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L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Syria commission says more than 300,000 may have gone missing since 1970s
The head of Syria's commission for missing persons said Monday the number of people who went missing during decades of Assad family rule and the civil war may have exceeded 300,000. Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, head of the commission created in May, said the body's mandate ranged from 1970, the year Hafez al-Assad took power, to the present day and had no timeframe for completing its work. "Our estimates of the number of missing range between 120,000 and 300,000 people, and it could be more," he told state news agency SANA. Tens of thousands of people were detained or disappeared during the Syrian Civil War alone, which erupted in 2011 after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests by former president Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December. During the war, all sides were accused of atrocities, including the Islamic State group, which seized large swathes of Syria and neighboring Iraq, enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic law and committing widespread abuses, including executions. Bashar al-Assad ruled with an iron fist, like his predecessor, his father Hafez, who took power in a bloodless military coup. The family's rule was among the most brutal in the region and its prison system, including feared sites such as Sednaya, was notorious for disappearing people without a trace. "We have a map that includes more than 63 documented mass graves in Syria," he said, without providing details on where they were located, who dug them or who was thought to be buried there. He said work was underway to establish a data bank for missing persons. Syria's new authorities have pledged justice for victims of atrocities committed under Assad's rule. In January, the president of the International Committee for the Red Cross said determining the fate of those who went missing during the war would be a massive task likely to take years. Jalkhi said his commission's work was "essential to the process of transitional justice and civil peace," calling the issue of missing persons "one of the most complicated and painful in Syria."
New York Times
20-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Hamas Hands Bodies of 4 Hostages Back to Israel
Hamas said on Thursday it had handed over the bodies of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel — including a woman and her two young children — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Large crowds had gathered near the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis to watch the choreographed handoff staged by Hamas. Rifle-toting gunmen were deployed around a stage on which four black coffins — each bearing the image of a deceased hostage — had been placed. Officials with the International Committee for the Red Cross placed the coffins in waiting white vehicles. The Israeli government later confirmed that the Red Cross had brought them to waiting Israeli forces inside Gaza. Miles away, Israelis watched the scene in horror and dismay. The four dead hostages had been identified by Hamas as Shiri Bibas, 32, her redheaded young children Ariel, 4, and Kfir, nine months old; and Oded Lifshitz, 84. The bodies are expected to undergo forensic testing in Israel to confirm their identities. All four were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage, according to Israel. For many Israelis, the deliberate abduction of Ms. Bibas and her children epitomized the viciousness of the assault. Israel's relentless campaign against Hamas in Gaza quickly followed, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and leaving much of the enclave in ruins. It was not immediately clear how the four hostages had died, although Hamas has said they were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israeli officials have yet to confirm the cause of death. In late January, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to stop the fighting for at least six weeks. Hamas agreed to turn over 25 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Since then, Israelis and Palestinians have witnessed emotional homecomings — hostages reuniting with their families after a terrifying year in Hamas's underground tunnel network — as returning Palestinian prisoners have embraced loved ones outside of prison for the first time in decades. Hamas has used the hostage releases to hold elaborate ceremonies demonstrating its dominance in Gaza, deploying dozens of well-organized gunmen and occasionally forcing hostages being freed to give speeches from makeshift stages.
