Latest news with #HostagesAndMissingFamiliesForum
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Israeli citizens concerned about hostages amid new Gaza City plan
The Israeli prime minister's announcement of plans to take control of Gaza City has been met with concern in Israel, particularly by families of hostages still being held by Hostages and Missing Families Forum: Bring Them Home Now has said the plan "means abandoning hostages"."By choosing military escalation over negotiation, we are leaving our loved ones at the mercy of Hamas," the group said in a statement."The only way to bring the hostages home is through a comprehensive deal." Follow live: Israeli security cabinet approves Gaza City takeover as UK's Starmer calls escalation 'wrong'Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, signalling major escalationUS shrugs off Gaza escalation - drifting further away from allies The move was decided by majority vote at a security cabinet meeting which lasted 10 the meeting was taking place, some protesters chained themselves together outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Angrest, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest, said at the time: "For a year and 10 months we've been trying to believe that everything is being done to bring them back - you have failed."The group's collective statement, published on Friday following the announcement, accused the government of "leading us toward a colossal catastrophe".Fifty hostages are still being held by Hamas - 20 of whom are believed to still be Cohen, whose son, Nimrod, is one of t he captives, told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that Netanyahu's decision is "endangering my son and other living hostages"."It is endangering the hostages and prolonging their suffering," he widely within the country Tal Schneider, political correspondent at the Times of Israel, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday there had been a "huge public backlash" in Israel against the plans."All public polling suggests that the public is very much against this step," she explained.A hotelier in Tel Aviv, Danny Bukovsky, told Reuters news agency: "I think it's a death sentence to all the hostages that are still being held there. And it's the wrong decision to do it at this time."I think that we have to bring all the hostages back home safely."Afterwards, if they decide to take over the entire Gaza Strip - it's their decision. I think we should do something about [...] Hamas anyway, but not at this time."Israeli resident Talya Saltzman also told Reuters bringing the hostages home should be "first and foremost"."I know the plan is to get rid of Hamas, but we've been trying for two whole years," she told the news agency."It just doesn't seem that there's any real forward movement with this plan and unless we can get rid of all of Hamas in one go [I] just think that the hostages need to be top priority and then we need to stop all of our soldiers from dying."
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says possible annexation of Gaza is a decision "only the Israelis can make"
In a wide-ranging interview with CBS News, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said it'll be up to the Israeli government to decide whether to annex the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to discuss plans for the Israeli military to take control of more territory in Gaza with senior ministers later on Thursday. "It's not our job to tell them what they should or should not do," Huckabee said. "Certainly, if they ask for wisdom, counsel, advice, I'm sure the president would offer it. But ultimately, it's the decision that the Israelis and only the Israelis can make." When asked what advice President Trump might offer, Huckabee said: "I remember him saying that, 'I know what I would do, but I'm not sure anybody else would do it.' I think we got the inference of: It would not be good for Hamas." The group representing families of the hostages and the missing abducted during the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack called on Israelis Wednesday to march to the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces in response to "recent statements about occupying the Gaza Strip." "Time is running out — our loved ones can't wait any longer. We either bring them home now, or we lose them for good," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, calling for a single deal for every remaining hostage to be released. "There are moments in history when we must stand up and do what's right — this is that moment." Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas broke down in recent weeks, with each side accusing the other of being responsible for the talks' failure. "I think the negotiations have broken down completely because Hamas is not serious about negotiating," Huckabee said. "I'm not sure they ever were, but they certainly aren't anymore. Europe has given them some cover. When European leaders are putting more pressure on Israel than they are Hamas — and they're talking about people in Gaza, and they're not talking about the hostages — Hamas is celebrating, and they're realizing that, you know, they're winning the message war here." Huckabee said he wasn't sure there was a way to revive the ceasefire negotiations. "I think the alternative is to recognize that they understand one thing: They lose," Huckabee said. "They have to be defeated. And President Trump has repeatedly said Hamas has no future in Gaza and they can't lead it. I think that's exactly right." Six Americans have been killed in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, allegedly by Israeli settlers, including 20-year-old Saifullah Kamel Musallet. Huckabee said he has "asked for, and we'll continue to demand, a full-throated investigation of what happened, who did it." He said investigators had gotten Musallet's medical records around a week ago. "He's an American citizen. I went and visited with his family and his home - committed to the family: We will do everything we can to find out who did it," Huckabee said. 40-year-old Khamis al-Ayyad, also an American citizen, recently died after trying to put out fires set to homes and cars by Israeli settlers near his home in the West Bank, his family said. Huckabee told CBS News the exact details of al-Ayyad's death were not yet clear. "It's not always simple to get the full cooperation from all the authorities, because you're dealing with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities, so that's part of the challenge that we face. It