Latest news with #Nimrodi
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hostage families shocked by Trump's revised death toll
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Relatives of Israeli hostages have reacted with dismay to US President Donald Trump's announcement that three more of the people held in Gaza have died. Cherut Nimrodi, the mother of a soldier kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, told the Israeli news portal ynet that she was concerned that information was being withheld from the families. She is from one of three families whose relatives are being held hostage and whose fate remains unclear, Nimrodi said. She added that there has been no sign of life from her son since he was kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Trump made the announcement during a White House event on Tuesday, reducing the number of known surviving captives to 21, and contradicting the figure provided by the Israeli authorities. Nimrodi said she was surprised that Trump had stated so categorically that three hostages had been killed. "Where did he get this information?" she asked. She noted that the US president often makes "statements that are not fully verified," but said she was still very concerned. The Israeli government's official position is that 24 hostages are still alive and that Hamas-allied groups are holding the bodies of another 35 people. However, Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister's wife, recently said there were probably fewer. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement after Trump's comments, calling on the Israeli government to provide it with any new information. It also demanded an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of all hostages.
Khaleej Times
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza
The mother of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza longs for her son's return, fearing that Israel's renewed bombardment of the territory puts his life at even greater risk. "Our children are in danger," Herut Nimrodi told AFP in an interview. Her son, Tamir, was just 18 when he was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023. "We don't know much, but one thing that is certain is that military pressure on Gaza endangers the hostages," she said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. A truce that lasted from January 19 to March 17 led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages — eight of them in coffins — in exchange for the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But on March 18, after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over next steps in the ceasefire, Israel resumed large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, beginning with heavy bombardments. 'Negotiations and pressure' Nimrodi described her son, a soldier with Cogat, the Israeli military body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, as "happy, curious, altruistic and creative". On October 7, Tamir managed to send her a message about the thousands of rockets that Hamas began launching at dawn that day. He was taken hostage 20 minutes later, along with two other soldiers killed two months later inside Gaza, under unknown circumstances. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to hand over the hostages, dead or alive. "For a year and a half, that hasn't worked. What's worked is negotiations and pressure (from US President Donald Trump)," said Nimrodi, accusing Israel of not prioritising the return of the hostages. Tamir, who turned 20 in captivity, is one of 24 hostages believed to be alive, though no proof of life has been sent since his abduction. His mother regularly joins other hostage families at rallies in Tel Aviv, though they don't all agree on the best strategy to secure their return. Some, like Tzvika Mor, whose son Eitan was abducted at the Nova music festival, believe that strength rather than negotiation is the way to proceed. "Hamas will never free the hostages out of the goodness of their heart and without military pressure," he said. A founder of the Tikva Forum -- which means "hope" in Hebrew — Mor said: "Every time Hamas says 'time out', the government negotiates instead of increasing pressure to free all hostages at once." - 'Constant fear' - Others like Dani Miran, whose 48-year-old son Omri was kidnapped from his home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, disagree. "The fear that our hostages will be hurt by Israeli strikes is constant," said Miran, a regular at the hostage rallies. The father, soon to turn 80, said the "hostages that got out said that when the Israeli army attacks Gaza, hostages suffer the consequences". He said support from his community has given him the ability to stay strong for his son, who has two daughters. "We just celebrated the second birthday of Alma, his youngest. Her second birthday without her father — it's so hard," he said. "I want to hold Omri in my arms and tell him how the whole country is fighting for all the hostages to come home together," he told the crowd during the weekly rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening. Both Omri and Eitan are believed to be alive. A few days before Passover — a Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt — Herut Nimrodi, whose name means "freedom", said she is still waiting for her son. "He loves this holiday so much," she said.
