Latest news with #Hamas-orchestrated
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hostage Edan Alexander's parents share the joy of a long-awaited reunion
Tel Aviv — American-Israeli Edan Alexander was among the first Israeli captives taken into Gaza during the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. One week ago, he was reunited with his family in a deal brokered by the Trump administration and led by the White House's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. Alexander and his family have credited the Trump team with saving his life, and in a sit-down interview with CBS News, the young soldier's parents told senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta about the remarkable moment they learned Edan would be released, and the moments they've cherished since. Edan Alexander spent 584 days in Hamas captivity. After a number of false starts and false hope for his release, when the call finally did come from the highest levels of the U.S. government, his father missed it — eight times. "So, we were all at home in Jersey after the Mother's Day brunch that we had," recalled his mother, Yael. "I was blowing out some leaves," said his father, Adi. When he put down the leaf blower, he realized he had "missed eight phone calls from Steve Witkoff." When Adi finally got in touch with the senior White House envoy, "he told us in 10 minutes from now, Hamas will be announcing about your son's release tomorrow." "I thanked him. Non-stop; 'Thank you, Steve! Thank you so much,'" Yael recalled saying down the phone line. "It's the happiest Mother's Day ever!" "We were like, yelling, like crazy with the kids," she said. As Yael, Adi and their two other children watched the television, the announcement came that Edan would be released the following day, just as Witkoff had promised. "And we were like, okay, we need to pack! We need to... Get to Israel!" Finally, the reunion they'd dreamt of for more than a year and a half was taking shape. Adi booked a flight immediately. Yael had already booked one for later that same day, in a sheer stroke of luck, planning to go and be with family in Israel right after marking Mother's Day. Neither of the parents got much rest on their flights to Israel. "I couldn't sleep the whole flight," Yael told CBS News. "Like, you're alert ... I couldn't sit even, you know? I was like in full adrenaline, like, ready, to be there and to get Edan back, you know?" As soon as they touched down, they were whisked away to an Israeli military base, where Edan soon arrived after being handed over by Hamas. "Definitely I gave him like, the biggest hug ever," said his mother. "When I came to him, I came in full power! We almost fell, because he was weak, and he was very excited, like he was standing, like shivering, you know, because, wow, it's unbelievable — and I'm screaming, and I am like, you know, holding him. It was — wow." The parents said Edan remains weak, but doctors cleared him for release from the hospital where he's been treated. He's still getting medical attention for some minor injuries sustained during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which his mom and dad said, "nobody took care of in those tunnels." Even getting his freedom back was a harrowing ordeal. "The day of release was a very busy day for him," father Adi told CBS News. "It took forever. They moved around and crawled under, and it was a very tough day on him. He didn't sleep the whole night before that, because he was excited, he didn't sleep. He was like, super, super tired, so it took like, almost two days after for him to decompress from the day of the release." Since then, Edan has given them some details about his captivity, but they aren't pushing him. "He talks a lot about it, but no rush. We're not asking. If you want to say something, you say, and we're not pushing," said his father. "He went through a lot of stuff." "He's just happy to be home, you know, just to sit with Mika and Roy [his siblings] and just to hang out and just be with us and watch TV yesterday," his parents said. During his long captivity, Edan saw his parents on the news, pleading for his release. "I think the fact that he saw us, saw us running and fighting and knocking on every door, kept him hopeful," said his father, along with "the fact that he was held with other hostages all together, and not by himself, kept him hopeful. And he's just a strong kid, you know, strong mentally and physically." Hamas has held many of its hostages in tunnels under the Gaza Strip, with many, including Alexander, saying they never saw daylight at all. "I'm so pale," his mother recalled him saying. "I look like a vampire!" Israel has stepped up its war in Gaza, where the Hamas-run Ministry of Health says more than 53,000 people have now been killed since the fighting began, including more than 500 in the last week alone. Families of the hostages — 58 of whom are still believed to be held in Gaza, including about 20 thought by Israeli officials to be alive — have taken to the streets regularly, decrying the renewed offensive as putting their loved ones at even greater risk. "Edan told us, so when they heard the bombing, it was very, very concerning, scary," said Adi. "And at some point, one of the tunnels collapsed." "He told us sometimes he was afraid to go to sleep. Because maybe they are going to bomb this place that he is specifically inside," added the father. "It was very scary." Now back together as a family, their thoughts are still very much with the other hostages. "We are still continuing to speak for all the 58 hostages that are still there," Yael told CBS News. "Whatever Edan told me about hostages [who were] with him, you know, during any time of the captivity, I'm calling their moms and dads, and I'm telling them from the hospital — I've done it already — and I am telling them whatever Edan told me. You know, to give them a little bit hope that their story could end also soon, and with a good ending." She knows better than most how much power that hope can provide. "It's very important, you know. For me, every hostage that got released, it was like, 'Oh my God, maybe he saw Edan. Maybe he can tell me something, and I don't care if it's not from two days, you know. Maybe a year ago he was with Edan, but still, to hear something about my boy, you know, it was very crucial to us." At least one of those previously released hostages came to visit Edan in the hospital last week. Fellow U.S.