takes more time than I wish it did. But we certainly are asking a lot of questions about who did this. What are the pieces of evidence? We want to be able to serve the families that, as an American citizen, that's important to us," Huckabee said. Mr. Trump said in July that the children in Gaza "look very hungry. That's real starvation stuff," amid warnings of famine in Gaza from international humanitarian groups. Aid agencies have been calling for a surge of aid to the strip. "I think that there are certainly people suffering in Gaza. Part of the reason is because you've had pallets and trucks for food that the U.N. won't take in — because they say they don't want military escort from the IDF — but they say it's not safe," Huckabee said. "There's not been a lack of food or even a lack of attempt. It's been an inefficient way of getting it and it's been a problem because you have a terror organization who is stealing it, looting it, and then turning around and selling it to the people who are hungry." Desperate and starving people have been looting food trucks when they enter Gaza, but the World Food Program told CBS News there is no evidence food aid is being diverted to Hamas. "I'm shocked they would say that," Huckabee said. Huckabee said food distribution sites run by the controversial U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation were proving effective in delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and that the number of sites would be scaled up from four to 16, with the hubs potentially staying open 24 hours a day. According to the U.N., over 1,400 people have been killed trying to get food aid in Gaza, most of them, it says, as a result of IDF fire. Nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed near GHF sites. Throughout their months in operation, GHF sites have become flashpoints of desperation, with videos showing mass crowds of people gathering outside who have then come under fire from Israeli forces or been trampled in the resulting crush. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and the GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to control crowds. "We've had reports that there have been incidences, but forgive me if I'm a little skeptical when someone says these people are being killed at the job site," Huckabee said. "If there was some random shooting of people who were coming for food, those people would face severe consequences." Huckabee said that what happens to Palestinians living in Gaza after the war ends "may depend on them — how many of them want to stay and rebuild their lives. We talked to some last week, and that's what they really want to do," Huckabee said. "They know it's going to take years to rebuild their homes, their businesses, their families. They have their own vision for what that's going to look like. But there are undoubtedly many people who live there now who would love a way to leave and go somewhere else." Huckabee said no one should be forced to leave Gaza. "They shouldn't be forced out. Nobody should be required to leave. And it's interesting that while there have been allegations that people are going to be forced out, both the U.S. and the government of Israel has been very clear: Nobody's going to be forced out, at least not by the U.S. And Israel has said it doesn't plan to force people to leave, but it wants people to have the freedom to start over, make a new life away from Gaza and away from the horrific memories they have that were inflicted upon them." When asked about whether he supported a two-state solution — the long-standing U.S. policy toward the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians — Huckabee said, "It's really not an ambassador's position to make the decision of what that policy would be." "It's sort of an aspirational goal: 'We need a two-state solution'" Huckabee said. "But when you start asking people the specifics of what it looks like and where it's going to be. What are the boundaries? It's interesting that very few people have an answer for that."Haley Ott contributed to this report.
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Hostage families sail toward Gaza calling for Israel to end the war
Families of some of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza have sailed towards the Palestinian enclave on Thursday, in a desperate attempt to put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as it contemplates expanding the war in Gaza. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, as well as the opposition and a large part of the Israeli public, are strongly against the expansion of the operation, arguing it would put their loved ones at even more risk. As the flotilla set off from the port of Ashkelon in southern Israel, Lior Horev from the hostage families forum told CNN the sailing was 'an SOS call.' 'Unfortunately, we cannot enter Gaza and get our loved ones back home, but…this is a mayday call to the Israeli government,' he said. Israel's security cabinet is convening on Thursday to vote on a full reoccupation of Gaza, a move that would mark a major escalation of the conflict after nearly two years of war in the territory. At least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war started after the Hamas-led October 7 terror attacks, the Ministry of Health there reported on Wednesday. The humanitarian situation has now become catastrophic, with at least 193 people having starved to death, including 96 children, according to the ministry. Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had decided on a 'full conquest' of Gaza. 'The decision of the cabinet to prolong the war will be a death sentence to those alive and will make it impossible to return those who have been murdered by Hamas and still are held in Gaza,' Horev said. As the boats, adorned with Israeli flags and yellow ribbons and balloons symbolizing the efforts to save the hostages, sailed towards Gaza, some of those aboard used loudspeakers to deliver their message. 'We are closest to the hostages, at the maritime border with Gaza, so that they too can hear us and know that we are fighting with all our strength and will not give up until they return,' they said, according to a statement from the forum. Hamas and its allies still hold 50 hostages in Gaza. The Israeli government believes at least 20 are alive, while 28 have been declared deceased. Gaza has been completely cut off from the outside world both on land and at sea, with the Israeli military restricting traffic within miles of the perimeter, so the flotilla was not able to get anywhere close to the shore. Standing on the deck of one of the boats, Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod Cohen has been held in captivity for 22 months, told CNN he also believes that continuing the war is 'directly endangering'the hostages. 'We want it all to stop. We want the world to help us make Netanyahu stop it. We want to end the war and get a hostage deal,' Cohen told CNN.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli captive families confront police outside army headquarters