New York Times
08-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
3 Israeli Hostages Are Released for 183 Palestinian Prisoners
Skip to contentSkip to site index Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners in a heavily staged handover that sparked outrage in Israel. The three men, all appearing frail and gaunt, were made to give speeches thanking the Hamas militants who had held them captive for more than 16 months in Gaza. All three — Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34; and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 — were being taken to hospitals, where they were being reunited with loved ones. The images of the men, surrounded by rifle-toting captors, were broadcast live, and Israeli joy turned to dismay for many at seeing their conditions. 'The Israeli hostages look like Holocaust survivors,' wrote Gideon Saar, the foreign minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that he had ordered the Israeli authorities to 'take appropriate action' over what it said were repeated Hamas violations of the cease-fire under which the exchanges are taking place. But the statement did not specify what those actions might be. The scene could put further public pressure on the Israeli government to make more concessions to bring the remaining hostages home. Roughly 75 of those taken hostage in the October 2023 attack on southern Israel have still not returned from Gaza, and some are believed to be dead. Most are not expected to be returned under the current stage of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. After the hostage handover, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners, including some who had been serving life sentences. Big crowds greeted the arrival of a Red Cross bus carrying freed prisoners in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Saturday's release was the fifth in a tense series of exchanges outlined in the cease-fire deal. Since the deal went into effect, Hamas has tried to use the hostage releases for propaganda purposes. Its armed fighters have fanned out in the streets and squares where the exchanges take place as a show of ongoing dominance in Gaza despite Israel's 15-month war to uproot the group. Israel and Hamas are scheduled to be negotiating terms for the second phase of the truce, which would end the war permanently and free the remaining hostages. But it is far from clear that the two sides can come to an agreement: Israel has vowed not to end the war without an end to Hamas rule in Gaza, a stipulation that Hamas has rebuffed. Here's what else to know: Red Cross: The International Committee for the Red Cross said it was concerned about conditions 'surrounding release operations,' without specifically naming Israel or Hamas. Gaza truce: In this first phase of the cease-fire, slated to last 42 days, Hamas pledged to release at least 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others who are believed to be dead in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. In previous exchanges, about 18 hostages have been freed for more than 550 Palestinian prisoners. Gaza proposal: This week, President Trump proposed evacuating Gaza's roughly two million Palestinian residents and the United States taking over the devastated enclave. Some analysts viewed his remarks as an effort to kick-start the negotiations, while others said his ideas could torpedo them. News Analysis The gaunt appearance on Saturday of Or Levy, second from left, and the other two hostages released on Saturday in Gaza was unbearable for many Israelis. Credit... Saher Alghorra for The New York Times For Israelis, the scene on Saturday was nearly unbearable: three painfully thin hostages being made minutes before their release to give speeches thanking the gun-toting Hamas militants who had held them captive for more than 16 months in Gaza. Their remarks were given under extreme duress — effectively at gunpoint. But for Hamas, it was yet another staged hostage handoff that showcased the group's power in Gaza despite more than a year of devastating war and provided propaganda for its claim to have treated its captives benevolently. The hostage spectacle was likely to increase pressure from some Israelis on the government to find a way to bring home all of the remaining hostages abducted in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. For others, it could bolster the view that Israel should continue fighting after the first six-week phase of the cease-fire expires in early March, rather than negotiate a longer peace. Both sides were supposed to begin negotiating the terms of the second phase of the truce this week. But it was far from clear whether those talks had advanced at all, amid consternation in the Arab world over President Trump's remarks that the United States should take charge of Gaza and that the enclave's Palestinian residents should leave. The office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said after the hostages' release on Saturday that he had ordered the authorities to 'take appropriate action' over Hamas's conduct, but did not specify what those actions might be. Since the cease-fire deal went into effect, Hamas has sought to use hostage releases as a show of force, deploying scores of fighters in tightly coordinated military handovers. They have also released heavily edited videos of cheerful hostages intended to deflect accusations of abuse. On Saturday morning, scores of masked Hamas gunmen fanned out in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, clearing a wide perimeter around a stage. Green Hamas flags dotted the area, and triumphant pop