Al Arabiya
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza
The mother of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza longs for her son's return, fearing that Israel's renewed bombardment of the territory puts his life at even greater risk. 'Our children are in danger,' Herut Nimrodi told AFP during an interview. Her son, Tamir, was just 18 when he was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023. 'We don't know much, but one thing that is certain is that military pressure on Gaza endangers the hostages,' she said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. A truce that lasted from January 19 to March 17 led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages—eight of them in coffins—in exchange for the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But on March 18, after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over how to extend the ceasefire, Israel resumed large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, beginning with heavy bombardments. Nimrodi described her son, a soldier with COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, as 'happy, curious, altruistic and creative.' On October 7, Tamir managed to send her a message about the thousands of rockets that Hamas began launching at dawn that day. He was taken hostage 20 minutes later, along with two other soldiers killed two months later inside Gaza, under unknown circumstances. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to release the hostages, dead or alive. 'For a year and a half, that hasn't worked. What's worked is negotiations and pressure (from US President Donald Trump),' said Nimrodi, accusing Israel of not prioritizing the return of the hostages. Tamir, who turned 20 in captivity, is one of 24 hostages believed to be alive, though no proof of life has been sent since his abduction. His mother regularly joins other hostage families at rallies in Tel Aviv, though they don't all agree on the best strategy to secure their return. Some, like Tzvika Mor, whose son was abducted at the Nova music festival, believe that strength rather than negotiation is the way to proceed. 'Hamas will never free the hostages out of the goodness of their heart and without military pressure,' he said. A founder of the Tikva Forum—which means 'hope' in Hebrew—Mor said, 'Every time Hamas says 'time out,' the government negotiates instead of increasing pressure to free all hostages at once.' Others like Dani Miran, whose 48-year-old son Omri was kidnapped from his home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, disagree. 'The fear that our hostages will be hurt by Israeli strikes is constant,' said Miran, a regular at the hostage rallies. The father, soon to turn 80, said the 'hostages that got out said that when the Israeli army attacks Gaza, hostages suffer the consequences.' He said support from his community has given him the ability to stay strong for his son, who has two daughters. 'We just celebrated the second birthday of Alma, his youngest. Her second birthday without her father—it's so hard,' he said. 'I want to hold Omri in my arms and tell him how the whole country is fighting for all the hostages to come home together,' he told the crowd during the weekly rally on Saturday night in Tel Aviv. A few days before Passover—a Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt—Herut Nimrodi, whose name means 'freedom,' said she is still waiting for her son. 'He loves this holiday so much,' she said.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hostage families fear outcome of intense Israeli strikes on Gaza
The mother of an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza longs for her son's return, fearing that Israel's renewed bombardment of the territory puts his life at even greater risk. "Our children are in danger," Herut Nimrodi told AFP during an interview. Her son, Tamir, was just 18 when he was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023. "We don't know much, but one thing that is certain is that military pressure on Gaza endangers the hostages," she said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. A truce that lasted from January 19 to March 17 led to the return of 33 Israeli hostages -— eight of them in coffins -— in exchange for the release of around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But on March 18, after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over how to extend the ceasefire, Israel resumed large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip, beginning with heavy bombardments. - 'Negotiations and pressure' - Nimrodi described her son, a soldier with COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, as "happy, curious, altruistic and creative". On October 7, Tamir managed to send her a message about the thousands of rockets that Hamas began launching at dawn that day. He was taken hostage 20 minutes later, along with two other soldiers killed two months later inside Gaza, under unknown circumstances. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that increased military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to release the hostages, dead or alive. "For a year and a half, that hasn't worked. What's worked is negotiations and pressure (from US President Donald Trump)," said Nimrodi, accusing Israel of not prioritising the return of the hostages. Tamir, who turned 20 in captivity, is one of 24 hostages believed to be alive, though no proof of life has been sent since his abduction. His mother regularly joins other hostage families at rallies in Tel Aviv, though they don't all agree on the best strategy to secure their return. Some, like Tzvika Mor, whose son was abducted at the Nova music festival, believe that strength rather than negotiation is the way to proceed. "Hamas will never free the hostages out of the goodness of their heart and without military pressure," he said. A founder of the Tikva Forum -- which means "hope" in Hebrew -- Mor said, "every time Hamas says 'time out', the government negotiates instead of increasing pressure to free all hostages at once." - 'Constant fear' - Others like Dani Miran, whose 48-year-old son Omri was kidnapped from his home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, disagree. "The fear that our hostages will be hurt by Israeli strikes is constant," said Miran, a regular at the hostage rallies. The father, soon to turn 80, said the "hostages that got out said that when the Israeli army attacks Gaza, hostages suffer the consequences". He said support from his community has given him the ability to stay strong for his son, who has two daughters. "We just celebrated the second birthday of Alma, his youngest. Her second birthday without her father -— it's so hard," he said. "I want to hold Omri in my arms and tell him how the whole country is fighting for all the hostages to come home together," he told the crowd during the weekly rally on Saturday night in Tel Aviv. A few days before Passover -- a Jewish holiday celebrating the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt -- Herut Nimrodi, whose name means "freedom", said she is still waiting for her son. "He loves this holiday so much," she said. mib/mj/lba/acc/ysm/tc
Boston Globe
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Families of hostages in Gaza are terrified they won't return after Israel resumes fighting
Nearly 60 families have relatives still held in Gaza. About two dozen hostages are believed to be alive. During the cease-fire's first phase, which began in January, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. But since that phase ended early this month, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward. Israel's renewed airstrikes threaten to end the fragile deal. Advertisement Nimrodi's son, Tamir, was abducted from his army base when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. She's had no sign of life. He hasn't been declared dead by Israel. 'It's so sad that this is the only solution that they could find,' she said, lamenting the government's decision. The strikes early Tuesday killed more than 400 people and shattered a relative calm — along with hopes of ending the war that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the airstrikes because of lack of progress in talks to extend the cease-fire. Officials called the operation open-ended. The return to fighting could deepen the painful debate in Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages. Netanyahu and his hardline governing partners believe renewing the war will put pressure on Hamas to free them and move Israel closer to its goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities. But most hostage families, and large parts of the Israeli public, believe such goals are unrealistic. They say time is running out, particularly after the recent releases of emaciated-looking hostages who later described harsh conditions in captivity. Advertisement Hamas accused Netanyahu of upending the cease-fire and exposing the hostages 'to an unknown fate.' Families of hostages called on supporters to protest with them outside Israel's parliament Tuesday. Some families who already know their relatives in Gaza are dead called the government's decision unacceptable. 'This is not only a disaster in every way, shape or form on how the hostages keep suffering, being chained to walls, starved, abused, but also the death toll that keeps rising on the Gazan side,' Udi Goren said. His cousin Tal Haimi was killed on Oct. 7 and his body was taken into Gaza. Goren said the international community must pressure Hamas, Israel, and the mediators — the United States, Egypt, and Qatar — to end the war. 'Returning to fighting? Did you listen to a word of what we, the returnees released in the last deal, have been saying to you?' former hostage Omer Wenkert wrote on Instagram. Romi Gonen, among the first hostages to be freed in the cease-fire's first phase, said she would never forget what it felt like in captivity to hear the bombs after previous cease-fire talks collapsed and realize she wouldn't be freed any time soon. 'I beg you, the people of Israel, we must continue to fight for them,' she said on Instagram. Sylvia Cunio, whose two sons are held hostage, accused Israel's leaders of not having a heart. 'It isn't right to continue the fighting. I want my children back home already. If he wants to kill me, the prime minister, let him do that already because I won't get through this,' she said on local radio. Advertisement Nimrodi said she's worried the airstrikes might not only harm her son and the other hostages but also make their living conditions worse. The last time she saw Tamir, he was a funny teenager who rode horses and loved learning about geology and astronomy, she said. The two had a similar humor and used to talk about everything. While she's terrified of what's to come, she said she won't stop fighting to see him again. 'Please, keep strong, survive,' she said, addressing him. 'So there's a chance for us to meet once more.'
