Latest news with #Yehoud
CNN
30-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Photos this week: January 23-30, 2025
Friends of Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old German-Israeli hostage, react as they watch a broadcast of her being released by Palestinian militants on Thursday, January 30. Yehoud was among eight hostages released in Gaza on Thursday. The chaotic scenes surrounding the release of seven of those hostages brought condemnation from Israeli leaders and a temporary delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners, who were ultimately freed later in the day as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP Madison Keys kisses her trophy after winning the Australian Open tennis tournament on Saturday, January 25. Keys, a 29-year-old American, stunned two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to win her first-ever grand slam title. Vincent Thian/AP Shoes that were taken from prisoners many years ago are displayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland, on Thursday, January 23. It has now been 80 years since the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp complex where more than 1.1 million people were murdered. Oded Balilty/AP People cross barriers near an area where dozens of people were killed in a crowd crush in Prayagraj, India, on Wednesday, January 29. The tragedy happened as tens of millions of Hindu devotees went to bathe in a river on one of the most sacred days of Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher. Atul Loke/The New York Times/Redux Detained migrants sit on a US Air Force plane as they await takeoff in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday, January 23. The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to roll out the president's immigration agenda, effectively closing off the US southern border to asylum seekers, severely limiting who's eligible to enter the United States and laying the groundwork to swiftly deport migrants already in the country. Senior Airman Devlin Bishop/DoD/Handout/Reuters Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US President Donald Trump's nominee for health and human services secretary, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, January 29. Kennedy tried to downplay his anti-vaccine rhetoric and other controversial stances regarding public health, and he rebuked statements that he is a vaccine skeptic despite an extensive, recorded history of his linking vaccines to autism in civil defense workers known as the White Helmets collect human remains found in two separate basements in Sbeneh, Syria, on Tuesday, January 28. They said the charred remains belong to at least 26 victims of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Since Assad fled the country on December 8 following the collapse of his regime, Syrians are starting to uncover mass graves across the country. Omar Albam/AP Women embrace in the reception area at The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday, January 30. Several members of the figure skating community were aboard the jet that collided with a US Army helicopter near Washington, DC, on Wednesday. The Skating Club of Boston named six victims, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champions in pairs. Robert F. Bukaty/AP Hindu holy men take a dip in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, on Wednesday, January 29. Deepak Sharma/AP A Palestinian man waves Thursday, January 30, as he arrives in Khan Younis, Gaza, after being released from Israel as part of its ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel released 110 detainees on Thursday after eight hostages were released from captivity in Gaza. Jehad Alshrafi/AP Ashley Warbington, holding a sign that says 'keep families together,' is carried out of a House committee meeting by state troopers in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, January 29. At least three woman were ejected from the meeting on immigration, according to the Associated Press. George Walker IV/AP A woman takes photos outside the Maraya concert hall in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, January 27. Maraya, the world's largest mirrored building, was designed by Florian Boje. Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images An antique wooden ice sailing yacht, built during the 1800s, is sailed on the frozen Hudson River near Athens, New York, on Saturday, January 25. The yacht is maintained and sailed by members of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club. Mike Segar/Reuters Liri Albag, an Israeli soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during Hamas' attack on Israel in October 7, 2023, makes a heart gesture at the window of a helicopter as she and other released hostages are transported to a medical complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Saturday, January 25. Rami Shlush/Reuters From left, Herbert Lin, Juan Manuel Santos, Robert Socolow and Suzet McKinney reveal an updated Doomsday Clock at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, January 28. The clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight — the closest the world has ever been to that marker, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which established the clock in 1947 as a symbolic attempt to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world.