music praising the group blasted from loudspeakers. White vehicles affiliated with the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived at the site to transport the hostages to waiting Israeli forces. A short while later, white cars pulled up carrying the hostages: Ohad Ben Ami, 56; Eli Sharabi, 52; and Or Levy, 34. All three men appeared physically weak. Two masked Hamas gunmen stood on either side of them, at times supporting their bodies as they walked them to the makeshift stage. A banner underneath it mocked Mr. Netanyahu's vow to achieve 'absolute victory' over Hamas. A masked Hamas militant holding a microphone prompted each of the captives to speak in Hebrew. The three men thanked the militants for 'protecting' them during the war. A gaunt Mr. Ben Ami said he and the other men had been provided with food and medicine. Mr. Sharabi was asked about his dead brother, Yossi Sharabi, who had also been abducted by Hamas and was later killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. After being prompted, he said he was 'very angry' at the Israeli government over his brother's death. After the brief interviews, the three hostages were ushered off to the waiting Red Cross vehicles. A masked militant pumped his fist onstage to the crowd in an expression of victory, crying out, 'God is great!' Mr. Ben Ami and Mr. Sharabi were both abducted from Be'eri, one of the hardest-hit Israeli communities in the Hamas attack in 2023. Many of the local residents had gathered in a pub to watch the release, said Haim Jelin, a resident of Be'eri. 'People were joyous and shouting as they were coming out of the car,' said Mr. Jelin, a former centrist lawmaker. 'But as soon as we saw them, there was total silence. People started to cry. It was gut-wrenching.' In a statement, Hamas called the images of the three frail hostages being paraded across the stage 'amazing scenes' that 'confirm that our people and their resistance have the upper hand.' The Palestinian group insisted that it had treated the captives in accordance with international humanitarian law. Once freed of their captors, however, Israeli hostages have been more candid about their experience in Hamas captivity, describing periods of abuse, dire conditions and fear. Feb. 8, 2025, 9:47 a.m. ET The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was 'increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations' without mentioning Israel or Hamas by name. The Red Cross transports both Israeli hostages freed by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners released in the deal. 'We strongly urge all parties, including the mediators, to take responsibility to ensure that future releases are dignified and private,' the group said in a statement. Feb. 8, 2025, 9:51 a.m. ET The denunciation did not specify what the neutral body found concerning. On Saturday, Hamas paraded three thin Israeli hostages across a stage and forced them to thank their captors. The previous week, Israel's prison service had published a photo of a Palestinian prisoner slated for release being frog-marched with his hands cuffed over his head, as well as a wristband saying in Arabic that the Israeli people would pursue their enemies. Released Palestinian prisoners were greeted by crowds as they arrived on a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, West Bank, on Saturday. Credit... Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, including at least two veteran Hamas operatives from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in exchange for three Israeli hostages who had been held in Gaza. Of those prisoners freed on Saturday, 138 were from Gaza, including 111 arrested after the Hamas -led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that ignited the 15-month war in Gaza. Under the cease-fire deal, Israel committed to release more than 1,000 Gazans — including many detained during the Israeli ground invasion of the territory —- on the condition that they had not participated in the Oct. 7 attack. But some of the most prominent prisoners released on Saturday were from the West Bank, including some who had been serving life sentences. Palestinians often view the prisoners as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Huge crowds of people greeted the arrival of a Red Cross bus carrying freed prisoners in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Many appeared frail and thin, wearing only gray jumpsuits bearing the logo of the Prisons Authority. Some wore worn-out plastic slippers while others were barefoot. Hours earlier, Israeli forces raided the family homes of at least four of the men released to the West Bank before they got there, warning their relatives not to celebrate their freedom. One of the prisoners whose family home was raided was Jamal Tawil, a senior Hamas operative in the West Bank, who had been imprisoned multiple times over recent decades on charges of planning bombings and other attacks against Israel. He was taken directly to a hospital in Ramallah after his release. 'He is struggling to breathe and is very weak,' said his daughter, Bushra Tawil, a journalist and activist who was released in an earlier exchange last month. 