captive

Israel is holding captive 95 Palestinian healthcare workers in its prisons. They include doctors, nurses and paramedics detained without charge. Healthcare Workers Watch recorded 80 medical workers taken from Gaza and 15 from the occupied West Bank.

Israeli drone attack close to the southern city of Khan Younis kills at least 2 people despite ceasefire.

Hamas has handed over the remains of another dead captive to Israel, hours after an Israeli drone attack in southern Gaza killed two Palestinians amid a fragile ceasefire.

The Israeli military said on Monday that the Red Cross had taken custody of the coffin and was in the process of transporting it to the army’s troops in Gaza.

Under the terms of a United States-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Hamas has undertaken to return the bodies of all the 28 deceased captives. The remains of 16 had been handed over as of Monday.

The 20 surviving captives were freed on October 13 as part of the truce.

The release of the latest body comes as the families of some of the captives called on the Israeli government to pause the ceasefire if Hamas fails to locate and hand over the bodies.

“Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

“The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel,” the association added.

The statement echoed the Israeli government’s claim that Hamas knows where the remains are.

On Saturday, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said there were “challenges” in locating the captives’ bodies because “the occupation has altered the terrain of Gaza”.

He suggested that some of those who had buried the bodies had been killed during the war, while others had forgotten the burial locations.

The day after al-Hayya’s comments, Israel permitted an Egyptian technical team to enter Gaza to help with the task of finding the bodies. The search involves the use of excavator machines and trucks.

Despite the ceasefire, an Israeli drone attack close to the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed at least two people on Monday, according to Nasser Hospital.

In total, eight Palestinians have been killed and another 13 injured in Israeli attacks across the enclave over the last 48 hours, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Monday. At least 68,527 people have died and 170,395 have been injured since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, it added.

Speaking on board Air Force One on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that Israel had not violated the truce through its strike against a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group on Saturday.

“We don’t view that as a violation of the ceasefire,” he said, accusing the target of planning an attack on Israeli troops.”They have the right if there’s an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that.”

In the more than two weeks since the truce began, about 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, where they face widespread destruction of property and critical shortages of basic necessities like food and water, according to the United Nations.

Younis al-Khatib, the head of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, has warned that Gaza’s population still faces the same desperate humanitarian emergency as it did before the truce.

“Rebuilding human beings is more difficult than rebuilding destroyed homes,” he said during meetings with Norway’s prime minister and foreign minister in Oslo, noting that residents would need mental health care for years to come.

The World Health Organization also warned that the number of Palestinians in Gaza who need mental health support had risen from about 485,000 to more than one million after two years of Israel’s war.

Almost all the children in the enclave need such help, according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, which has said that Gaza has been “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child” over the last two years.

Tess Ingram, the group’s spokesperson in Gaza, explained that this is because of the “sheer number of children who’ve been killed and injured, displaced, separated from their families [or] who have lost a loved one”.

“A classroom of children was killed every single day for two years in this conflict, and the scars of what the children have endured will last for many, many years to come,” Ingram told Al Jazeera, speaking from the al-Mawasi area in the south.

The body of a Thai farm worker killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack was returned home to Thailand. Sonthaya Oakkharasri’s body had been held in the Gaza Strip. Thai officials say 45 nationals have died in the conflict — the highest foreign toll among Israel’s foreign workers.

Hamas has handed over the remains of an additional captive it recovered in the ravaged Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian group urges mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to open border crossings and allow aid in.

The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement on Friday that its fighters handed over the remains at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), without elaborating on where the body was retrieved.

According to the group, the remains were pulled out earlier in the day and were those of an “occupation prisoner”, suggesting they belonged to an Israeli rather than one of the captives of several other nationalities also taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a short while later that Israel had received the coffin of a captive after it was handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza.

The coffin will be transferred to Israel’s Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine, where a formal identification process will be conducted before the family is informed.

The Israeli military requested that “the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification”. It also added that “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages”.

