to be freed.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners, citing ‘humiliating' handovers of hostages
Israel says the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed 'until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies' at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza. The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office came early Sunday as military vehicles that normally move in advance of the buses carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in. The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. It was meant to be the largest one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire's first phase. Israel's announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt. The Palestinian Authority's commission for prisoners' affairs confirmed the delay 'until further notice.' Associated Press video in the West Bank showed prisoners' families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears. Five of the six hostages freed Saturday had been escorted by masked, armed militants in front of a crowd — a display that the U.N. and Red Cross have criticized as cruel after previous handovers. The Israeli statement cited 'ceremonies that demean the dignity of our hostages and the cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes.' It was likely a reference to a Hamas video showing two hostages who have yet to be released watching a handover in Gaza on Saturday and speaking under duress. The six were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire's second phase are yet to start. The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own. Five were handed over in staged ceremonies. In one, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were posed alongside Hamas fighters. A beaming Shem Tov, acting under duress, kissed two militants on the head and blew kisses to the crowd. They wore fake army uniforms, though they were not soldiers when abducted. Cohen's family and friends in Israel chanted 'Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!' and cheered. 'You're heroes,' Shem Tov told his parents as they later embraced, laughing and crying. 'You have no idea how much I dreamt of you.' His father, Malki Shem Tov, told public broadcaster Kan his son was held alone after the first 50 days and lost 17 kilograms (37 pounds). Earlier Saturday, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues. The Israeli-Austrian Shoham was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri. His wife and two children were freed in a 2023 exchange. Later, Israel's military said Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released. The Bedouin Israeli entered Gaza in 2015. His family has told Israeli media he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia. Israel's government didn't respond to questions about the delay in releasing prisoners. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accusing Netanyahu of 'deliberately stalling.' The hostage release followed a heartrending dispute when Hamas on Thursday handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother abducted with her two young boys. The remains were determined to be those of a Palestinian woman. Netanyahu vowed revenge for 'a cruel and malicious violation.' Hamas suggested it was a mistake. Israeli forensic authorities confirmed a body handed over on Friday was Bibas. Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, said they found no evidence Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as Hamas has claimed. Kugel did not give a cause. Hamas denied the Israeli military claim, based on forensic evidence and unspecified 'intelligence,' that its militants killed the children 'with their bare hands,' calling it a lie aimed at justifying Israeli military actions against civilians in Gaza. The ceasefire deal has paused the deadliest and most devastating fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, but there are fears the war will resume. Negotiations on the ceasefire's second phase are likely to be more difficult. Hamas had said it will release four bodies next week, completing the truce's first phase. After that, Hamas will hold over 60 hostages — about half believed to be alive. Hamas has said it won't release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu, with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, says he's committed to destroying Hamas' military and governing capacities and returning all hostages, goals widely seen as mutually exclusive. An Israeli official had said Netanyahu would meet with security advisers on Saturday evening about the ceasefire's future, focusing 'on the goal of returning all our hostages, alive and dead.' The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting had not been formally announced. Wenkert, Cohen, Shoham and Shem Tov had an 'extremely difficult period in captivity,' the Beilinson hospital said, but it did not give details at the families' request. Niva Wenkert, Omer's mother, told Israel's Channel 12 that 'on the surface, he looks OK, but there's no telling what's inside.' 'This is an unforgettable moment, where all emotions are rapidly mixing together,' Shoham's family said, and called for a deal to free all hostages still held. Families and others rallied again Saturday night in Tel Aviv to pressure Netanyahu's government for a deal. 'How is it possible that President Trump and special envoy (Steven) Witkoff are more committed to the return of Israeli hostages than you are?' said Naama Weinberg, cousin of deceased hostage Itay Svirsky. 