Latest news with #EzzedineAl-QassamBrigades
News18
12-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Welcome Home Edan': Trump Claims Credit After Hamas Releases American-Israeli Hostage
Last Updated: Edan Alexander, a soldier, was held in Gaza since October 7 attacks launched by Hamas. Hamas on Monday handed over US-Israeli national Edan Alexander, held hostage since the October 2023 attacks, marking a significant breakthrough just ahead of US President Donald Trump's regional tour starting with Saudi Arabia. Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israeli military, was released by Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, following what the group described as 'direct contacts with the US administration" as part of a broader push to secure a ceasefire. Israel's military confirmed Alexander's return and said he had already spoken to his mother. He is being taken to an initial reception point before being reunited with family. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited both Trump's political pressure and Israeli military operations for the breakthrough. He reiterated that Israel remains committed to bringing home all hostages, dead or alive. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, congratulated Alexander's family and said the release was a result of persistent behind-the-scenes efforts. His administration had intensified contacts with regional players, including Qatar, to press for a deal. This is the first public sign of direct negotiation between Hamas and the US. The Palestinian faction issued a statement urging Washington to pursue 'serious and responsible dialogue" rather than backing continued Israeli aggression, warning that inaction could endanger remaining hostages. Netanyahu said a negotiating team would be sent to Qatar on Tuesday but clarified that Israel had not agreed to any ceasefire or prisoner release—only to a humanitarian corridor to facilitate Alexander's exit. Talks, he said, would continue even 'under fire" as Israel readies for a fresh military escalation. 'We affirm that serious and responsible negotiations yield results in the release of prisoners, while the continuation of aggression prolongs their suffering and may kill them," Hamas said in a statement. 'We urge President Trump's administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war," it added. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 12, 2025, 23:43 IST
Arab News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Hamas armed wing releases video of apparently injured Israeli hostage
JERUSALEM: The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Saturday showing what appeared to be an Israeli hostage injured in a strike on Gaza. In the undated four-minute video, which AFP has not been able to verify, the hostage, wearing bandages on his head and left arm and identifying himself only as 'Prisoner 24,' spoke in Hebrew with a Russian accent, implying he had been wounded in a recent Israeli bombardment. The man, shown lying on the ground, also referred to Israel's Independence Day celebrations on Thursday as upcoming, suggesting that the video was filmed shortly beforehand. He gave a similar message to other hostages shown in videos released by the militant group, urging pressure on the Israeli government to free those still held in Gaza. Militants in the territory still hold 58 hostages seized in Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel. The army says 34 of them are dead. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014. The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting. Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over next steps in the ceasefire. The Israeli government says its renewed offensive aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives, although critics charge it puts them in mortal danger. Since the end of the truce, Hamas has released several videos of hostages. The latest images come as efforts by mediators to broker a new truce have stalled.
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hamas Releases Video Showing Israeli Hostage Marking His Birthday
Hamas's armed wing released a video showing an Israeli-Hungarian hostage walking through a tunnel in Gaza and lighting a candle to mark his birthday. In the nearly three-minute clip published by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the hostage -- who identifies himself as Omri Miran -- addresses the camera in Hebrew. His family confirmed his identity in a statement issued through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, while requesting that the media refrain from publishing the footage. AFP was unable to verify when the footage was recorded, but in it, Miran says he is marking his 48th birthday, which fell on April 11. He is initially shown walking through a tunnel, then seated on a mattress in a confined space, acknowledging protesters in Israel who have been demonstrating against the government and demanding the hostages' release. He states that hostages are living in constant fear of bombings and urges a deal be reached as soon as possible to secure their release, adding that he missed his wife and daughters. "On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we say 'never again,' an Israeli citizen cries out for help from Hamas's tunnels," his family said in a statement. "It is a moral failure for the state of Israel. Our Omri is strong and will not break, but our hearts are broken," the family added. "We will continue to fight until Omri returns to us, and especially to his two daughters who are waiting with all their hearts to hold him again." He previously appeared in an undated video released by Hamas on April 27, 2024. In that footage he urged his family to pressure the Israeli government to strike a deal with Hamas on freeing the hostages. During their attack on October 7, Hamas militants abducted 251 hostages and took them to Gaza. Of those, 58 are still being held there, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Germany, France, Britain urge Israel to end aid blockade
Israeli attacks killed at least 25 people across the besieged territory, while Germany, France and Britain urged Israel to end its blockade on aid. Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, ending the ceasefire that had largely paused hostilities and saw the release of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinians from Israeli custody. Talks on a new ceasefire have so far failed to produce any breakthroughs, and a Hamas delegation is in Cairo for renewed negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas's armed wing the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades later Wednesday issued footage it said was of an Israeli hostage alive in a Gaza tunnel. He identified himself as 48-year-old Omri Miran. His family in a statement decried "a moral failure for the State of Israel... We will continue to fight until Omri returns to us." Israel continued to pound Gaza, with rescuers saying at least 25 people had been killed since dawn, including 11 in a strike on a school-turned-shelter. "The school was housing displaced people. The bombing sparked a massive blaze, and several charred bodies have since been recovered," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, describing the attack on Yaffa school in Gaza City's Al-Tuffah neighbourhood. An AFP journalist reported seeing several bodies in white shrouds at Al-Shifa hospital's morgue, where women wept over the body of a child. "We want nothing more than for the war to end, so we can live like people in the rest of the world," said Khan Yunis resident Walid al-Najjar. "We are a people who are poor, devastated -- our lives are lost." Germany, France, and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death". "We urge Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in order to meet the needs of all civilians," their foreign ministers said in a joint statement.
LBCI
23-04-2025
- LBCI
Hamas armed wing releases video showing Israeli hostage alive
Hamas' armed wing released a video on Wednesday showing an Israeli hostage alive in Gaza, speaking in Hebrew and walking through a tunnel. The nearly three-minute clip released by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades shows the captive speaking to the camera. AFP was unable to immediately identify him or verify when the footage was recorded. AFP