Hamas has said it’s committed to the terms of the United States-mediated ceasefire deal, including the handover of captive bodies still unaccounted for under Gaza’s ruins. It has repeatedly said it has returned all the bodies it was able to recover, but needs help locating remaining captives trapped under the rubble following Israeli strikes.

“There are still 18 bodies held inside Gaza,” said Al Jazeera’s Hamda Salhut, reporting from Amman on Friday. “Hamas says that they’re waiting for the assistance they need in the help in the form of heavy machinery and teams on the ground.”

Israel is ‘not cooperating’

Former Israeli ambassador Alon Liel said the return of the bodies of the dead captives is being treated very emotionally in the country, creating pressure on the government.

He said many Israelis believed that Hamas was cheating on the ceasefire agreement by not returning all the bodies of the deceased captives. “There is a lot of anger,” Liel said.

In a statement earlier on Friday, Hamas said some captives’ remains were in tunnels or buildings that were later destroyed by Israel, and that heavy machinery was required to dig through rubble to retrieve them. It blamed Israel for the delay, saying it had not allowed any new bulldozers into the Gaza Strip.

Most heavy equipment in Gaza was destroyed during the war, leaving only a limited number as Palestinians try to clear massive amounts of rubble across the bombarded territory.

Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said Israel is “not cooperating with countries that are lending help to possibly look for those remains”.

“Turkiye, for example, was ready to send 81 experts in the retrieval of bodies, and Israel has not allowed it to enter. It has also not allowed it to provide equipment that could possibly facilitate that,” Odeh said.

On Friday, two bulldozers ploughed up pits in the earth as Hamas searched for captives’ remains in Hamad City, a complex of apartment towers in Khan Younis. Israeli forces repeatedly bombarded the towers during the war, toppling some, and troops conducted a weeklong raid there in March 2024.

US President Donald Trump has warned Hamas that he would greenlight Israel to resume the war on Gaza if the group does not live up to its end of the deal and return all captives’ bodies, totalling 28. So far in the past days, Hamas handed over the remains of nine captives, along with a 10th body that Israel claims was not that of a captive.

The return of the 10th dead captive on Friday comes as Gaza’s civil defence said more than 10,000 slain Palestinians remain trapped under debris and rubble across the enclave. Only 280 have so far been retrieved.

Hamas has urged mediators to ensure the increased flow of essential aid into Gaza, expedite the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and start reconstruction. Despite the ceasefire deal agreed last week, Israel has yet to allow the entry of aid in scale and is still operating in about half of the Gaza Strip, as attacks continue in some areas.

It’s set to be a heavy week in EastEnders next week, with one resident in hospital and another held captive as a number of storylines are set to take a dark turn

The aftermath of Joel Marshall’s attack on his stepmother Vicki Fowler is set to play out in next week’s EastEnders, as tensions begin to rise between Vicki and Joel.

At the end of this week, the BBC soap will take an extremely dark turn, when he Joel his stepmother following an argument.

The week starts off with Ross apologising to Joel for their earlier argument unaware of his actions, as Vicki heads to The Vic for help. Of course, he’s left absolutely horrified to learn of Vicki’s attack, and he shuts down rumours that Joel is the one responsible.

Elsewhere, Joel enlists the help of best mate Tommy while playing down the extent of his attack on Vicki. Helping his friend, Tommy agrees to hide Joel in the Slaters garage – although Zoe senses something is up…

READ MORE: BBC EastEnders sparks backlash as soap ‘quietly’ changes name of iconic characterREAD MORE: EastEnders fans spot ‘huge clue’ Stacey will return as Lacey Turner departs after 21 years

Things get so bad, that Vicki is taken to hospital, but Ross is relieved to find out that she will recover. But tensions continue to rise between the pair as they discuss Joel.

Later in the week, we’re set to see Vicki stunned as things develop, but what has happened and what will the consequences be?