'I was shocked when I saw him — he had been beaten on the head and other parts of his body until the very last moments before his release.' She said her family had been threatened with arrest if they publicly celebrated his return. The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had held discussions in recent days with relatives of the returning prisoners, 'clarifying the ban on celebrations' at their arrivals. The military statement said patrols had removed Hamas flags and other unspecified signs of preparations for the prisoners' returns. For years, Israeli security services have discouraged or broken up family events celebrating the release of militants, saying they prompt unrest and glorify terrorism. Israel has been particularly assertive in suppressing celebrations for detainees released under the current cease-fire deal, fearing that they may help bolster the popularity of Hamas. Another released Hamas militant, Iyad Abu Shkhaydem, had been serving 18 life sentences, in part for planning the bombings of two buses in the central Israel city of Beersheba that killed 16 people in 2004, for which he was sentenced by a military court. Israeli forces had nicknamed him 'the engineer' of a Hamas cell in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to local media reports. He was arrested after a 40-day manhunt. Mr. Abu Shekhaydam, 50, who is married with four children, completed his high school education and earned a degree in psychology while in prison, according to the Prisoners Association, a rights group that provides legal support for Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails. The home of Shadi Barghouti, another prisoner released on Saturday, was also raided, according to family members. Mr. Barghouti was serving a 27-year sentence for planning or participating in attacks, according to the Israeli Justice Ministry. The Barghoutis, father and son, had overlapped in prison. The elder was convicted in the 1978 killing of an Israeli, but released in a 2011 prisoner deal with Hamas. Fakhri Barghouti was waiting at the Ramallah Cultural Palace when his son arrived on Saturday — the first time they had met outside of prison since 1978. They were both tearful, but smiling, as Shadi Barghouti knelt upon seeing his father. Seven of the released prisoners who arrived in Ramallah were taken to the local hospitals, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Islam Hamad, from Nablus, had to be carried by family members. His mother burst into tears when she saw his condition, including an injured hand. She was too overwhelmed to speak to a reporter. Eli Sharabi, center, at the hostage exchange in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, on Saturday. Credit... Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Eli Sharabi appeared gaunt and malnourished on Saturday when Hamas fighters released him and two other male hostages in Gaza. After 491 days in captivity, he returns to a life shattered by the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Mr. Sharabi's wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel were killed in the attack while hiding in their home's safe room in Be'eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, according to the American Jewish Committee. His brother, Yossi Sharabi, 55, who was also taken captive, was probably killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military told his family, according to Israeli media. Steve Brisley, brother-in-law of Mr. Sharabi who lives in England, told the BBC that he worried that Mr. Sharabi might not know that his wife and children had been killed. For months, the family did not know what had become of Mr. Sharabi, Mr. Brisley said. 'All the way through this, we've not known if he was alive or dead,' Mr. Brisley said. Yossi Sharabi's wife, Nira Sharabi, and their three daughters survived the attack, but their home was burned down, Ms. Sharabi said during testimony to the Israeli Parliament in April. The two brothers and their families were very close, Ms. Sharabi said in a video published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. 'We lost four people,' Sharon Sharabi, another brother, said in December. 'We don't intend to fill a fifth coffin.' Eli Sharabi will also face the grim reality that his home in Be'eri was most likely destroyed. Mr. Sharabi had lived on the kibbutz from the age of 14, the community said in a statement. He went to school in the village and worked for the printing press there. It was also where he met his wife when she arrived from England as a volunteer nearly 20 years ago. Mr. Sharabi served as treasurer for the kibbutz and sat on its economic committee. Be'eri suffered horrific bloodshed during the attack, with about one in every 10 residents killed. Hamas fighters abducted at least 25 people, including several members of the same families. Another resident, Ohad Ben Ami, the kibbutz's accountant, was released with Eli Sharabi on Saturday, along with a third man, Or Levy. Feb. 8, 2025, 8:36 a.m. ET All three freed Israeli hostages are being taken to hospitals in central Israel, where they will be reunited with loved ones. The Israeli government published footage of Or Levy, one of the three hostages freed this morning from Gaza, embracing his parents and brother as they met for the first time in more than 16 months. 