-Israeli dual national Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was released after 498 days in captivity, said in a statement released Monday by the Hostage Families Forum that he and Edan were together for a while in captivity. "Our fates became intertwined in the most complex situation one could imagine," Dekel-Chen said in the statement. "It was important for me to come and welcome Edan upon his return. I know what he went through and what he still has ahead of him. I am very happy for him and his family. I hope that soon I will be able to embrace all the other hostages who remain behind as well." Yael Alexander said "it was unbelievable to see" the two men reunited in freedom. "It was a miracle. This is the victory — to see the hostages together." Asked what their family wanted the world to know now, as rumors swirl once again of potential progress in ceasefire talks despite the ramped-up Israeli military operations, Adi said the message was simple: Act now. "The urgency," he told CBS News. "Just the urgency. Our son, he was lucky to get out … Listen, you can't treat agony with more agony. This war needs to end." For the time being, however, there is no end in sight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday that Israel intends to keep pushing its offensive in Gaza, to seize complete control of the Palestinian territory. "We're grateful for Steve [Witkoff], for President Trump, and for Adam Boehler," said the relieved father. "Great job. But the job is not done. We still have more to do." "It's time for them to come home. All of them," said Yael. "Not in small pieces, just, to bring everyone back home." Raw Video: Mexican navy training ship hits Brooklyn Bridge Italy's Trulli: From Past to Present Car bomb outside Palm Springs fertility clinic was act of terrorism, officials say
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas releases U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander
Hamas said it had released Edan Alexander, believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held hostage in Gaza, Monday as President Trump departed Washington for a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Israel Defense Forces said a hostage had been transferred to the Red Cross and was being transported to the IDF in Gaza. Hamas, a U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group, said Sunday evening that it would release Alexander without conditions in the hope of working toward a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and renewing the flow of vital humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory. Alexander, who is now 21, grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel, where he was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023 when he was abducted during the Hamas-orchestrated attack that sparked the war in Gaza. In February, CBS News spoke to Alexander's mother, Yael, who said she was doing all she could to fight for her son's release and keep going for her other children. "It's not easy, but you know what, I'm taking strength from my kids to be ok and to wake up every morning and to put clothes on… to smile for them, to hug them, to tell them how much I love them and to give them also a lot of hope that Edan is okay." The Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the news of Alexander's release and said they'd be organizing a march at the U.S. embassy in Israel on Monday to demand "a breakthrough and comprehensive agreement" to bring the remaining hostages home. President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed to CBS News that he'd be traveling to the region ahead of Alexander's release, and local media said he had arrived earlier on Monday. Hamas said Sunday the decision to release Alexander came after "contacts with the U.S. administration over the past few days," and that the group was ready to "immediately begin intensive negotiations to exert serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually agreed-upon prisoner exchange, and have the Gaza Strip administered by an independent professional body. This would ensure long-term calm and stability, along with reconstruction and the lifting of the blockade." In a post on his own Truth Social platform, President Trump called the move "a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators - Qatar and Egypt - to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict." The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying "Israel did not commit to any ceasefire or to the release of terrorists, but only to a safe corridor that would allow for Idan's release." Israel's government uses that spelling of Alexander's first name. "We are in critical days when Hamas is faced with a deal that will allow for the release of our hostages," the prime minister's office said. "Negotiations will continue under fire and while preparations are being made to intensify the fighting." Israel has been preventing the entry of food and medical aid into Gaza for nearly three months, with aid groups saying malnutrition is rising across the enclave. Food security experts said in a report published Monday that the population of Gaza was facing a critical risk of famine. "The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation" the group Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in a report. "With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible - It is increasingly likely." Also on Monday, Israeli strikes were reported on a school-turned-shelter in the area of Jabaliya in Gaza, killing 16 people - mainly women and children - according to the Hamas-run ministry of health there. Josh's mom on making a move What will Pope Leo XIV mean for the Church? Hamas releases Edan Alexander, last known living U.S.-Israeli hostage | Special Report