Unfortunately, Vicki isn’t the only one in danger next week. There’s fears for Harry Mitchell as his father Teddy struggles to locate him.

Unbeknownst to Teddy and Gina, he’s held captive by Okie and refuse to release him until he reveals where the hidden camera is linked too. However, no one suspects any trouble, as Okie and Ravi force Harry to make a call to Teddy.

Despite Harry later giving them the information on the cameras, the pair refuse to let him go. Things get worse for Harry when Gina leaves him a scathing voicemail, and later gives Okie her number when he bumps into her on the way to retrieve Harry’s laptop.

He’s later instructed to let Harry go but he continues to keep him locked up, taunting him by going on dates with Gina. Later, a broken Harry takes drugs to escape his current reality as Okie continues to toy with his emotions…

There’s happy news for two other couples however, as Jasmine finally accepts a date with Oscar, and Julie is delighted when Nigel reveals that he’s taking her to India.

And in more lighter news, Elaine tells Yolande she wants to turn No.5 into a boutique hotel…

Elsewhere, Johnny panics when he realises, he drunkenly sent a business proposal to all of his clients, including his boss, and later tells Callum he’s been fired…

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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A PASTOR’S son held four people captive in his “basement of horrors” with no access to food or water for up to 10 years, police say.

Donnie Birchfield Jr., 36, is accused of keeping a vulnerable married couple and two women in his terrifying basement in South Carolina.

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The two women who were allegedly held hostage were reportedly romantically involved with Birchfield before the relationship spiralled.

He was arrested on August 1 after cops raided his Lancaster home on Churchill Drive following reports a woman had died in the property.

Authorities discovered that the woman, who died one day before they arrived at the scene, had faced neglect and abuse.

Police probed the dead woman and the three other victims – before revealing one of them had been inside the basement for 10 years.

They were all held against their will and denied access to food, water, medication and the outside world, police say.

Birchfield even oversaw what times each alleged hostage ate at, and controlled when they were allowed to use the bathroom.

One of the women he was romantically involved with had a “relationship” with him for one year, with the other lasting nearly 10 years.

Birchfield allegedly assaulted the victims routinely – controlling their movements and trapping them in the basement.

The accused captor also regularly policed their phone use.

One woman said Birchfield told her he was “going to kill her” and boasted how he “knows how to get rid of a body from past experience”, WBTV reported.

From September 2022, Birchfield made a slew of purchases for himself using the credit cards owned by the victims.

He even paying off his own debt with their money, police said.

Birchfield’s laywer told WBTV he is currently investigating the matter.

He said: “My client maintains his innocence in the case and it is important to remember that he is presumed innocent of these allegations.

“We look forward to litigating this case in the court system where facts, evidence, and the rule of law matter.”

Birchfield faces charges including but not limited to exploitation of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, domestic violence and financial identity fraud.

He was placed under a $150,000 bond.

Local police said more charges were possible as the case continues to be investigated.

The families are demanding that military action not be taken in areas of Gaza where their relatives may be held.

Physical confrontations have taken place outside Israel’s Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv between security forces and family members of captives held in Gaza during a rally calling for their release, as the Israeli government appears on the verge of escalating its genocidal war to full occupation of the besieged enclave.

Protesters surrounding the Kirya, Israel’s central military headquarters, demanded on Wednesday that the Israeli government not go ahead with its plan, as they were pushed back by police.

“Time is running out – our loved ones can’t wait any longer,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “We either bring them home now, or we lose them for good. There are moments in history when we must stand up and do what’s right – this is that moment.”

The families of Israeli captives have intensified their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months amid large protests across the country, as the expanded military ground offensive and deadly bombardment in the Palestinian territory continue to put the release of their loved ones at risk.

Protesters, including the father of captive Guy Illouz, tried to force their way into the entrance of military headquarters as seen in this video verified by Al Jazeera.