'My soul, we missed you so much,' his mother could be heard saying. Feb. 8, 2025, 7:58 a.m. ET Freed Palestinian prisoners have arrived at the European Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-linked Palestinian prisoners' information office. Feb. 8, 2025, 7:45 a.m. ET The next steps in implementing the cease-fire are far from certain. On Sunday, Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw further east along a key corridor in central Gaza to enable more Palestinian freedom of movement, under the deal. But the Israeli government has threatened to take as-yet unspecified actions to protest Hamas's treatment of the three hostages freed on Saturday. Feb. 8, 2025, 7:44 a.m. ET The fifth exchange between Israel and Hamas appears to have concluded. The next group of three hostages, who are likely to be men according to the cease-fire agreement, are expected to be freed in a week in exchange for scores more Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Feb. 8, 2025, 7:42 a.m. ET Israel's prison service said it had released 183 jailed Palestinians as part of the fifth hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas. Some were released to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, while others were taken by bus to the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza, the prison service said. Credit... Alaa Badarneh/EPA, via Shutterstock Feb. 8, 2025, 7:41 a.m. ET In Israel, the footage of the gaunt Israeli hostages surrounded by their rifle-toting captors ignited a fierce emotional response, including comparisons to the defining Jewish trauma of the 20th century, the Holocaust. 'The Israeli hostages look like Holocaust survivors,' wrote Gideon Saar, the foreign minister. Feb. 8, 2025, 7:06 a.m. ET The five Thai farm workers freed from captivity in Gaza last month are finally heading home after several days of recuperation in Israel. They were cheered onto a plane at Tel Aviv airport a few minutes ago by a crowd of Israeli well-wishers who waved Thai and Israeli flags and sang 'Shalom Aleichem,' a traditional Jewish song. Credit... Patrick Kingsley/The New York Times Feb. 8, 2025, 7:05 a.m. ET Steffen Seibert, the German ambassador to Israel, condemned Hamas's treatment of the three Israeli hostages released in Gaza on Saturday. 'Almost unbearable to see the emaciated hostages forced to give interviews to some Hamas 'reporter,'' he wrote on social media. 'Parading them like that is yet another terrible crime by the terrorists.' Feb. 8, 2025, 6:44 a.m. ET In an emotional reunion in Ramallah, Mr. Barghouti knelt after seeing his father. Surrounded by dozens of family members, tears filled their eyes as they embraced. Feb. 8, 2025, 6:44 a.m. ET One of the freed Palestinian prisoners set to head home to the West Bank was Shadi Barghouti, a convicted militant who, according to the Israeli Justice Ministry was serving 27 years for being an accomplice to murder and other offenses. Feb. 8, 2025, 6:09 a.m. ET A Red Cross bus carrying Palestinian prisoners released under the cease-fire agreement has reached the West Bank city of Ramallah, where it was met by a crowd of cheering loved ones. Video Credit Credit... Associated Press Feb. 8, 2025, 5:52 a.m. ET Members of kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel — where two of the three hostages released by Hamas on Saturday were abducted — erupted in cheers as they watched live on television the men stepping out of militants' vehicles in the Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. The mood quickly sobered upon seeing how pale and weak the men looked as armed militants led them to a stage. Video Credit Credit... Reuters Feb. 8, 2025, 5:37 a.m. ET The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he had ordered the Israel authorities to 'take appropriate actions' in the wake of 'the difficult condition of the three hostages' as well as what he said were Hamas's 'repeated violations' of the cease-fire agreement. The statement did not spell out what those actions might be. Feb. 8, 2025, 5:20 a.m. ET Tal Levy, the brother of newly released Israeli hostage Or Levy, said the family was feeling mixed emotions. 'On one hand, we are very happy. But on the other, he looks extremely, extremely thin and we can't even begin to imagine what he has been through. He looks frightened, but he is coming home to his son.' In an interview with Israeli public broadcaster Kan News, he said that he had documented and prepared a record of the moments that his brother had missed while in captivity. Feb. 8, 2025, 5:12 a.m. ET In a statement, Hamas hailed the 'amazing scenes of the handover,' in which its fighters paraded the three hostages onstage and forced them to give speeches in Hebrew thanking their captors. 'This confirms that our people and their resistance have the upper hand,' Hamas said. Hamas fighters escorted Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, two of the three Israeli hostages released on Saturday, before handing them over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. Credit... Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in a highly theatrical handover in which the men were made to give speeches effectively at gunpoint. The hostage release is the fifth in a tense series of exchanges that are part of a 42-day cease-fire deal that went into effect last month pausing the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hamas agreed to incrementally release 33 of the nearly 100 remaining hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians jailed by Israel and a partial Israeli withdrawal. Here's a closer look at the Israelis released on Saturday: A painting of Raz Ben Ami and her husband Ohad Ben Ami. Credit... Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times Mr. Ben Ami, who was 54 when he was abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel, was the kibbutz's accountant and is an avid cyclist. His wife, Raz Ben Ami, was also taken hostage but was released in the first cease-fire deal in November 2023. Mr. Ben Ami is a dual Israeli and German citizen. 