hostages

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Hamas Says It Has Done All It Can to Return Bodies

Trump calls search for hostages' remains in Gaza a 'gruesome process'

(Newser) - Hamas says it has done what it can in returning Israeli hostages' remains but claims it needs special equipment to recover any more bodies, potentially putting its fragile ceasefire with Israel on the line. The Israeli military said the two caskets believed to contain the remains of hostages were...

IDF: Of 8 Remains We've Received, One Wasn't a Hostage

Hamas has yet to comment

(Newser) - A body returned to Israel by Hamas under President Trump's ceasefire deal is not that of any known hostage, the Israeli military said Wednesday. The IDF said forensic tests confirmed the body delivered Tuesday does not match any of the 28 hostages believed to have died in Gaza. The...

Hamas' New Problem: Finding Hostages' Remains in Rubble

Red Cross warns recovery of all bodies may not be possible, a threat to ceasefire deal

(Newser) - The Red Cross warned Tuesday that returning the remains of hostages killed during the Israel-Hamas conflict will be a "massive challenge" that could take days or weeks—and may never be fully completed, reports Reuters . One huge obstacle: locating bodies amid the widespread destruction in Gaza. So far, only...

A Look at the Freed Israeli Hostages

'We did not give up,' says one family

(Newser) - "After two years of suffering, he is here," says the family of Evyatar David, 24, in a statement cited by the BBC . "We did not give up faith, we did not lose hope," says the family of Bar Kupershtein, 23. Those two men were among the...

Bank Robber Who Inspired 'Stockholm Syndrome' Dead at 78

Clark Olofsson spent decades in prison after the infamous 1973 hostage crisis

(Newser) - Clark Olofsson, the notorious Swedish bank robber whose role in a 1973 Stockholm hostage crisis helped inspire the term "Stockholm syndrome," has died at 78, the New York Times reports. Olofsson's death, which occurred on June 24 in a hospital in Arvika, Sweden, was confirmed by his...

Israeli Military Says Ceasefire Is in Effect
Ceasefire Takes Hold in Gaza
Oct 10, 2025 6:01 AM CDT

Ceasefire Takes Hold in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians return to northern Gaza after Israeli troops pull back

(Newser) - Palestinians began returning to the north of Gaza on Friday after Israel's military said a ceasefire was in effect and its forces were shifting positions inside the territory as part of the agreement. The ceasefire at noon local time came after the Israeli government approved the deal early...

Israel Marks 2 Years Since Hamas Attack

Families rally as negotiations stir hopes for hostage release

(Newser) - On Tuesday, Israel marked two years since the deadly Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 which left roughly 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. Low-key memorials unfolded in southern kibbutzim hit hardest by the violence, while a larger rally was held in Tel Aviv, with families pleading for...

Netanyahu Heckled During a Fiery UN Speech

Reps from multiple nations stage protest, walk out as Israeli leader defends Gaza military campaign

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a chilly reception at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, where he defended his government's military actions in Gaza and vowed to "finish the job" until Hamas is defeated. As Netanyahu stepped to the podium, representatives from numerous countries left...

Driver Didn't Like What He Saw in Delivery to Motel

Suspicious delivery of trash bags, zip ties triggers police response to a hostage situation in Texas

(Newser) - A delivery driver's sharp eye recently helped Texas police break up a hostage drama before it could escalate, authorities say. The driver grew suspicious after being asked to deliver an odd collection of items—including trash bags, zip ties, a hatchet, and bleach, according to witnesses—to a...

As Tension Lingers, Rubio Visits Israel

Trump has criticized the strike on Hamas in Qatar

(Newser) - As international pressure mounts over Israel's latest offensive in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jerusalem to reaffirm "unbreakable" ties with Israel—even as both allies face global criticism and a humanitarian crisis deepens. After their visit to the site on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...

Qatar PM: Israel 'Just Killed Any Hope for Those Hostages'

Strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha sparks global condemnation and fear

(Newser) - Qatar's prime minister is sharply criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an airstrike in Doha killed six Hamas members assigned to ceasefire talks, the Guardian reports. In a CNN interview, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called the strike an act of "state terror" and claimed...

Trump Rebukes Israel for Qatar Strike
Trump Issues Rare
Rebuke of Israel
Sep 10, 2025 12:00 AM CDT

Trump Issues Rare Rebuke of Israel

Strike in Doha sparks tension between US, Israel, and Qatar

(Newser) - President Trump publicly rebuked Israel Tuesday after its military strike in Qatar, warning that the attack on a key US ally risks unraveling fragile peace negotiations in the region, NBC News reports. "Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is...

Children Among Hostages Released After Airstrikes

Some of them had been taken during fatal attack on mosque

(Newser) - At least 76 hostages, including children, have been freed after Nigeria's military targeted militants with precision airstrikes in the country's northwest, authorities said. The airstrikes were launched on targets around Pauwa Hill, located in the Kankara area of Katsina state, in the early hours of Saturday, Nasir Mu'azu,...

Hostage Families Want National Walkout in Israel

They want release of hostages, ceasefire to stop 'endless war'

(Newser) - As Israeli leaders push to intensify military action in Gaza, families of hostages are urging the nation to shut down in a bold strike. The Hostage Families Forum, a leading advocacy group, is calling for citizens across Israel to participate in a nationwide walkout on Sunday while pressing the...

Bibi's Gaza Plan Meets With a Chorus of Nos

Israeli opposition chief, world leaders, hostage families react to plot to take over Gaza City

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu's plans for Israel to take over Gaza City amid international calls for a ceasefire in the nation's fight with Hamas aren't going over well with many. The New York Times reports that the prime minister is being "broadly criticized"—by resident politicians, global...

Netanyahu Reportedly Plans Full Military Occupation of Gaza

Move comes amid rising casualties, hostage crisis, and global pressure

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing to announce a plan for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, according to multiple Israeli media outlets cited by Al Jazeera . The move would mean an expanded military assault across the entire territory, even in areas where hostages are believed...

The Ransom Was Paid, but Dozens Died Anyway

Brutal killings in northern Nigeria highlight ongoing issue with 'bandits'

(Newser) - Kidnappers killed 38 villagers abducted from northern Nigeria even after receiving ransom payments for their release, according to local officials. The victims were among 56 people taken from Banga village in the Kauran Namoda area of Zamfara state back in March, with abductors demanding roughly $655 per captive. Local...

Bodies of Israeli-American Couple Recovered in Gaza

Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai were killed in 2023 attack

(Newser) - Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of an American-Israeli couple who were killed during the Hamas-led raid of Israel in 2023, reports the BBC . Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai, both in their early 70s, were out for a walk when militants stormed the Nir Oz kibbutz near the...

Israel's Latest Maneuver Launches With 'Great Force'

Nation hopes 'Operation Gideon Chariots' in Gaza will pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages

(Newser) - Israel has launched a major operation in the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages, the defense minister said Saturday, following days of intensive strikes across the territory that killed hundreds of people. Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Operation Gideon Chariots was being led with "...

Hostage's Family Reacts to His Release: 'You Look Unbelievable'

Video emerges of 21-year-old Israeli American reuniting with mom, others after 584 days in captivity

(Newser) - On Monday, Hamas released the last living American-Israeli hostage , 21-year-old Edan Alexander, and now there's video of his emotional reunion with his family after 584 days in captivity, reports Mediaite .
  • Footage: In the clip posted by Axios' Barak Ravid, the New Jersey native is seen smiling as he's
...

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