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.N. report accuses Israeli forces of "genocidal acts," sexual violence
Tel Aviv — A United Nations report published Thursday accuses Israeli military forces of engaging in "sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians" in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since Hamas' terror attacks against Israel on October 7th, 2023. The U.N. Human Rights Council's report also claims Israel's troops have committed "genocidal acts" in the war against Hamas, which was sparked by the U.S. and Israeli designated terrorist group's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In making the latter claim, the council cited what it called the "systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities" including maternity wards and Gaza's primary in-vitro fertility clinic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement shared by his office, quickly and angrily refuted the report and attacked the council as an "anti-Semitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting and irrelevant body." "The U.N. is once again choosing to attack the State of Israel with false accusations, including unfounded accusations of sexual violence," the statement said. "It is one of the worst cases of blood libel the world has ever seen (and the world has seen many)," said Israel's Foreign Minister Oren Marmorstein in a post on social media. "It accuses the victims of the crimes committed against them." The explosive report was published just over a year after a U.N. expert on sexual violence published a paper accusing Hamas of similar actions, saying there were "reasonable grounds to believe" sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, had occurred at several locations during the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7 terrorist attack. That previous report, by the U.N. special envoy on sexual violence Pramila Patten, said there was also reason to believe sexual abuse of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza was "ongoing." U.N. experts interviewed dozens of witnesses and reviewed thousands of photos and 50 hours of video shot during the terrorist attack, but Patten said the team had been unable to meet with any survivors of sexual violence. Hamas rejected the allegations. Navi Pillay, who chairs the U.N. inquiry commission behind the report published Thursday, said it had gathered evidence that "reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence" by Israeli forces. "There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorize them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination," Pillay said. The report documents a broad range of accusations against Israel's security forces, alleging crimes against Palestinian women and girls, but also men and boys in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The U.N. commission cites incidents of alleged forced public stripping and nudity, sexual harassment, rape and threats of rape and violence to the genitals, which it claims have become "standard operating procedures toward Palestinians" and are "committed either under explicit orders or with implicit encouragement by Israel's top civilian and military leadership." The commission's findings were published after two days of public hearings in Geneva that included testimony from purported victims, witnesses, medical staff, academics and lawyers. Trump reacts to European Union slapping tariffs on U.S. goods Kentucky bourbon maker says Trump tariffs immediately impacted his business Latest on missing American college student in the Dominican Republic
CBS News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
U.N. report accuses Israeli forces of "genocidal acts," sexual violence in Gaza and West Bank
Tel Aviv — A United Nations report published Thursday accuses Israeli military forces of engaging in "sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians" in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since Hamas' terror attacks against Israel on October 7th, 2023. The U.N. Human Rights Council's report also claims Israel's troops have committed "genocidal acts" in the war against Hamas, which was sparked by the U.S. and Israeli designated terrorist group's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In making the latter claim, the council cited what it called the "systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities" including maternity wards and Gaza's primary in-vitro fertility clinic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement shared by his office, quickly and angrily refuted the report and attacked the council as an "anti-Semitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting and irrelevant body." "The U.N. is once again choosing to attack the State of Israel with false accusations, including unfounded accusations of sexual violence," the statement said. "It is one of the worst cases of blood libel the world has ever seen (and the world has seen many)," said Israel's Foreign Minister Oren Marmorstein in a post on social media. "It accuses the victims of the crimes committed against them." The explosive report was published just over