Physical confrontations have taken place outside Israel's Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv between security forces and family members of captives held in Gaza during a rally calling for their release, as the Israeli government appears on the verge of escalating its genocidal war to full occupation of the besieged enclave. Protesters surrounding the Kirya, Israel's central military headquarters, demanded on Wednesday that the Israeli government not go ahead with its plan, and they were pushed back by police. 'Time is running out – our loved ones can't wait any longer,' the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. 'We either bring them home now, or we lose them for good. There are moments in history when we must stand up and do what's right – this is that moment.' The families of Israeli captives have intensified their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months amid large protests across the country, as the expanded military ground offensive and deadly bombardment in the Palestinian territory continue to put the release of their loved ones at risk. Protesters, including the father of captive Guy Illouz, tried to force their way into the entrance of military headquarters as seen in this video verified by Al Jazeera. שוטרים תוקפים באלימות מחוץ לשערי הקריה מפגינים למען שחרור החטופים 📌*חדר מלחמה* • עדכונים שוטפים בווטסאפ 🪖 > מלחמת אחים — ישפנסיון לכלבים (@sari12222) August 6, 2025 Translation: Police violently attack protesters outside the Kirya gates demonstrating for the release of the hostages. An estimated 1,139 people were killed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel, and more than 200 were taken captive. Some 50 captives remain in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. In Israel's ensuing war on Gaza, at least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed and 151,442 wounded. The families also addressed a message directly to Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Wednesday: 'You know this war has run its course, and the only path to real victory is a single deal that brings everyone home.' The local police chief requested that family members of captives speak to him, saying, 'We understand your frustration.' He acknowledged they could protest, but asked that they leave the police alone. Protesters were attempting to enter the headquarters, demanding that military action not be taken in areas where the captives are suspected to be located in Gaza. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday that Itzik Horn, the father of Israeli captive Eitan Horn, said the families of the captives being held in Gaza were against the expansion of the war on Gaza. He reportedly questioned Netanyahu's motives, as Israel's defence establishment said an expansion would endanger the lives of the captives. 'I expect the prime minister to speak to the public, to explain the implications of this idea to the country and the price we'll pay,' Itzik Horn said, according to Haaretz. 'We are the people. I want the prime minister to explain why he wants to kill my son.' Meanwhile, there were minor clashes at the anti-war demonstration organised by Standing Together, the largest Arab-Israeli grassroots movement in Israel, in the Gaza Envelope, situated 7km (4.3 miles) from the Gaza border. A protester was arrested and flour was scattered on the police from the display brought by the protesters. An earlier video recorded from the Yad Mordechai Junction, a kibbutz in southern Israel, showed Standing Together activists gathering to march to the Gaza border.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Hamas starving hostages as Nazis starved Jews': Netanyahu responds to Hamas, PIJ hostage videos
"I understand exactly what Hamas wants, they don't want a deal, they want to break us through these horrific videos," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Sunday night address that the hostage videos released over the weekend made him realize exactly what Hamas wants. "They don't want a deal; they want to break us through these horrific videos, through the false horror propaganda it spreads around the world. But we will not break," he continued. "I am filled with even stronger determination to free our kidnapped sons, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to the State of Israel." "You see them languishing in a dungeon, but the Hamas monsters surrounding them have thick, fleshy arms. They have everything they need to eat. They are starving them, just as the Nazis starved the Jews." Addressing the citizens of Israel, he said, "Like you, I was shocked yesterday. I saw the horror videos of our dear hostages, Rom and Evyatar. I called their families, embraced them on my behalf and on behalf of my wife, and also on your behalf. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a response to Netanyahu's statement, saying that, "he has been leading Israel and the hostages to doom. "Talks about a deal to release the hostages have been heard again and again, but it's all a deception. For 22 months now, the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will return the hostages. "The truth must be told: expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages, who are already in immediate danger of death. We have seen the chilling images of the hostages in the tunnels; they will not survive these long days of hell. "We eliminated all the leaders of Hamas, we won in Lebanon and Iran. There is no greater victory than that," the forum continued. Status of Rom and Evyatar Hamas published a video of hostage Evyatar David on Friday evening, which was later cleared for publication by the David Family. Clips of a clearly emaciated David are interspliced with those of starving Palestinian children. The clip of hostage Rom Braslavski is seen lying on a mattress, saying he has pain in his foot and has difficulty standing, and is suffering from severe hunger, in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad video originally published on Thursday. Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.