'The only important thing is for Ohad to come back,' Raz Ben Ami told The New York Times in August, adding: 'It's still hard for me to imagine our life after this.' Ella Ben Ami, one of the couple's three daughters, was a vocal advocate for a cease-fire deal. She was critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to speak in Congress in July, saying he should not travel abroad until there was an agreement to free the hostages. A video posted on social media in August, showed Ms. Ben Ami near the border with Gaza calling her father's name with a microphone in hand and saying she missed him. In December, on Mr. Ben Ami's second birthday in captivity, his family marked the day with a bike ride and a ceremony, according to his brother, Kobi, who told Israeli news media that around 200 people joined them as they rode along a bicycle path created to commemorate 11 cyclists killed on Oct. 7 and hostages, including Mr. Ben Ami. He said the family had not received any signs he was alive since he was captured. Michael Levy, the brother of Or Levy, in Ganei Tikva, Israel, in December. Credit... Joyce Zhou/Reuters Mr. Levy was 33 when he was taken hostage. His wife, Eynav Levy, died on Oct. 7. Their son, who was just two at the time, was with Ms. Levy's mother while his parents went to the Nova music festival, an event held just a few miles from the Gaza border that was a key target of the assault. Mr. Levy texted his mother during the attack, including from a shelter that was stormed by the militants. The Israeli military later informed the family that Ms. Levy's body was found in the shelter and that Mr. Levy was being held in Gaza. The couple both worked in tech and lived near Tel Aviv. Mr. Levy's older brother, Michael Levy, spoke about his younger brother's dire situation at an event in California in March, one of many trips he made around the world to press for a hostage deal. At the time, he said he had not received indications his brother was dead but was not very optimistic about a deal. A T-shirt with the photos of Eli Sharabi and his brother Yossi. Credit... Amir Cohen/Reuters Mr. Sharabi was also abducted from Be'eri. His wife, Lianne and their two daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed in the attack. His brother Yossi was also taken as a hostage to Gaza, where he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli military later told his family. The two brothers and their families were very close, Nira Sharabi, Yossi Sharabi's wife, said in a video published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Mr. Sharabi, 52, had lived on the kibbutz from the age of 14. It was also where he met his wife when she arrived from England as a volunteer nearly 20 years ago. At the time of the attack. Mr. Sharabi served as treasurer for the kibbutz and sat on its economic committee. His brother, Sharon, said in December that news of progress on a cease-fire deal had prompted 'new hope among the families of hostages that they might see their loved ones again — and at the same time, tension.' 'We lost four people,' he said. 'We don't intend to fill a fifth coffin.' Feb. 8, 2025, 4:53 a.m. ET The images of the three hostages — visibly malnourished — being prodded by their Hamas captors to give speeches under duress shocked Israelis. Israel 'will not allow these shocking sights to go idly by,' the prime minister's office said in a statement, without saying how Israel might respond. Feb. 8, 2025, 4:46 a.m. ET Michal Cohen, Ohad Ben Ami's mother-in-law, said the pale and gaunt hostage on the stage in Deir al Balah looked 'like he had aged 10 years' since his abduction. 'It breaks my heart to see him like this,' Cohen told Israeli television. Feb. 8, 2025, 4:41 a.m. ET The three hostages — Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy — have been handed over to Israeli soldiers, the Israeli military said in a statement. Feb. 8, 2025, 4:41 a.m. ET People cheered as they followed the handover of the three hostages live on screens installed in what has become known as 'Hostage Square' in Tel Aviv. Video Credit Credit... Associated Press Feb. 8, 2025, 4:35 a.m. ET Since the cease-fire deal went into effect, Hamas has sought to use the hostage releases for propaganda. Its fighters have fanned out throughout the streets and squares where the exchanges are held as a show of its dominance in Gaza, despite Israel's 15-month campaign to uproot its rule in the Palestinian enclave. Feb. 8, 2025, 4:36 a.m. ET Hamas has also sought to use the exchanges to project the notion that the people abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack were treated humanely. Hamas militants have directed hostages to wave to the crowds gathered to watch their release. And Hamas later releases heavily edited propaganda videos of the exchanges intended to showcase the group's goodwill. Feb. 8, 2025, 4:27 a.m. ET The Israeli military said it had been formally notified by the Red Cross that the three hostages were handed over. The Red Cross convoy is en route to Israeli forces inside Gaza, the military said. Credit... Mohammad Abu Samra/Associated Press © 2025 The New York Times Company Manage Privacy Preferences
CNN
31-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Chaotic scenes at Gaza hostage release bring condemnation from Israeli leaders
