Latest news with #Hostages
Fox News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Wonder Woman' actress Gal Gadot praises 'strength' of freed Hamas hostages during emotional visit
"Wonder Woman" actress and Israeli national Gal Gadot visited with survivors of Hamas captivity on Tuesday, according to the Hostages and Missing Families their gathering, Gadot embraced and spoke with Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Moran Stella Yanai, and Ilana Gritzewsky, all of whom shared harrowing stories from their time in captivity. The women also expressed their gratitude to Gadot for her "outspoken support of the fight to bring the hostages home," the Forum noted. "Don't stop," Doron Steinbrecher told Gadot. "We must keep talking and keep them in people's hearts and minds." Gadot, who served as a combat instructor in the Israel Defense Forces and represented Israel in Miss Universe 2004, reflected on the courage of the freed hostages."You've all been through incredibly difficult things, and I can't believe you're standing here today, continuing your lives and fighting for others," she said. "Watching you carry the weight for those still in captivity — you are an inspiration, and you are strength."According to the American Jewish Committee, 50 hostages, including men, women, and two Americans, remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza. ISRAEL RECOVERS REMAINS OF THREE MORE BODIES HELD BY HAMAS: 'NO VICTORY UNTIL LAST HOSTAGE RETURNS' A hostage agreement reached in January between Israel and Hamas led to the release of 33 individuals, but advocacy groups like the Hostages and Missing Families Forum continue to push for the return of those still being held. Gadot's visit comes as part of broader efforts to maintain international awareness and support for the remaining HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Gadot is best known for her portrayal of DC superhero "Wonder Woman" and her appearance in "Death on the Nile" in 2022.
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Israeli strikes kill at least 20 in Gaza, health officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in Gaza, Palestinian health officials said Tuesday, as Israel pushed on with a new incursion in an area that had largely been spared heavy fighting during the 21-month war. The expansion of Israel's ground invasion comes as Israel and Hamas have been considering terms for a ceasefire for Gaza that would pause the fighting and free at least some hostages.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
WHO says Israeli forces attacked residence and detained staff; IDF shelling kills 12 in tent encampment - Israel-Gaza war live
Update: Date: Title: WHO says Israeli forces attacked staff residence and main warehouse in Gaza Content: The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza. The WHO said its staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes causing a fire and extensive damage, and endangering staff and their families, including children. On Monday, Israeli tanks for the first time pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. The WHO said: Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, it said in a post on X. It said three were later released, while one staff member remained in detention. Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff.' Deir al-Balah is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west or south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy infrastructure and the capabilities of the militant group Hamas. But the area is also the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the devastated territory and Gaza health officials have warned of potential 'mass deaths' in coming days from hunger. Update: Date: 2025-07-22T07:01:28.000Z Title: Opening summary Content: Hello and welcome back to the Guardian's coverage of the Middle East. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza. The WHO said its staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes causing a fire and extensive damage, and endangering staff and their families, including children. On Monday, Israeli tanks for the first time pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. 'Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint,' the WHO said. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, it said in a post on X. It said three were later released, while one staff member remained in detention. Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff.' Israel on Monday rejected the joint statement published by over 20 countries calling for an end to the war in Gaza, 'as it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas', the foreign ministry said. The international statement – signed by Australia, the UK, France, Canada, New Zealand and Japan among others – warned 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths'. Israeli tank shelling killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded dozens others in a tent encampment in western Gaza City north of the territory, local health authorities said early on Tuesday. Medics said the tanks stationed north of Shati camp fired two shells at tents, housing displaced families, killing at least 12 people. There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident. In other developments: In its daily update, Gaza's health ministry said on Monday at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks. An Israeli army strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza last week has pushed the Vatican to change its tone on Israel and blame it more directly in the dragging war. The strike killed three people in the Holy Family Church in the centre of Gaza City, prompting condemnation by politicians and by religious leaders of various denominations. Pope Leo XIV on Sunday slammed the 'barbarity' of the war and the blind 'use of force', denouncing 'the attack by the Israeli army'. An Israeli undercover force detained Marwan Al-Hams, a senior Gaza Health Ministry official, outside the field hospital of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the ministry said. It said that Hams, in charge of field hospitals in the territory, was on his way to visit the ICRC hospital in the city of Rafah when an Israeli force 'abducted' him after opening fire, killing one person and wounding another civilian nearby. Belgian authorities said on Monday that they had briefly held and questioned two Israeli citizens who attended an electronic music festival, after pro-Palestinian groups accused them of war crimes. Prosecutors said they received legal complaints alleging that two Israeli soldiers responsible for 'serious violations of international humanitarian law' in Gaza were spotted at the Tomorrowland festival near the northern city of Antwerp last week. Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties. US president Donald Trump was 'caught off guard' by Israeli strikes in Syria last week, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, adding that he discussed the issue with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel had launched strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida, saying it aimed to put pressure on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops from the region amid ongoing clashes there. Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear programme including uranium enrichment despite the 'severe' damage caused by US strikes to its facilities, the country's foreign minister said ahead of renewed talks with European powers. Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday, to discuss its nuclear programme, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal. The meeting will be the first since Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the United States carried out strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities. Visiting US envoy Tom Barrack said Monday that disarming Hezbollah was a domestic issue, even as Washington presses the new authorities for action after the group was weakened by war with Israel. Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of more than a year of hostilities, including two months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah, have vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire. The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel that triggered sirens across several areas in the country. The launch from Yemen follows an Israeli military attack on Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the Iran-backed militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it. Iranian authorities have asked people to limit water consumption amid severe heatwaves and a water crisis across the country. Iran is experiencing its hottest week of the year, according to the national meteorological service, with temperatures exceeding 50C in some areas. On top of the extreme heat, the country is in a serious water crisis.
Al Arabiya
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump says Hamas response ‘good', signals possible Gaza deal next week
President Donald Trump said on Friday it was good that Hamas said it had responded in 'a positive spirit' to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal. He told reporters aboard Air Force One there could be a deal on a Gaza ceasefire by next week, but that he had not been briefed on the current state of negotiations. 'We have to do something about Gaza — we're sending a lot of money and a lot of aid,' Trump told reporters, as Hamas said it was ready to start negotiations 'immediately' on a US-backed truce proposal. The announcement comes ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington on Monday. The conflict in Gaza began with Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive aimed at destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages seized by the group. Two previous ceasefires brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States resulted in temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu earlier on Friday vowed to bring home all the hostages held in Gaza after coming under intense domestic pressure over their fate.
Irish Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Optimism grows for Gaza ceasefire but serious obstacles remain
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will leave for Washington at the weekend amid indications that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal could be close after almost 21 months of fighting. His planned meeting with US president Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday will be the third time they have met since Trump took office in January. Speaking about the visit outside the White House on Tuesday Trump sounded optimistic that a breakthrough was close. 'We hope [a ceasefire] is going to happen and we're looking for it to happen sometime next week,' he said. 'We want to get our hostages back.' READ MORE He added that they would also discuss 'the great success we had in Iran '. Netanyahu believes the 12-day war with Iran has also opened the way for a possible deal to end the Gaza war, telling cabinet ministers on Monday 'exploiting success is no less important than achieving success'. [ The origins of Israel's conflicts with Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah Opens in new window ] Despite the optimistic noises, neither Israel nor Hamas have changed the fundamental negotiating positions that appear to be holding up an agreement. Israel has still not committed to ending the war as part of a ceasefire deal and Hamas has not agreed to disarm or to the exile of its leaders from Gaza. [ Two tribes: How Israel and Iran became enemies Opens in new window ] The war began after 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken into captivity during a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2033. Fifty hostages remain in captivity, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. Israel's military assault has killed more than 56,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) controls almost 75 per cent of Gaza. The military has told political leaders that a decision needs to be taken either to end Israel's longest war with a deal or to order an expansion of the operation. However, IDF chief of staff Ltn Gen Eyal Zamir has warned ministers that an escalation in the fighting would endanger the hostages' lives. 'There's a conflict between the hostages and continuing the manoeuvre. We might endanger the hostages. There's been worse abuse of the hostages. Their condition is very bad,' he said. Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich responded angrily to the general's remarks. Ben Gvir said that more pressure would help to free the hostages, not harm them. Smotrich said: 'We want the hostages too, but we aren't prepared to forsake the entire country. The IDF is steering the political echelon towards what to decide.' Opposition parties have offered Netanyahu a parliamentary safety net if he brings a Gaza ceasefire to a Knesset vote in defiance of his far-right coalition partners.