'Netanyahu, these are your citizens who were abandoned on your watch!' Hamas later released a video showing two hostages still held, Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa Dallal, as they sat in a vehicle and spoke under duress at the handover for Shem Tov, Cohen and Wenkert. A group representing hostages' families called the video 'sickening.' The 620 Palestinian prisoners meant to be freed include 151 serving life or other sentences for attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 would be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners' media office. A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison for an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver. Also meant to be released are 445 men, 23 children aged 15 to 19, and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war. Israel's military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence. The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble. At its height, the war displaced 90% of Gaza's population. The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died in the war. ___ Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Jahjouh from Rafah. Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; Abdel-Kareem Hana in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip; and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Sky News
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel postpones release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners after 'humiliating hostage ceremonies'
The release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners planned for Saturday has been postponed "until the release of the next hostages is secured without humiliating ceremonies", Israel has said. In a statement early on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of "repeated violations" as it lashed out at "disgraceful ceremonies" during the handover of Israeli captives in Gaza. The Israeli PM's office said: "In light of the repeated and ongoing violations by Hamas - including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonour the dignity of our abductees and the cynical use of captives for propaganda purposes - it has been decided to postpone the release of the terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next group of abductees is secured, and without the humiliating ceremonies." The statement came as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, only to turn around and go back in. The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to happen after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. Five of the six captives were escorted by masked, armed militants in front of crowds - displays that the United Nations and others have criticised as cruel after previous handovers. The final hostage was released to the Red Cross in private. The Gaza ceasefire deal continues to hold, despite tensions rising earlier in the week when Hamas initially handed over the body of an unidentified Palestinian woman instead of Israeli mother-of-two Shiri Bibas. The hostage-prisoner exchange earmarked for Saturday was supposed to be the last for the first phase of the ceasefire. Israel had been expected to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, including a man who has been detained for more than 40 years, and many more given life sentences. However, as night fell across the region, they remained behind bars, with Hamas claiming their release had been delayed because some of them had been "assaulted". An Israeli spokesperson has denied the assaults and said the Red Cross were present at the prison. Who are the freed Israeli hostages? The first two hostages released on Saturday were Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu. Mr Shoham, 40, was visiting his wife's family in Kibbutz Be'eri when Hamas militants stormed into the community during the October 7 attacks in 2023. His wife, two young children and three other relatives were also abducted, but they were freed in an exchange in November 2023. Mr Mengistu, a 39-year-old Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since he entered the territory on his own in 2014. Watching the moment he was freed on TV, his family broke out in song as he walked free for the first time in more than a decade. Later on Saturday, Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov and Omer Wenkert were handed over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Mr Shem Tov, 22, was taken during the October 7 attacks on the Nova music festival. The computer programmer had shared his live location with his family, who eventually noticed he was headed towards Gaza and contact with him was lost. 0:59 Mr Cohen, 27, was also taken from the Nova festival, alongside his fiancee. Released hostages have said that he was kept in chains and deprived of food and sunlight during his time in captivity, according to reports. Mr Wenkert, 23, was taken from Nova. He suffers from colitis and requires special medical care, it has been reported. Finally, Hisham al Sayed, 28, was handed over in a private ceremony. The Bedouin-Israeli, from the village of Hura in the Negev desert, has been a captive since he crossed into Gaza in 2015. Who were the Palestinian prisoners due to be released? More than 600 Palestinian prisoners had been set to be released on Saturday. According to the prisons office, which is run by Hamas, they included 50 who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, 60 described as having "high" sentences, 47 prisoners from the "Wafa al Ahrar" 2011 prisoner exchange deal who had since been re-arrested, and 445 who were arrested after 7 October attacks. The "Wafa al-Ahrar" deal was the 2011 prisoner exchange agreement that saw the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners. Among the most high-profile Palestinians who had been set to be released was Nael Barghouti - the longest-serving prisoner, who has been inside for 43 years. Also on the list were several journalists, many of whom covered events at al Shifa hospital, and Yousef al Mansi, a Palestinian minister in Gaza. It had been expected that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, would be among those being released on Saturday. However it later emerged that he was not on the list of those set to be freed.
