Latest news with #hostage
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israel assassinates terrorist who held British hostage captive
Credit: X / @idfonline The Hamas terrorist who held Emily Damari captive in Gaza has been assassinated in a targeted strike. The Israeli military said that Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, who was one of thousands of fighters who invaded southern Israel on Oct 7, was killed in Gaza City as operations in the besieged strip continue and ceasefire talks stall. 'Quneita was a terrorist in Hamas's Al-Furqan Battalions' military intelligence, who infiltrated Israel during the brutal Oct 7 massacre and held Emily Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war,' the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said while sharing footage of the deadly strike. Ms Damari, a British-Israeli who is now 28, was one of 251 people taken captive on the deadliest single day for the Jews since the Holocaust. She was shot and abducted after Hamas gunmen stormed her home in the Kfar Aza kibbutz. The terrorists killed Ms Damari's dog and shot her in the hand before blindfolding her and driving her into Gaza where she was held captive for 471 days. She subsequently lost two fingers. She was released in January as part of a short-lived ceasefire in which 10 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 400 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, many on terror charges. She and her fellow hostages were denied sufficient food, which was rationed between them, and she also spoke of never seeing the sun during her time in captivity. Speaking to an Israeli broadcaster in May, she recalled a physical altercation with a Hamas captor who had pushed a fellow hostage. 'I started speaking in Hebrew, not Arabic – 'What are you doing?' – and pushed him back,' she told Channel 12. 'He grabbed me by the arm, and I pushed his arm away, until others separated us. 'Would I have gotten a bullet? Fine, then I'll die and won't be in captivity, thank you very much,' she said. 'Sucks for my family, for my friends, but I'll be out of this nightmare.' Ms Damari, who is gay, had to hide her sexuality from her captors during her time in Gaza, knowing that it could be fatal if the Islamist terror group found out. Homosexuality is illegal in Gaza, punishable by prison or even death. 'They can't know something like that, they consider it sick,' Ms Damari said. 'We once asked one of them, 'What if your brother were gay'? he said: 'I'd murder him'.' She told the news channel that during her long captivity she had quizzed her captors on topics from how they built the tunnel to how much they cost to build, the terrorist nicknaming her 'Fuduli,' meaning curious in Arabic. Ms Damari was from one of the worst hit communities on the Gaza border, the rural community of Kfar Aza. In a phone call with Sir Keir Starmer after her release, she claimed she had been held in facilities belonging to the UN refugee agency UNRWA during her captivity. She said she'd been denied medical treatment during her time as a hostage.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Couple being held in Iran 'outrageous', MP says
The government has been urged to "act decisively" to secure the freedom of a British couple detained in Iran. Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both 52, were on a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip around the world when they were arrested by Iranian authorities in January and later charged with espionage - something the family a meeting of the all-parliamentary group for arbitrary detention and hostage affairs (APPG), the couple's son Joe Bennett told the BBC he wanted the UK government to be "really pressing" Iran for their immediate Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says it continues to raise the case directly with the Iranian authorities. Mr Bennett said the meeting had reassured the family they had support, but he would still continue to pressure government to "make sure that what can be done is being done immediately".Iran's government has been approached for comment. 'Bargaining chips' Brendan O'Hara, APPG vice chair, told the BBC it was "absolutely outrageous" that Mr and Ms Foreman, who were just on holiday and have "no political connection", had been "taken hostage". The Scottish National Party MP called the couple from East Sussex "innocent victims of a geopolitical power struggle", likening them to "bargaining chips" between states. "The UK government has to act and it has to act decisively", O'Hara said, urging officials to do "everything they possibly can" to secure their freedom. He pointed to the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian national who was held hostage by the Iranian government for six years to pressure the UK to pay a long-standing, multi-million-pound debt. Haydee Dijkstal, a barrister representing the family, told the BBC there were concerns the human rights of the couple were not being fully protected in Iran. She said they had been held in solitary confinement for more than 30 days and did not know what they were being charged with for several months. Mr Bennett said he had not spoken to his parents for more than six months. The FCDO advises against all travel to Iran. "British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention," it says in its Iran travel advice. "Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you."