CNN
30-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Photos this week: January 23-30, 2025
Friends of Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old German-Israeli hostage, react as they watch a broadcast of her being released by Palestinian militants on Thursday, January 30. Yehoud was among eight hostages released in Gaza on Thursday. The chaotic scenes surrounding the release of seven of those hostages brought condemnation from Israeli leaders and a temporary delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners, who were ultimately freed later in the day as part of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Ariel Schalit/AP Madison Keys kisses her trophy after winning the Australian Open tennis tournament on Saturday, January 25. Keys, a 29-year-old American, stunned two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to win her first-ever grand slam title. Vincent Thian/AP Shoes that were taken from prisoners many years ago are displayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland, on Thursday, January 23. It has now been 80 years since the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp complex where more than 1.1 million people were murdered. Oded Balilty/AP People cross barriers near an area where dozens of people were killed in a crowd crush in Prayagraj, India, on Wednesday, January 29. The tragedy happened as tens of millions of Hindu devotees went to bathe in a river on one of the most sacred days of Maha Kumbh Mela, or the festival of the Sacred Pitcher. Atul Loke/The New York Times/Redux Detained migrants sit on a US Air Force plane as they await takeoff in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday, January 23. The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to roll out the president's immigration agenda, effectively closing off the US southern border to asylum seekers, severely limiting who's eligible to enter the United States and laying the groundwork to swiftly deport migrants already in the country. Senior Airman Devlin Bishop/DoD/Handout/Reuters Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US President Donald Trump's nominee for health and human services secretary, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, January 29. Kennedy tried to downplay his anti-vaccine rhetoric and other controversial stances regarding public health, and he rebuked statements that he is a vaccine skeptic despite an extensive, recorded history of his linking vaccines to autism in civil defense workers known as the White Helmets collect human remains found in two separate basements in Sbeneh, Syria, on Tuesday, January 28. They said the charred remains belong to at least 26 victims of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Since Assad fled the country on December 8 following the collapse of his regime, Syrians are starting to uncover mass graves across the country. Omar Albam/AP Women embrace in the reception area at The Skating Club of Boston on Thursday, January 30. Several members of the figure skating community were aboard the jet that collided with a US Army helicopter near Washington, DC, on Wednesday. The Skating Club of Boston named six victims, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champions in pairs. Robert F. Bukaty/AP Hindu holy men take a dip in the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three holy rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, on Wednesday, January 29. Deepak Sharma/AP A Palestinian man waves Thursday, January 30, as he arrives in Khan Younis, Gaza, after being released from Israel as part of its ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel released 110 detainees on Thursday after eight hostages were released from captivity in Gaza. Jehad Alshrafi/AP Ashley Warbington, holding a sign that says 'keep families together,' is carried out of a House committee meeting by state troopers in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, January 29. At least three woman were ejected from the meeting on immigration, according to the Associated Press. George Walker IV/AP A woman takes photos outside the Maraya concert hall in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, January 27. Maraya, the world's largest mirrored building, was designed by Florian Boje. Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images An antique wooden ice sailing yacht, built during the 1800s, is sailed on the frozen Hudson River near Athens, New York, on Saturday, January 25. The yacht is maintained and sailed by members of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club. Mike Segar/Reuters Liri Albag, an Israeli soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during Hamas' attack on Israel in October 7, 2023, makes a heart gesture at the window of a helicopter as she and other released hostages are transported to a medical complex in Petah Tikva, Israel, on Saturday, January 25. Rami Shlush/Reuters From left, Herbert Lin, Juan Manuel Santos, Robert Socolow and Suzet McKinney reveal an updated Doomsday Clock at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, January 28. The clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight — the closest the world has ever been to that marker, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which established the clock in 1947 as a symbolic attempt to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Three Israelis and five Thais freed from Gaza as Trump envoy meets hostages' relatives
Three Israelis and five Thai citizens held in Gaza have been freed, as Donald Trump's Middle East envoy met hostages' relatives, reportedly telling them he was optimistic the ceasefire would hold to allow the return of all the living and the dead. The handover on Thursday of seven hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was delayed by a chaotic crowd surging towards the group, despite an escort of heavily armed militants, jostling and blocking their passage to waiting Red Cross vehicles. Israel's military confirmed that the Israelis Gadi Moses, 80, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and five Thai hostages – Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak – had all been handed over at about 1pm local time. Agam Berger, 20, the last female soldier held in Gaza, had been released earlier, from northern Gaza. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, attacked the 'shocking scenes' in Khan Younis and suspended the planned release of Palestinian prisoners 'until the mediators guarantee the safe exit of the hostages' in future. Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners due to be freed were sent back to Israeli jails in the early afternoon, before a new release time of 5pm was announced. It was not the first crisis in a ceasefire deal that is not yet two weeks old. Yehoud had originally been listed for release on Saturday. When four female soldiers were handed over instead, Israel accused Hamas of violating the deal and suspended plans to allow Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza. After last-minute negotiations, Hamas confirmed Yehoud would be freed on Thursday with two other hostages and Israel opened checkpoints to northern Gaza on Monday. Shortly after the Thursday handover of the seven hostages in southern Gaza, Trump's envoy for the region, Steven Witkoff, made a brief visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Many people, when they realised Witkoff was there, raced to pay personal tribute to him for brokering the ceasefire agreement. 