Voice of America
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners, citing 'humiliating' handovers of hostages
Israel says the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed "until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies" at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza. The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office early Sunday came as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in. The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after six Israeli hostages were released Saturday. It was meant to be the largest one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire's first phase. Israel's announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt. The Palestinian Authority's commission for prisoners' affairs confirmed the delay "until further notice." The Associated Press video, recorded in the West Bank, showed prisoners' families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears. The six were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire's second phase are yet to start. The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own. Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were released together. Cohen's family and friends in Israel chanted "Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!" and cheered. "You're heroes," Shem Tov told his parents as they later embraced, laughing and crying. "You have no idea how much I dreamt of you." His father, Malki Shem Tov, told public broadcaster Kan his son was held alone after the first 50 days and lost 17 kilograms (37 pounds). Earlier Saturday, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues. The Israeli-Austrian Shoham was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri. His wife and two children were freed in a 2023 exchange. Later, Israel's military said Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released. The Bedouin-Israeli entered Gaza in 2015. His family had told Israeli media he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia. Accusations of 'stalling' Israel's government didn't respond to questions about the delay in releasing prisoners. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accusing Netanyahu of "deliberately stalling." The hostage release followed a heartrending dispute when Hamas on Thursday handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother abducted with her two young boys. The remains were determined to be those of an unnamed Palestinian woman. Netanyahu vowed revenge for "a cruel and malicious violation." Hamas suggested it was a mistake. Israeli forensic authorities confirmed a body handed over Friday was Bibas. Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, said they found no evidence Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as Hamas has claimed. Kugel did not give a cause. Difficult talks likely The ceasefire deal has paused the deadliest and most devastating fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, but there are fears the war will resume. Negotiations on the ceasefire's second phase are likely to be more difficult. Hamas had said it will release four bodies next week, completing the truce's first phase. After that, Hamas will hold over 60 hostages — about half believed to be alive. Hamas has said it won't release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu, with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, says he's committed to destroying Hamas' military and governing capacities and returning all hostages, goals widely seen as mutually exclusive. Israel's military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 Hamas terrorists, without providing evidence. The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble. At its height, the war displaced 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million population. The October 7, 2023, terrorist attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died in the war.
CBS News
23-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Israel delays release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners after 6 hostages freed
Israel says the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed "until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies" at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza. The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office came early Sunday local time as military vehicles that normally move in advance of the buses carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in. The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. It was meant to be the largest one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire's first phase. Israel's announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt. The Palestinian Authority's commission for prisoners' affairs confirmed the delay "until further notice." Associated Press video in the West Bank showed prisoners' families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears. Five of the six hostages freed Saturday had been escorted by masked, armed militants in front of a crowd — a display that the U.N. and Red Cross have criticized as cruel after previous handovers. The Israeli statement cited "ceremonies that demean the dignity of our hostages and the cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes." It was likely a reference to a Hamas video showing two hostages who have yet to be released watching a handover in Gaza on Saturday and speaking under duress. The six were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire's second phase are yet to start. The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own. Five were handed over in staged ceremonies. In one, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were posed alongside Hamas fighters. A beaming Shem Tov, acting under duress, kissed two militants on the head and blew kisses to the crowd. They wore fake army uniforms, though they were not soldiers when abducted. Cohen's family and friends in Israel chanted "Eliya! Eliya! Eliya!" and cheered. "You're heroes," Shem Tov told his parents as they later embraced, laughing and crying. "You have no idea how much I dreamt of you." His father, Malki Shem Tov, told public broadcaster Kan his son was held alone after the first 50 days and lost 17 kilograms (37 pounds). Earlier Saturday, Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, were freed. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, entered Gaza in 2014. His family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues. The Israeli-Austrian Shoham was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri. His wife and two children were freed in a 2023 exchange. Later, Israel's military said Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, was released. The Bedouin Israeli entered Gaza in 2015. His family has told Israeli media he was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia. Israel's government didn't respond to questions about the delay in releasing prisoners. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accusing Netanyahu of "deliberately stalling." The hostage release followed a heartrending dispute when Hamas on Thursday handed over the wrong body for Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother abducted with her two young boys. The remains were determined to be those of a Palestinian woman. Netanyahu vowed revenge for "a cruel and malicious violation." Hamas suggested it was a mistake. Israeli forensic authorities confirmed a body handed over on Friday was Bibas. Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, said they found no evidence Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as Hamas has claimed. Kugel did not give a cause. Hamas denied the Israeli military claim, based on forensic evidence and unspecified "intelligence," that its militants killed the children "with their bare hands," calling it a lie aimed at justifying Israeli military actions against civilians in Gaza.