שוטרים תוקפים באלימות מחוץ לשערי הקריה מפגינים למען שחרור החטופים

📌*חדר מלחמה* • עדכונים שוטפים בווטסאפ 🪖 > https://t.co/QYJBOcgAKq מלחמת אחים pic.twitter.com/dqJYxPyf43

— ישפנסיון לכלבים (@sari12222) August 6, 2025

Translation: Police violently attack protesters outside the Kirya gates demonstrating for the release of the hostages. 

An estimated 1,139 people were killed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel, and more than 200 were taken captive. Some 50 captives remain in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. In Israel’s ensuing war on Gaza, at least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed and 151,442 wounded.

The families also addressed a message directly to Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Wednesday: “You know this war has run its course, and the only path to real victory is a single deal that brings everyone home.”

The local police chief requested that family members of captives speak to him, saying, “We understand your frustration.” He acknowledged they could protest, but asked that they leave the police alone.

Protesters were attempting to enter the headquarters, demanding that military action not be taken in areas where the captives are suspected to be located in Gaza.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday that Itzik Horn, the father of Israeli captive Eitan Horn, said the families of the captives being held in Gaza were against the expansion of the war on Gaza.

He reportedly questioned Netanyahu’s motives, as Israel’s defence establishment said an expansion would endanger the lives of the captives.

“I expect the prime minister to speak to the public, to explain the implications of this idea to the country and the price we’ll pay,” Itzik Horn said, according to Haaretz. “We are the people. I want the prime minister to explain why he wants to kill my son.”

Meanwhile, there were minor clashes at the anti-war demonstration organised by Standing Together, the largest Arab-Israeli grassroots movement in Israel, in the Gaza Envelope, situated 7km (4.3 miles) from the Gaza border. A protester was arrested and flour was scattered on the police from the display brought by the protesters.

An earlier video recorded from the Yad Mordechai Junction, a kibbutz in southern Israel, showed Standing Together activists gathering to march to the Gaza border.

Behind a car repair business on an unremarkable Thai street are the cherished pets of a rising TikTok animal influencer: Two lions and a 200kg (440lb) lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George”.

Lion ownership is legal in Thailand, and Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch is an enthusiastic advocate, posting updates on his feline companions to nearly three million followers.

“They’re playful and affectionate, just like dogs or cats,” he said from inside their cage complex at his home in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Thailand’s captive lion population has soared in recent years, with nearly 500 registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes.

The boom is prompted by social media, where owners like Tharnuwarht post lighthearted content and glamour shots with lions.

Since 2022, Thai law has required owners to register and microchip lions, and inform authorities before moving them.

But there are no breeding caps, few enclosure or welfare requirements, and no controls on liger or tigon hybrids.

Tom Taylor, chief operating officer of conservation group Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and his colleagues have tracked the rise in lion ownership with on-site visits and by trawling social media.

They recorded about 130 in 2018, and nearly 450 by 2024. But nearly 350 more lions they encountered were “lost to follow-up” after their whereabouts could not be confirmed for a year.

That could indicate unreported deaths, an animal removed from display or “worst-case scenarios”, said Taylor. “We have interviewed traders (in the region) who have given us prices for live and dead lions and have told us they can take them over the border.”

As a vulnerable species, lions and their parts can only be sold internationally with Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits.

Media reports and social media have documented lions, including cubs, in Cambodia multiple times in recent years, though CITES shows no registered imports since 2003.

There is also growing evidence that captive lion numbers in Laos exceed CITES import licences.

In Thailand, meanwhile, imports of lion parts like bones, skins and teeth have dropped in recent years, though demand remains, raising questions about how parts are now being sourced.

Thai trader Pathamawadee Janpithak started in the crocodile business, but pivoted to lions as prices for the reptiles declined. She sells one-month-olds for about 500,000 baht ($15,395), down from a peak of 800,000 baht ($24,638) as breeding operations like hers increase supply.

Pathamawadee’s three facilities house about 80 lions, from a stately full-maned nine-year-old to a sickly pair of eight-day-olds being bottle-fed around the clock.