a year after a U.N. expert on sexual violence published a paper accusing Hamas of similar actions, saying there were "reasonable grounds to believe" sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, had occurred at several locations during the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7 terrorist attack. That previous report, by the U.N. special envoy on sexual violence Pramila Patten, said there was also reason to believe sexual abuse of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza was "ongoing." U.N. experts interviewed dozens of witnesses and reviewed thousands of photos and 50 hours of video shot during the terrorist attack, but Patten said the team had been unable to meet with any survivors of sexual violence. Hamas rejected the allegations. Navi Pillay, who chairs the U.N. inquiry commission behind the report published Thursday, said it had gathered evidence that "reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence" by Israeli forces. "There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorize them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination," Pillay said. The report documents a broad range of accusations against Israel's security forces, alleging crimes against Palestinian women and girls, but also men and boys in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The U.N. commission cites incidents of alleged forced public stripping and nudity, sexual harassment, rape and threats of rape and violence to the genitals, which it claims have become "standard operating procedures toward Palestinians" and are "committed either under explicit orders or with implicit encouragement by Israel's top civilian and military leadership." The commission's findings were published after two days of public hearings in Geneva that included testimony from purported victims, witnesses, medical staff, academics and lawyers.
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Hamas says it will release more hostages than expected this week, including bodies of the Bibas family
Cairo — In a surprise announcement, a top Hamas leader said Tuesday that the U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group would release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, including the remains of the Bibas family, who for many Israelis have embodied the captives' plight in Gaza. Israel has said it is gravely concerned about Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, but has not confirmed their deaths. Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war. Kfir, who was 9 months old at the time, was the youngest hostage taken in the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack that triggered the war in Gaza. Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Palestinian territory. A video of the abduction on Oct. 7 showed Shiri swaddling her redheaded boys in a blanket and being whisked away by armed men. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in prerecorded remarks on Tuesday, said the "Bibas family" would be included in the handover of four bodies. They will be the first hostage remains released by the group under the current ceasefire, which took effect on January 19. The six to be released on Saturday are the last living hostages to be freed during the ceasefire's first phase, according to the terms of the agreement brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. The terms of the deal called for only three more hostages to be freed in this next exchange, and it was not immediately clear why Hamas had changed the plan. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said however that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to allow long-requested mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza as part of efforts to accelerate the hostages' release. Hamas last week threatened to delay its ongoing releases of hostages, citing the refusal to allow in mobile homes and heavy equipment among other alleged Israeli violations of the truce, but an agreement was reached ahead of the Saturday handover, which went ahead without incident. An American-Israeli dual national, Sagui Dekel-Chen, was among the three hostages released on Feb. 15 — the second U.S. national freed by Hamas during this ceasefire after Keith Siegel was handed over earlier in the month. The hostages have been freed in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons – including some who were serving long sentences for serious crimes. The ceasefire has paused the deadliest fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, enabled a surge of aid into the devastated Gaza Strip and allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes, or what is left of them, as Israeli forces have withdrawn from much of the territory. The sides have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase, in which Hamas would release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Major challenges are ahead. Israel's government says it wants to eliminate Hamas' military and governing capabilities in Gaza. But the terrorist group quickly reasserted its control over the territory during the ceasefire despite losing leaders and many fighters. In addition, President Trump's new proposal to relocate the Palestinians out of Gaza so the U.S. can redevelop the territory has been rejected by the Arab world and by the Palestinians, whom Mr. Trump has said would not be allowed to return. But Israel has embraced the plan and, along with the Trump administration, has emphasized they share the same goals in the war. Israelis were horrified by the sight of three emaciated hostages in an earlier release this month, and revelations about hostages being held alone, barefoot or in chains have increased the pressure on Netanyahu's government to push ahead with the ceasefire's next stage.
