Latest news with #hostageCrisis
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Netanyahu's missing political vision
The decision by the Israeli security cabinet to approve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal for the Israeli army to take over Gaza City, home to around 800,000 Palestinians, has produced outrage and condemnation inside Israel as well as from abroad. The families of the remaining Israeli hostages still held in Gaza staged an angry protest in Tel Aviv on the eve of the cabinet vote and, when it was announced, accused the government of sentencing their loved ones to death. Opinion polls regularly report that a majority of Israelis support the call by the hostage families for the government to call an immediate halt to the war and negotiate the release of their loved ones, even if this means leaving Hamas in power in Gaza. Opposition leaders called the decision by the security cabinet to step up rather than halt the war, in defiance of public opinion and the demands of the hostage families, a disaster. They accused Netanyahu of sacrificing the security of Israeli citizens for political calculations by bowing to pressure from the extreme right-wing members of his coalition, who advocate a full reoccupation of Gaza 20 years after Israel pulled out completely from the strip. While Netanyahu has long been adept at wrong footing his political rivals and resisting calls for an end to the war, opposition to the latest move has also come from the highest echelons of the military itself. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that such a move would endanger the lives of the hostages. So far the army has been careful not to operate in areas where it thinks the hostages are held, since Hamas has warned it will execute them if Israeli forces come near. A year ago, Hamas made good on this threat by killing six hostages when the army drew close to where they were being kept. Pushing into more of Gaza therefore puts more of them at risk. Zamir also warned that, after 22 months of war, his forces were exhausted and a new push to reoccupy more of Gaza would cause the 'erosion' of the army. Harrowing accounts of civilian suffering in Gaza had prompted even Israel's allies to call for a ceasefire, even before the latest cabinet decision to instead intensify the war. A statement by 25 Western nations on July 21 said the conflict must end immediately as the 'inhumane' killing of civilians and the 'drip feeding' of aid which had brought the suffering of Gazans to 'new depths.' So why has Netanyahu decided now to defy such calls for a halt to the war both from inside Israel and from its allies, and instead to step up the military campaign? Three days after the statement by Western countries, the peace talks taking place in Doha, aimed at reaching a ceasefire and release of hostages broke down. The US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, returned home accusing Hamas of having no desire to reach a ceasefire. Netanyahu, who had condemned the Western statement as playing into the hands of Hamas, drew the lesson – rightly or wrongly – that it had emboldened Hamas to escalate its demands in the ceasefire talks. And when President Trump said Israel had to 'finish the job' in Gaza and get rid of Hamas, Netanyahu will have felt he had the backing of his strongest ally to carry on the war. The prime minister is also even more reliant than ever on the support of the two small extreme right parties in his coalition, who insist on pressing on with the war until Hamas is eliminated. This is because of the decision by one of the parties representing Haredi – ultra-orthodox – Jews to pull out of Netanyahu's coalition government over the issue of the draft. Ironically it is the refusal of Haredis to serve in the army that is causing much of its manpower shortage, as well as stoking resentment from mainstream Israelis, whose sons and daughters are spending months on the front line in Gaza. So the combination of Hamas intransigence, pressure from his coalition partners and an apparent US green light appear to have pushed Netanyahu into deciding that expanding the campaign is the only way forward. But there are serious military and political questions over such a strategy. If the aim is to really defeat Hamas or pressure it to resume negotiations, why is the military focused on Gaza City, rather than the central Gazan refugee camps of Deir al-Balah, al-Nuseirat and Khan Younis, where Palestinian analysts say Hamas presence is strongest? Nor is Hamas a regular army that will surrender and disarm when faced with military defeat. It will declare victory simply if one fighter emerges from the rubble holding a Kalashnikov and a Hamas flag. A conventional army loses if it does not win, while a guerilla army wins if it does not lose, as Henry Kissinger observed. But most seriously of all, there remains no political vision in Netanyahu's plan. He speaks vaguely of 'Arab forces' taking over control of Gaza from the Israeli military. But as long as he rejects any Palestinian Authority role in securing and governing Gaza, Arab countries will not take on the onerous task of fighting Hamas and then securing and overseeing the rebuilding of the territory. It is true that countries and organisations who blithely call for a ceasefire, rebuilding of Gaza and implementation of a two-state solution fail to explain how any of that is possible while Hamas remains in power. But the current Israeli government is equally at fault for pressing on with the war in Gaza without providing any positive vision of the future for the long-suffering inhabitants of that devastated land.