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Israel assassinates terrorist who held British hostage captive
The Hamas terrorist who held Emily Damari captive in Gaza has been assassinated in a targeted strike. The Israeli military said that Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, who was one of thousands of fighters who invaded southern Israel on Oct 7, was killed in Gaza City as operations in the besieged strip continue and ceasefire talks stall. 'Quneita was a terrorist in Hamas's Al-Furqan Battalions' military intelligence, who infiltrated Israel during the brutal Oct 7 massacre and held Emily Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war,' the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said while sharing footage of the deadly strike. Ms Damari, a British-Israeli who is now 28, was one of 251 people taken captive on the deadliest single day for the Jews since the Holocaust. She was shot and abducted after Hamas gunmen stormed her home in the Kfar Aza kibbutz. The terrorists killed Ms Damari's dog and shot her in the hand before blindfolding her and driving her into Gaza where she was held captive for 471 days. She subsequently lost two fingers. She was released in January as part of a short-lived ceasefire in which 10 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 400 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, many on terror charges. She and her fellow hostages were denied sufficient food, which was rationed between them, and she also spoke of never seeing the sun during her time in captivity. Speaking to an Israeli broadcaster in May, she recalled a physical altercation with a Hamas captor who had pushed a fellow hostage. 'I started speaking in Hebrew, not Arabic – 'What are you doing?' – and pushed him back,' she told Channel 12. 'He grabbed me by the arm, and I pushed his arm away, until others separated us. 'Would I have gotten a bullet? Fine, then I'll die and won't be in captivity, thank you very much,' she said. 'Sucks for my family, for my friends, but I'll be out of this nightmare.' Ms Damari, who is gay, had to hide her sexuality from her captors during her time in Gaza, knowing that it could be fatal if the Islamist terror group found out. Homosexuality is illegal in Gaza, punishable by prison or even death. 'They can't know something like that, they consider it sick,' Ms Damari said. 'We once asked one of them, 'What if your brother were gay'? he said: 'I'd murder him'.' She told the news channel that during her long captivity she had quizzed her captors on topics from how they built the tunnel to how much they cost to build, the terrorist nicknaming her 'Fuduli,' meaning curious in Arabic. Ms Damari was from one of the worst hit communities on the Gaza border, the rural community of Kfar Aza. In a phone call with Sir Keir Starmer after her release, she claimed she had been held in facilities belonging to the UN refugee agency UNRWA during her captivity. She said she'd been denied medical treatment during her time as a hostage.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Security forces kill terrorist who held Emily Damari hostage in his Gaza home
Quneita was a member of Hamas' Al-Furqan Battalions' military intelligence battalion, and infiltrated Israel on October 7. Security forces killed the terrorist who held Emily Damari hostage in Gaza, the IDF and Shin Bet announced in a joint statement on Monday. On June 19, the IDF and Shin Bet struck Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita in the area of Gaza City. Quneita was a member of Hamas' Al-Furqan Battalions' military intelligence battalion, and infiltrated Israel on October 7. He held Emily Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war. In response to the announcement, Damari posted to Instagram: "May we keep hearing good news like this, and may everyone be held accountable. But true victory will only come when my Gali, Ziv, and the rest of the 48 hostages are returned to us." Damari, a British-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from her home in Kfar Aza, along with Gali Berman. Hamas also abducted Gali's twin brother, Ziv. The two brothers are still being held in Hamas captivity. During the massacre, Hamas terrorists stormed her home, where they killed her dog, Chucha, and shot her in the hand and leg at close range. She lost two fingers on her left hand and was wounded in her right leg. Damari was released on January 19 as part of the hostage deal earlier this year alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher. After her release, Damari's injury became a symbol of courage and survival in Israeli society. The IDF and Shin Bet said they will continue to operate against all those who took part in the October 7 massacre.
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza, health officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Monday killed at least 30 people , according to local hospitals. The Israeli military meanwhile said it killed a senior Hamas militant last month who had held a hostage in his home. The 21-month war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack is raging on after two days of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended last week with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received 12 bodies, including three children and two women, after a series of strikes in the north, according to the hospital's director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia. Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza reported six killed and eight wounded in strikes in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. The military said a June 19 strike killed Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, who it said had taken part in the Oct. 7 attack and held hostage Emily Damari, a dual Israeli-British citizen , in his home at the start of the war. There was no comment from Hamas nor independent confirmation. Thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The militants are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other experts consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties . Israel's air and ground war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and driven some 90% of the population from their homes. Aid groups say they have struggled to bring in food and other assistance because of Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order, and experts have warned of famine . ___ Khaled reported from Cairo and AlJoud from Beirut. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