Chaotic scenes surrounding the release of Israeli and Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday brought condemnation from Israeli leaders and a temporary delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners, who were ultimately released later in the day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed by several hours the agreed release of 110 Palestinian detainees, including dozens of minors, after live images were broadcast across Israel of a crowd of thousands jostling and cheering as the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in the central Gazan city of Khan Younis. He described those scenes as 'shocking,' and demanded guarantees from those who mediated a ceasefire deal – Qatar, Egypt and the United States – that the incident would not be repeated. The release Thursday morning of the captive Israeli soldier Agam Berger in Jabalya, northern Gaza, had gone off without incident – a stage-managed affair in which Hamas militants paraded her in front of cameras and then handed her to representatives from the International Committee for the Red Cross. But the release in the early afternoon of two Israeli and five Thai civilians produced some of the most stunning images of the nearly two-week-old ceasefire, striking a painful nerve for much of the Israeli public. Unusually, that handover was a joint affair between Hamas and several allied militant groups. Thousands of Gazans crowded in Khan Younis as Hamas and its allies staged the handover outside the razed house of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by Israeli forces in October. Among those released was Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old civilian whom militants abducted from her home in the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7, 2023. She was held captive by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Stepping out from a white van, the Israeli civilian looked gaunt and frightened. As militants walked her through a roaring crowd, she kept her head locked forward as her eyes darted left and right. The crowd jostled her back and forth as she made her way toward a waiting Red Cross vehicle. Yehoud was returned to Israel without further incident. But for many in Israel, the images sparked fears of a repeat of an infamous, televised incident in which two reservist Israeli soldiers were killed by a Palestinian mob in the occupied West Bank, after they stumbled onto the funeral of a child whom Israeli troops had killed the previous day, and following the killing of more than 100 Palestinians. Fifteen hostages have been released since a ceasefire went into effect earlier this month. Their freedom has brought some relief to a nation traumatized daily by images of civilians and soldiers held captive since October 7, 2023. But that solace has accompanied by astounding images of Hamas militants' elaborate handover ceremonies – clearly designed to show that the group is still standing, despite the Israeli government's promises of 'total victory' over the perpetrators of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-wing extremist who has threatened to withdraw from the governing coalition, has cited Hamas's presence on the streets of Gaza as proof that Israel must return to war, saying that it was proof 'of the heavy and terrible price Israel is paying for this bad deal.' Just as night fell, the Israeli prison authority released 110 Palestinians from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, including a prominent former militant leader from the embattled city of Jenin. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, which overlooks Ofer Prison, the Israeli military on Thursday shut down public celebrations by Palestinians over the detainees' release, as has repeatedly been the case. Israeli troops fired rubber-coated steel bullets and used tear gas and stun grenades to clear a small crowd. They dropped Arabic-language flyers warning onlookers that 'the security forces will not allow demonstrations in support of terrorist organizations.' At least 61 Palestinians were injured, according to local paramedics. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its members treated patients with injuries from live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas, as well as those sustained falling over. The release was met with jubilation in the streets of Ramallah, where hundreds gathered to meet some of the released detainees. Many of those gathered there chanted in support of Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades. A smaller crowd of Fatah supporters has gathered on a nearby hill. Among those freed were 30 children – some held without charge and none convicted, according to Adalah, a legal aid organization. Also released were 32 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 48 prisoners with 'high sentences.' Some of those with serious sentences were due to be released to Egypt, as per the terms of the ceasefire deal agreed to in Doha. The most prominent to be released on Thursday was Zakaria Zubeidi, former commander of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of the Fatah party, which governs the West Bank. His mother, brother, and son have all been killed by the Israeli military. Zubeidi rose through the ranks of the militant group during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. A former child actor, Zubeidi co-founded The Freedom Theatre in his hometown of the Jenin Refugee Camp following that conflict, to promote cultural education among his compatriots. He was arrested in 2019 and charged with involvement in shooting attacks against Israelis. He gained near cult status among many Palestinians after he was among a group who tunneled out of Israel's high security Gilboa prison in 2021, before being re-arrested several days later. Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Tareq Al Hilou, Eugenia Yosef, Lauren Izso, Dana Karni and Khader Al-Za'anoun, a journalist with WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed reporting.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chaotic scenes at Gaza hostage release bring condemnation from Israeli leaders