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli military chief pushes back on expanding Gaza war, sources say
Israeli military chief pushes back on expanding Gaza war, sources say By Alexander Cornwell and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced pushback from the head of the military over his proposal to seize remaining areas of Gaza it doesn't already control during a tense three-hour meeting, three Israeli officials said. Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, warned the prime minister that taking the rest of Gaza could trap the military in the territory, which it withdrew from two decades ago, and could lead to harm to the hostages being held there, the sources briefed on the Tuesday meeting said. The Israeli military says it already controls 75% of Gaza after nearly two years of war, which began when militant group Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities in October 2023. Much of the crowded, coastal enclave has been devastated in the war, which has destroyed homes, schools, mosques and hospitals. Most of the population has been displaced multiple times and aid groups say residents are on the verge of famine. The U.N. has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza "deeply alarming" if true. The military, which accuses Hamas of operating amongst civilians, has at times avoided areas where intelligence suggested hostages were held and former captives have said their captors threatened to kill them if Israeli forces approached. Netanyahu, who favours an expansion of military operations, told Zamir that so far the military had failed to bring about the release of the hostages, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Diplomatic negotiations have secured the release of most hostages freed so far. A fourth source said that the prime minister intended to expand military operations in Gaza to put pressure on Hamas. Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X Wednesday that the military chief has both the right and the duty to voice his opinion, but said that the military would carry out the government's decisions until all war objectives are achieved. The prime minister's office confirmed the meeting with Zamir on Tuesday but declined to comment further and the military did not respond to a request for comment. The prime minister is scheduled to discuss military plans for Gaza with other ministers on Thursday. Netanyahu, who in May said that Israel would control all of Gaza, leads the most right-wing coalition government in Israel's history and some of his key partners have in the past threatened to quit if the government ended the war. INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE There are 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive. Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza, last week of two extremely emaciated hostages triggered international condemnation. Close to 200 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza since the war began, about half of them children, according to Gaza's health ministry. More than 20 died on Wednesday when a truck believed to be carrying food overturned as it was swarmed by a desperate crowd, according to local health authorities. There is intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in Gaza and for Hamas to release the hostages. The latest ceasefire talks in Qatar broke down last month. Hamas insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war, while Israel accuses the group of lacking sincerity about giving up power afterward and must be defeated. An expansion of the military offensive in heavily populated areas would likely be devastating. Many of Gaza's 2 million Palestinians are living in tent encampments in the territory's south, displaced by 22 months of bombardment. "Where will we go?" said Tamer Al-Burai, a displaced Palestinian living at the edge of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza. "Should people jump into the sea if the tanks rolled in, or wait to die under the rubble of their houses? We want an end to this war, it is enough, enough," he told Reuters by phone. OVEREXTENDED The war in Gaza has also overextended Israel's military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It is not clear if more reservists would be needed to expand operations and take more territory. The military continued to carry out air strikes across Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 135 people in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said, with the death toll since the beginning of the conflict now at more than 61,000, mostly civilians, it says. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, including more than 700 civilians, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023 when the militant group attacked Israel. In Israel, public polls show support for a diplomatic deal that would end the war and secure the release of the hostages.
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Netanyahu Sees Iran Outcome Opening Door to Gaza Hostage Return
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the 12-day war with Iran had created opportunities for Israel, and the first was the return of hostages held in Gaza by Palestinian gunmen who attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. His remarks, coupled with the Jerusalem District Court's postponement of his testimony this week in his long-running corruption trial, gave rise to speculation that progress may be made to end the Gaza conflict and secure the hostages' release. The court accepted on Sunday Netanyahu's request for the delay, citing classified diplomatic and security grounds. US President Donald Trump had suggested on Saturday the trial could interfere with the Israeli leader's ability to negotiate. Israel's military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Friday the war in Iran, which ended on June 24, could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Israeli public radio Kan said Israel's security cabinet had met on Sunday evening and would meet again on Monday. Israel's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu's, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, Israeli media said. On a Sunday visit to a security facility of Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, Netanyahu said: "I want to inform you that as you probably know, many opportunities have opened up now following this victory, many opportunities." "First of all, to rescue the hostages. Of course we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both tasks," he said, according to a statement issued by his office. Israeli advocates for the 50 hostages remaining in Gaza, known as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, said his statement prioritizing the hostages was a first. "The families of the hostages welcome the fact that after 20 months, the return of the hostages has finally been designated as the top priority by the prime minister," they said. "This is a very important statement that must translate into a single comprehensive deal to bring back all 50 hostages and end the fighting in Gaza," their statement said. Of the 50 hostages, only 20 are believed to be alive. Trump said on Saturday that Netanyahu was "right now" negotiating a deal with Hamas, though neither leader provided details, and officials on both sides have voiced skepticism over prospects for a ceasefire soon. The US has proposed a 60-day ceasefire and a release of half the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians. Hamas would release the remaining hostages once a permanent ceasefire was in place. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza before intensified fighting against Hamas. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had informed mediators it was ready to resume ceasefire talks, but reaffirmed the group's outstanding demands that any deal must end the war and secure an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal territory. Israel says it can only end the war if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 251 captives back to Gaza in their attack on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Clark Olofsson, Notorious Criminal Who Helped Inspire the ‘Stockholm Syndrome' Phrase, Dies at 78
Clark Olofsson, one of the criminals who inspired the 'Stockholm syndrome' phrase, died on June 24, 2025, at 78 Olofsson died in a hospital in Sweden after a prolonged illness Olofsson rose to worldwide infamy in 1973 when he helped hold four people hostage in a bank in Stockholm and seemingly gained the sympathy of his captorsClark Olofsson, the notorious Swedish criminal who partly inspired the phrase 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died. He was 78. Olofsson died after a prolonged illness at Sweden's Arvika Hospital on June 24, according to his family, per Swedish news outlet Dagens ETC. Olofsson rose to worldwide infamy in 1973 when he helped fellow criminal Jan-Erik Olsson hold four people hostage in a bank in Stockholm for six days. Olsson initiated the robbery and kidnappings alone, but then demanded that police bring him his friend Olofsson, who at the time was imprisoned for an unrelated crime. Olofsson later maintained that authorities had told him he would receive a reduced sentence if he helped keep the hostages safe — a promise he said was ultimately not honored, per the BBC. Over the course of the week, the hostages seemingly began to sympathize with their captors and even defended their actions to authorities, according to the outlet. One of the hostages, 23-year-old Kristin Enmark, spoke to the Swedish prime minister during hostage negotiations and asked that she be allowed to leave the bank in a getaway car with the bank robbers. "I fully trust Clark and the robber ... They haven't done a thing to us,' she said during the call, per the BBC. "On the contrary, they have been very nice ... Believe it or not, but we've had a really nice time here." When police stormed the bank with tear gas, the hostages refused to leave Olofsson and Olsson for fear that authorities would shoot them, per the BBC. Years later, Enmark criticized the Stockholm syndrome theory — which was coined by Swedish psychiatrist Nils Bejerot — saying that she was merely trying to survive. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It's a way of blaming the victim. I did what I could to survive,' she said on the BBC's Sideways podcast in 2021. Olofsson was raised by a single mother in Gothenburg, Sweden, per ETC. He began working on a cargo ship at age 15. By 19, he was involved in a police shooting after escaping prison. He was convicted of numerous crimes over his lifetime, including drug trafficking and a high-profile art heist, per the outlet. Several projects have been made about Olofsson's life, including a 2022 Netflix series — titled Clark — starring the actor Bill Skarsgård. Read the original article on People
Malay Mail
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Swedish robber Clark Olofsson who inspired the term ‘Stockholm syndrome', dies at 78
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Clark Olofsson, the Swedish criminal whose role in a 1973 Stockholm bank robbery inspired the term 'Stockholm syndrome,' has died at 78, his family confirmed to Dagens ETC, as reported by the BBC. The six-day bank siege saw Olofsson and his accomplice, Jan-Erik Olsson, take four hostages who grew sympathetic towards them while increasingly distrustful of the police. This counterintuitive response was later named Stockholm syndrome, a theorised psychological condition where captives develop feelings of attachment to their captors. The BBC reported that the siege began with Olsson taking three women and one man hostage at a Stockholm bank, demanding Olofsson be brought from prison to the scene. Swedish authorities complied, allowing Olofsson to join Olsson inside the bank, which was under heavy police surveillance. Olofsson claimed in a later interview with Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper that authorities had asked him to protect the hostages in exchange for a reduced sentence. However, he alleged the agreement was not honoured. During the standoff, Olofsson persuaded one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, to call the Swedish prime minister, Olof Palme. She expressed trust in her captors and asked to leave the bank with them, telling Palme: 'I fully trust Clark and the robber... They haven't done a thing to us.' The incident concluded when police used tear gas to storm the building. Despite being freed, hostages initially hesitated to leave, fearing their captors would be harmed. They later refused to testify against Olofsson and Olsson in court. As highlighted by the BBC, the term Stockholm syndrome was coined by Swedish criminologist Nils Bejerot. While the concept gained attention in high-profile cases, such as the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst, it remains contested among experts. Enmark herself dismissed the idea during a BBC Sideways podcast in 2021, saying it unfairly blames victims. Olofsson, who spent much of his life in prison for armed robbery, drug offences, and other crimes, was released in 2018. The BBC noted that his life story was dramatized in the 2022 Netflix series 'Clark', with actor Bill Skarsgård portraying him. The BBC reported that Olofsson's family confirmed his death following a lengthy illness, marking the end of a life that profoundly impacted criminal history and popular psychology.
