All posts tagged: Hamas

Hamas frees more hostages, but Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners – POLITICO

Hamas frees more hostages, but Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners – POLITICO

Published by Sam

The hostages freed by Hamas were: Tal Shoham, 40; Avera Mengistu, 38; Eliya Cohen, 27; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Hisham Al-Sayed, 36; and Omer Wenkert, 23. The hostages had been held in the Gaza Strip by the militant group since its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Their release comes amid a rapid escalation in tensions between Israel and Hamas, as violence in Tel Aviv and the West Bank threaten a fragile cease-fire deal in Gaza after almost 16 months of war. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out an “intensive operation” in the West Bank after national police reported the explosion of three empty buses near Tel Aviv on Thursday.  After the explosions, Hamas released the remains of four dead Israeli hostages — but tensions escalated after it was revealed that the militant group had handed over the wrong body claimed to be the remains of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother of two. Source link

Body of UK-linked hostage believed to be among those returned by Hamas

Body of UK-linked hostage believed to be among those returned by Hamas

Published by Sam

In a statement on Thursday morning, Adam Wagner, the lawyer for Dr Lifschitz, of Walthamstow, east London, and other British hostage families, said:  “Today, 20 February 2025, is one of immense sadness, and of failure. It appears that 503 days after they were taken from their homes by Hamas terrorists, the bodies of four people have been returned to Israel. Source link

Eurovision: Hamas 7 October attack survivor to represent Israel | Ents & Arts News

Eurovision: Hamas 7 October attack survivor to represent Israel | Ents & Arts News

Published by skeptic

A survivor of the 7 October Hamas attack has been chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision. Yuval Raphael was at the Nova music festival when Hamas led a cross-border attack from Gaza into southern Israel. Hundreds were killed and many were taken hostage at the event. The amateur singer was there with friends and later told Israel’s parliament she hid under dead bodies for eight hours. Image: Yuval Raphael. Pic: Eurovision/Tal Givoni She added: “I’m going to deal with this thing for the rest of my life.” The 24-year-old earned her place at Eurovision, taking place in Switzerland in May, after coming first in the Rising Star singing contest on Israeli TV. She won with a performance of ABBA’s Dancing Queen which she dedicated to victims of the attack which kick-started the war between Israel and Hamas. After winning, she said: “I can’t explain how excited and ready I am. “Thank you for giving me this huge honour and trusting me to represent my country on the grand Eurovision stage in Switzerland.” In the months …

‘Cautiously optimistic,’ Palestinian Americans hold their breath at news of ceasefire

‘Cautiously optimistic,’ Palestinian Americans hold their breath at news of ceasefire

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — When Terry Ahwal, a Palestinian American living near Detroit, Michigan, learned Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire deal, a flood of emotions washed over her. She felt relieved that the 15-month war might end soon but unsure whether the deal would bring long-lasting peace and include solutions to rebuild Gaza.  “I am cautiously optimistic. Any time there is a cessation of violence, it’s a welcome thing, but having lived through too many Israeli ceasefires, I am skeptical, and I’m monitoring with hope,” said Ahwal, who grew up in the West Bank and serves as president of the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine. Her relatives in Palestine celebrated the news, though they are also waiting to see how the deal will unfold and whether the peace will last. “They are on their edge every step of the way, not knowing what’s going to happen,” she said. For Palestinian Americans around the country, the news of a ceasefire was bittersweet. After a year and a half of watching their homeland demolished and hearing news …

The ICC: Myths and Realities

The ICC: Myths and Realities

Published by skeptic

On November 21, when three International Criminal Court judges issued arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, the decision drew a frenzy of hostile and often ill-informed reactions from many American lawmakers and defenders of Israel. The incoming senate majority leader, John Thune, had already called the charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister […] Source link

Israelis and Palestinians React to Assassination of Hamas Leader

Israelis and Palestinians React to Assassination of Hamas Leader

Published by Sam

new video loaded: Israelis and Palestinians React to Assassination of Hamas Leader transcript Back transcript Israelis and Palestinians React to Assassination of Hamas Leader While some Israelis expressed hope that the war might end soon, many Palestinians were doubtful that the death of Yahya Sinwar would lead to a cease-fire. “We are kind of, let’s say, happy to see some kind of justice, to see that Sinwar is dead now. But as I said, what’s most important is that we want to see all the hostages coming back.” “The leader is gone now. But this does not solve the problem. The problem now is that all the hostages that Hamas have in Gaza, and it depends now on the Israeli government.” “I hope it’s going to bring peace as soon as possible. And quiet, and not a war. The war should stop, and I hope it’s going to be positive stage for the State of Israel.” Recent episodes in Middle East Crisis Show more videos from Middle East Crisis Source link

The Path to Regional War | Joost Hiltermann

The Path to Regional War | Joost Hiltermann

Published by skeptic

There are at least two ways for mutual deterrence between states—also known as mutually assured destruction—to come to an end. As the Cold War taught us, one side in the conflict can simply collapse. But deterrence can also break down when one party decides to upend the equilibrium. For more than nine months after Hamas’s horrific October 7 attack on southern Israel and the start of Israel’s devastating onslaught in Gaza, hostilities between Israel and the Iran-led “axis of resistance” (the alliance that also includes Hezbollah, Syria, Iraqi paramilitary groups, and Ansar Allah—commonly known as the Houthis—in Yemen) built steadily. The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in particular defied both sides’ previous red lines. Yet they appeared to steer clear of provoking all-out war. Then, in late July, Israel attacked a residential guesthouse in Tehran, killing Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. Just hours earlier he had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. For Israel to assassinate Haniyeh while he was staying in the Iranian capital as an official state guest …

Israel and Hamas Both Think They’re Winning

Israel and Hamas Both Think They’re Winning

Published by José

One year after Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, both sides believe they are winning. The war in Gaza appears poised to continue indefinitely and probably expand, to the apparent delight of both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Each must be surveying the wreckage in the region and anticipating the dark days ahead with determination and confidence. Each must think he is playing a sophisticated long game that the other will lose. This is hardly the first time that the designs of right-wing Israeli leaders have coincided with those of Hamas. Netanyahu has long seen Hamas as a useful tool for weakening Fatah, the secular nationalist party that dominates the Palestinian Authority and rules parts of the West Bank. As he allegedly explained at a Likud strategy meeting in 2019: “Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas. This is part of our strategy—to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank.” (Netanyahu denies …

Hamas official calls Biden's optimism about Gaza ceasefire ‘an illusion'

Hamas official calls Biden's optimism about Gaza ceasefire ‘an illusion'

Published by Sam

A senior Hamas official on Saturday dismissed US President Joe Biden’s optimism for an imminent ceasefire deal in Gaza, where rescue workers said an Israeli strike killed 18 members of a single Palestinian family. “To say that we are getting close to a deal is an illusion,” Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement. Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. Source link