He sells about half of the 90 cubs she breeds each year, often to other breeders, who are increasingly opening “lion cafes” where customers pose with and pet young lions.

The growing lion population is a problem for Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), admitted wildlife protection director Sadudee Punpugdee.

“But private ownership has existed for a long time… So we’re taking a gradual approach,” he said.

That includes limiting lion imports so breeders are forced to rely on the domestic population.

Already stretched authorities face difficult choices on enforcing regulations, as confiscated animals become their responsibility, said Penthai Siriwat, illegal wildlife trade specialist at WWF Thailand.

“There is a great deal of deliberation before intervening … considering the substantial costs,” said Siriwat. Owners like Tharnuwarht often invoke conservation to justify their pets, but Thailand’s captive lions will never live in the wild.

Sanctuary chief vet Natanon Panpeth treads carefully while discussing the lion trade, warning only that the “wellbeing of the animals should always come first”.

Sadudee is hopeful some provisions may be tightened, though a ban is unlikely for now. He has his advice for would-be owners: “Wild animals belong in the wild.

“There are plenty of other animals we can keep as pets.”

US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli families, as outrage grew over a new video of an emaciated captive held by Hamas. Relatives demanded Netanyahu’s government agree to a ceasefire, which would also bring relief to starving Palestinians in Gaza.

In the late 1990s, the quiet of a small Russian town was shattered when Irina Ganyushkina stumbled into a police station—an escapee from a living nightmare.

Irina revealed to authorities that she was one of five women kidnapped and held captive in a secret underground bunker by a notorious serial killer: Aleksandr Komin, chillingly nicknamed ‘the maniac.’

For Irina and the other survivors, freedom was only the beginning. In a country where women’s stories of violence are too often dismissed, they now faced a new challenge: rebuilding their lives after unimaginable horror.

In this episode:
-Dariana Gryaznova, human rights lawyer

The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.

“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”

He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”

The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”

Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran

He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.

Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”

He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”

In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”

READ: US synagogues close their doors to Israel MK Ben-Gvir

The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.

“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”

He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”

The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”

Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran

He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.

Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”

He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”

In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”

READ: US synagogues close their doors to Israel MK Ben-Gvir

The armed wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, released a video message on Wednesday afternoon showing an Israeli captive currently held in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The footage shows Omri Miran lighting a candle on what he described as his “second birthday” in captivity.

“This is my second birthday here. I can’t say I’m celebrating; it’s just another day in captivity,” said Miran. “I made this cake for the occasion, but there is no joy. It’s been a year and a half. I miss my daughters and my wife terribly.”

He addressed the Israeli public directly, including his family and friends. “Conditions here are extremely tough. Thank you to everyone demonstrating to bring us home safely.”

The captive also urged Israelis to stage a mass protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. “Bring my daughters so I can see them on TV. Do everything you can now to get us home. Netanyahu’s supporters don’t care about us, they’d rather see us dead.”

Screengrab from footage shows Israeli captive Omri Miran

He asked captives released in previous prisoner exchange deals to protest and speak to the media. “Let the people know how bad it is for us. We live in constant fear of bombings. A deal must be reached soon before we return home in coffins.

Miran urged demonstrators to appeal to US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu: “Do not believe Netanyahu. Military pressure is only killing us. A deal — only a deal — will bring us home. Turn to Trump. He seems to be the only powerful person in the world who could push Netanyahu to agree to a deal.”

He also mentioned the worsening humanitarian situation: “The captors told me the crossings are closed; no food or supplies are coming in. As a result, we’re receiving even less food than before.”

In conclusion, the captive sent a pointed message to the Israeli leadership: “Netanyahu, Dermer, Smotrich, Ben Gvir — you are the reason for 7 October. Because of you, I am here. Because of you, we’re all here. You’re bringing the state to collapse.”

READ: US synagogues close their doors to Israel MK Ben-Gvir