Chaotic scenes surrounding the release of Israeli and Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday brought condemnation from Israeli leaders and a temporary delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners, who were ultimately released later in the day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed by several hours the agreed release of 110 Palestinian detainees, including dozens of minors, after live images were broadcast across Israel of a crowd of thousands jostling and cheering as the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in the central Gazan city of Khan Younis. He described those scenes as 'shocking,' and demanded guarantees from those who mediated a ceasefire deal – Qatar, Egypt and the United States – that the incident would not be repeated. The release Thursday morning of the captive Israeli soldier Agam Berger in Jabalya, northern Gaza, had gone off without incident – a stage-managed affair in which Hamas militants paraded her in front of cameras and then handed her to representatives from the International Committee for the Red Cross. But the release in the early afternoon of two Israeli and five Thai civilians produced some of the most stunning images of the nearly two-week-old ceasefire, striking a painful nerve for much of the Israeli public. Unusually, that handover was a joint affair between Hamas and several allied militant groups. Thousands of Gazans crowded in Khan Younis as Hamas and its allies staged the handover outside the razed house of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by Israeli forces in October. Among those released was Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old civilian whom militants abducted from her home in the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7, 2023. She was held captive by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Stepping out from a white van, the Israeli civilian looked gaunt and frightened. As militants walked her through a roaring crowd, she kept her head locked forward as her eyes darted left and right. The crowd jostled her back and forth as she made her way toward a waiting Red Cross vehicle. Yehoud was returned to Israel without further incident. But for many in Israel, the images sparked fears of a repeat of an infamous, televised incident in which two reservist Israeli soldiers were killed by a Palestinian mob in the occupied West Bank, after they stumbled onto the funeral of a child whom Israeli troops had killed the previous day, and following the killing of more than 100 Palestinians. Fifteen hostages have been released since a ceasefire went into effect earlier this month. Their freedom has brought some relief to a nation traumatized daily by images of civilians and soldiers held captive since October 7, 2023. But that solace has accompanied by astounding images of Hamas militants' elaborate handover ceremonies – clearly designed to show that the group is still standing, despite the Israeli government's promises of 'total victory' over the perpetrators of the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a right-wing extremist who has threatened to withdraw from the governing coalition, has cited Hamas's presence on the streets of Gaza as proof that Israel must return to war, saying that it was proof 'of the heavy and terrible price Israel is paying for this bad deal.' Just as night fell, the Israeli prison authority released 110 Palestinians from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, including a prominent former militant leader from the embattled city of Jenin. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, which overlooks Ofer Prison, the Israeli military on Thursday shut down public celebrations by Palestinians over the detainees' release, as has repeatedly been the case. Israeli troops fired rubber bullets and tear gas to clear a small crowd, and dropped Arabic-language flyers warning onlookers that 'the security forces will not allow demonstrations in support of terrorist organizations.' The release was met with jubilation in the streets of Ramallah, where hundreds gathered to meet some of the released detainees. Many of those gathered there chanted in support of Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades. A smaller crowd of Fatah supporters has gathered on a nearby hill. Among those freed were 30 children – some held without charge and none convicted, according to Adalah, a legal aid organization. Also released were 32 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 48 prisoners with 'high sentences.' Some of those with serious sentences were due to be released to Egypt, as per the terms of the ceasefire deal agreed to in Doha. The most prominent to be released on Thursday was Zakaria Zubeidi, former commander of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of the Fatah party, which governs the West Bank. His mother, brother, and son have all been killed by the Israeli military. Zubeidi rose through the ranks of the militant group during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. A former child actor, Zubeidi co-founded The Freedom Theatre in his hometown of the Jenin Refugee Camp following that conflict, to promote cultural education among his compatriots. He was arrested in 2019 and charged with involvement in shooting attacks against Israelis. He gained near cult status among many Palestinians after he was among a group who tunneled out of Israel's high security Gilboa prison in 2021, before being re-arrested several days later. Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Tareq Al Hilou, Eugenia Yosef, Lauren Izso, Dana Karni and Khader Al-Za'anoun, a journalist with WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed reporting.
