Latest news with #IsraeliCaptives
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hamas Suggests Releasing 10 Living Hostages, 18 Bodies
Hamas announced on Saturday that it has submitted its response on a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators, saying it is offering the release of ten Israeli captives held by the Palestinian movement. Hamas said in a statement that under the deal, it will release ten living Israeli hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of a number of Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas statement added: "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip." Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat earlier Saturday that the movement had submitted its response to the mediators in the morning regarding the proposal on a ceasefire lasting 60 days. According to Hamas sources, the movement engaged in extensive discussions and held meetings with leaders from various Palestinian factions in Qatar and other capitals, including Beirut, in an effort to form a unified Palestinian stance. The Hamas leadership and the factions viewed the response as largely positive, although it included some conditions necessary to ensure a successful implementation, the sources said. All requests for amendments on the proposal were made through factional consensus, and it is expected that they will be accepted if there is genuine US pressure on Israel, they added. One key remark aims to prevent the release of Israeli captives only on two specific days in the first week, as outlined in Witkoff's proposal. Instead, the release will occur in stages, similar to the previous deal, to ensure the agreement is fully implemented over the course of two months, which is the proposed 60-day period. Other Hamas sources stated that the response was neither strictly positive nor negative but included precise comments to ensure that any final agreement meets the bare minimum of Palestinian demands.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv demand an end to war on Gaza
Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in 'Hostages Square', while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters. A separate antigovernment protest is also occurring at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel's 'real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state'. Netanyahu's critics in Israel have accused the prime minister of extending the war for his own personal and political survival. Haaretz also reported that protests are expected in other cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of other sites and intersections across Israel. After Netanyahu announced an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the move in a statement, saying the plan is 'sacrificing' those still held in the Palestinian territory. Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli captives alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war. Israeli media identified the pair in the undated video as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana. The three-minute video released by Hamas's Qassam Brigades shows one of the captives, identified by media as 36-year-old Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew in the video, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives. Bohbot and Ohana were both abducted by Palestinian fighters from the site of a music festival during Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023.
Al Jazeera
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv demand an end to war on Gaza
Thousands of Israelis rallied in central Tel Aviv, calling on the government to end the war on Gaza and secure the immediate release of Israeli captives held in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that in Tel Aviv, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli campaign group, held its weekly rally Saturday in 'Hostages Square', while another demonstration by families of captives is taking place outside the Israeli military headquarters. A separate antigovernment protest is also occurring at Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The Times of Israel reported that Shai Mozes, whose parents were held captive and released in separate exchange deals, told the crowd at the protest in Habima Square that Israel's 'real enemy is not Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is destroying Israel as a Jewish and democratic state'. Netanyahu's critics in Israel have accused the prime minister of extending the war for his own personal and political survival. Haaretz also reported that protests are expected in other cities, including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of other sites and intersections across Israel. After Netanyahu announced an expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the move in a statement, saying the plan is 'sacrificing' those still held in the Palestinian territory. Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing two Israeli captives alive in the Gaza Strip, with one of the two men calling to end the 19-month-long war. Israeli media identified the pair in the undated video as Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana. The three-minute video released by Hamas's Qassam Brigades shows one of the captives, identified by media as 36-year-old Bohbot, visibly weak and lying on the floor wrapped in a blanket. Ohana, 24, speaks in Hebrew in the video, urging the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining captives. Bohbot and Ohana were both abducted by Palestinian fighters from the site of a music festival during Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023.