'Thank you for freeing the hostages, thank you to Mr Trump,' one shouted. He met families of hostages briefly in a public library beside the square. He assured them he was optimistic the deal would hold, Israeli media reported, and said he was committed to bringing home the living held in Gaza and the dead. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The first stage of the ceasefire is due to last 42 days and covers the release of 33 Israeli hostages, mostly women and older men. Of the 23 still to be released as part of the first phase, Hamas says eight are dead. Under the agreement, Israel will free about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and increase aid into Gaza. Witkoff was visiting Israel before negotiations on the second phase of the deal are to start on Monday and went from Hostage Square to hold talks with Netanyahu. The Israeli leader faces heavy pressure from far-right members of his coalition to restart the war rather than extend the ceasefire. Trump's envoy also visited Gaza with the Israeli military and met the four female soldiers freed on Saturday at the Israeli hospital where they were being treated. Among those in the crowd grateful to Trump was Dani Miran, whose son Omri Miran, 47, is a hostage in Gaza. 'Only one person made this happen. I want to thank Trump,' he said. His hopes of seeing his son again rested entirely on the new US leader, he added. He said that for one day he had put his own worries aside to celebrate, because after 15 months of intense campaigning, everyone held in Gaza feels like family. 'I think all the time about [Omri's return], but today I concentrate on the joy.' Miran was part of the crowd waiting in Hostages Square to watch the releases in real time, beside a clock broadcasting a countdown of the days, hours and minutes of the hostages' captivity. Schoolchildren and parents pushing babies in prams mixed with adults who had taken the day off to be there for a 'historic moment', most veterans of the long campaign for a ceasefire deal. They cheered and wept when the first footage streamed from Gaza showed Berger walking unaided. Like the four other women soldiers freed last weekend, she was dressed in military-style fatigues and put on stage for a ceremony that served as a show of the militants' power after 15 months of war. 'She made it,' said Yahel Oren, 31, who served a decade ago at the Nahal Oz base where Berger had been captured by Hamas, and watched the video in tears. 'It's hard to think of her alone there, but at least we can count the minutes she has left.' Oren was part of a group campaigning for the freedom of the female 'spotter' troops held in Gaza and was wearing a T-shirt saying 'once a spotter always a spotter'. Attention then shifted to the south where seven hostages were due to be freed. Shlomo Zidkiahv, 83, waved a Thai flag in solidarity with a group of Thais taken hostage while working on one of the kibbutzim that was attacked. He carried photos of all 10 still in Gaza, as neither Hamas nor Israel had initially identified the five who would be freed before their release. They were later named as Pongsak, Suwannakham, Watchara, Bannawat and Surasak. The release of Moses, the first man freed in this exchange, was taken by many in the crowd as a tacit acknowledgment that the last living women held in Gaza had been released.
Chicago Tribune
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Hamas frees 8 more hostages but Israel puts prisoner release on hold after a chaotic handover
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants, drew an angry protest from Israel. Israel was supposed to release 110 Palestinian prisoners later in the day, including around 30 serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put that on hold, demanding that mediators assure the safe exit for hostages in Gaza going forward. He later said that he had received such a commitment though did not confirm the expected releases. Israeli media reported that they would happen. Hamas released seven of the hostages in front of the destroyed home of its slain leader, Yahya Sinwar, as thousands pressed in. Hamas called it a 'message of determination,' but it triggered the latest in a series of disputes that have sent U.S. and Arab mediators scrambling to patch up the truce. The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the release of dozens of hostages abducted in the militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. A show of force as hostages are released The first hostage — female soldier Agam Berger, 20 — was released after Hamas paraded her in front of a smaller crowd in the heavily destroyed urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded at a handover of the other seven in the southern city of Khan Younis. Hundreds of militants from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group arrived with a convoy, and thousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings. Footage showed hostage Arbel Yehoud, 29, looking stunned as masked militants hustled her through the shouting crowd, pushing people back. Also released were Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers, identified by Israel as Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Tanna, 36; Sathian Suwankam, 35; Bannawat Seathao, 27; and Surasak Lamnau, 32. A number of foreign workers were taken along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during Hamas' attack. Twenty-three Thais were among more than 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says three Thais remain in captivity, two of whom are believed to be dead. Yehoud had been at the center of a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages would be released. The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved it with an agreement that Yehoud would be released with the others on Thursday. About 20 friends of Yehoud gathered in southern Israel watched as the tense scene unfolded on live television. Some cried. Others had their hands over their eyes or mouths. The crowd then burst into tears after she was turned over to the Red Cross. Netanyahu condemned the 'shocking scenes' and called on international mediators to ensure the safety of hostages in future releases. Ceasefire holds for now but next phase will be harder In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, older adults and sick or wounded men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are dead. Among those set to be released from prisons is Zakaria Zubeidi, a prominent former militant leader and theater director who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later. Palestinians have cheered the release of the prisoners, who they widely see as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel's decades-long occupation of lands they want for a future state. Israeli forces have meanwhile pulled back from most of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to return to what remains of their homes and humanitarian groups to surge assistance. The deal calls for Israel and Hamas to negotiate a second phase in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached. Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group reasserted its rule over Gaza within hours of the truce. A key far-right partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is already calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire's first phase. Hamas says it won't release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Tens of thousands killed Hamas started the war when it sent thousands of fighters storming into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Israel's ensuing air and ground war was among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and that it went to great lengths to try to spare civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters operate in dense residential neighborhoods and put military infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques. The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighborhoods into mounds of gray rubble, and it's unclear how or when anything will be rebuilt. Around 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools. Originally Published: January 29, 2025 at 10:28 PM CST
CBS News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
3 Israeli hostages released as latest prisoner exchange with Hamas begins amid Gaza ceasefire
Tel Aviv — Three more Israeli hostages — two female soldiers and an 80-year-old man — were released in Gaza Thursday as the third hostages-for-prisoners swap agreed to by Israel and Hamas got underway, according to the Israeli military, which cited information from the Red Cross. Israel was to release dozens of Palestinian detainees from its prisons later in the day under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire. The Israeli military confirmed that five "foreign nationals" were also released by militants in Gaza on Thursday, and it had been expected that five Thai nationals would be freed as part of a separate agreement. The first Israeli released early Thursday was female soldier Agam Berger, 20. She was handed over amid the ruins of the Jabalia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza. Berger was the final hostage from an unarmed, all-female Israeli military unit that had been working to surveil Gaza. Seven women from Berger's unit were taken hostage during Hamas' Oct. 7 2023 attack on Israel, which saw militants kill about 1,200 people and take a total of 251 others hostage. Israel's military response to the attack has killed more than 47,300 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and decimated the Palestinian territory, displacing virtually all of its population and causing a wide scale humanitarian crisis. Israel was expected to free 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of the exchange on Thursday. Berger was escorted by militants out of the back of a destroyed building in Jabalia. Wearing an outfit that resembled green military fatigues, she was handed over to members of the Red Cross. Photos shared later by the Israeli military showed her reunited with her parents. Two other Israeli hostages released Thursday were soldier Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80, who was the oldest of the hostages. Video showed Yehoud being transferred to the Red Cross, more than an hour after Berger's release, in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis amid scenes of mayhem. Yehoud and Moses had been held by the militant group Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Hamas. Yehoud and Moses were believed to be in Red Cross vehicles seen leaving the transfer site. A huge crowd had gathered Thursday in Khan Younis to witness the handover, which took place near the home of deceased Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar. Dozens of armed militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad paraded through the area and the handover of the prisoners was chaotic, with armed militants, photographers and civilians crowding around the hostages as they were moved to the waiting Red Cross vehicles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement condemning the "shocking scenes" during the handover in Khan Younis, calling the crush of people around the hostages "another proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the terrorist organization Hamas." "I demand from the mediators to make sure that such threats will not happen again, and to guarantee the safety of our abductees," said Netanyahu. Under to the terms of the ceasefire deal, Yehoud should have been among the four women released during the second exchange on Jan. 24. After that release last weekend, the terms of the agreement stipulated that Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners from jails and allow Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza, across the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the north and south of the enclave. When Yehoud wasn't among those released last weekend, Israel said it would not allow Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor. After a quick negotiation process, Hamas agreed to carry out Thursday's previously unscheduled hostage release, to include Yehoud. In anticipation of the release and according to the new agreement, Israel started allowing Palestinians to cross the Netzarim Corridor into northern Gaza on Monday. Tens of thousands of people have made their way back to the north, most of them on foot, some finding the ruins of their homes and the remains of loved ones, but also reuniting with family members they haven't been able to see in months. Israel has not confirmed the identities of the Thai nationals expected to be released on Thursday. A number of Thai citizens who had been agricultural workers in Israel were taken hostage in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Hamas and its allies are expected to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages during the first six-week phase of the ceasefire, which took effect on Jan. 19. It is hoped that negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of the ceasefire plan will start to yield progress soon. The next exchange, which will be the fourth, is scheduled to take place on Saturday. Netanyahu has said that will include the release of male hostages in Gaza. The release of the three people on Thursday left 82 hostages — both living and dead — still in Gaza, according to Israeli officials, including seven dual U.S. nationals: Keith Siegel, 65, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. Four other Americans are believed to have been killed. It remains unclear when any of the Americans might be released.
