Hostages

Nov. 1 (UPI) — Hamas handed over the remains of three people, but they don’t match any of the dead hostages, Israeli officials said Saturday.

Forensic testing in Tel Aviv was conducted after the Red Cross received the remains in Gaza and gave them to Israel on Friday night.

They do not belong to the remaining 11 hostages still being held in Gaza, the Times of Israel and Fox News reported.

Al-Qassam Brigades said “the enemy refused to receive the samples and requested to receive the bodies for examination.”

Since the cease-fire began on Oct. 10, Hamas has returned the remains of 17 hostages.

Although the truce agreement required Hamas to return all deceased hostages within 72 hours, it returned only four of the 28 bodies. Twenty living hostages were also released at the time.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross does not take part in locating the remains. In accordance with international humanitarian law, it is the responsibility of the parties to locate, collect, and return the dead,” ICRC said in a statement obtained by the Jerusalem Post.

On Thursday, the bodies of hostages Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper were returned to Israel.

Hamas said they were ready to continue to work on “extracting the bodies of enemy captives inside the Yellow Line. That area of the Strip is under Israel Defense Forces control.

“The Al-Qassam Brigades demand that the intermediaries and the International Committee of the Red Cross provide and prepare the equipment and teams necessary to recover all the bodies simultaneously,” the terror group added.

The terror group knows where the remaining remains are but is stalling, Israel officials say.

On Friday, Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinian prisoners as part of the cease-fire deal.

Oct. 15 (UPI) — Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that one of the four bodies returned from Gaza in this week’s cease-fire deal did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Hamas.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it has completed the identification process and informed that the families of Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levy that their remains have been returned to Israel.

“The government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Baruch, Nimrodi and Levy families, and the families of the fallen hostages,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The IDF said the fourth body has yet to be identified.

“Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages,” the IDF said, according to NBC News. Hamas has returned the bodies of seven hostages out of the 28 bodies believed to be held in Gaza.

Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for a halt on humanitarian aid into Gaza, accusing Hamas of not putting enough effort into recovering the remaining dead hostages, The Guardian reported. Hamas negotiators said nine of the bodies weren’t able to be recovered amid rubbling from bombing.

“Enough with the disgrace,” Ben Gvir said.

“Moments after opening the crossings to hundreds of trucks, Hamas very quickly returned to its known methods — to lie, to cheat, and to abuse families and the bodies. This Nazi terror understands only force, and the only way to deal with it is to erase it from the face of the earth.”

The Israel Defense Forces said Nimrodi, a member of the IDF, was taken alive at the age of 18 from the Coordination and Liaison Headquarters base in the Gaza Division, and is believed to have been killed at the beginning of the war.

Baruch, 35, a husband and father of two, was killed on Oct. 7, 2023. The IDF said he was fleeing the Nova music festival and his body was taken back into Gaza. The military had confirmed on March 26, 2024, that he had died.

Levy, 53, was also killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was taken back into Gaza, the IDF said, adding that officials confirmed on Dec. 8, 2023, that he was dead. He leaves behind a son and a sister.

“The IDF shares in the families’ grief, continues to invest all efforts in returning the bodies of the fallen hostages and is preparing to continue implementing the agreement,” the military said.

Israel said Tuesday night that it had received the remains of four deceased hostages that Hamas had kidnapped during its surprise attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the two-year-long war. A total 251 hostages were taken that day.

The bodies were returned as part of the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that began to be implemented Monday when Hamas released 20 living hostages to Israel and Israel released nearly 2,000 detainees into Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

No living hostages remain in Gaza following Monday’s exchange, though it is believed that the bodies of 20 deceased hostages remain in Gaza.

Israel had said Tuesday that the bodies of the four deceased hostages were transferred to the IDF via the Red Cross inside the Palestinian enclave and were transported into Israel where they were received in a military ceremony.

Oct. 11 (UPI) — A cease-fire remains in effect in Gaza, where aid is flowing while Israel prepares to receive 48 released hostages, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

U.N. officials said medical supplies, fuel and other needed materials are flowing into Gaza once again as the fighting has stopped ahead of a proposed permanent peace, NBC News reported.

The Israeli military also has withdrawn to a predetermined line, which has started the 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining 48 hostages, including the remains of an estimated 28 hostages who are believed to be dead, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced.

No hostilities are underway in Gaza, which has enabled its remaining residents to begin returning to their former homes, many of which have been decimated during two years of war that started when Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants killed some 1,200 Israeli civilians and others and kidnapped another 250, but released more than 100 during a prior cease-fire.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are returning to cities and villages that largely have been destroyed, according to Al Jazeera.

Israel has agreed to release nearly 250 Palestinian prisoners and has begun notifying the families of those who were killed by the prisoners that Israel will release.

Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and the exchange of remaining hostages held in Gaza and prisoners held in Israel are part of the first phase of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli officials expect to begin receiving the living hostages and the remains of those who are deceased on Monday.

While the first phase of the peace agreement is underway, leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have rejected any potential foreign nations acting as peacekeepers in Gaza, though.

The United States is among the nations that are tasked with helping to maintain the peace in Gaza.

Gazan officials also are demanding an independent investigation of alleged Israeli war crimes and genocide against Gazans.

The demand comes after the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported about 67,000 Gazans died and 170,000 were injured during the two-year conflict.

The Health Ministry’s numbers do not differentiate between Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters and civilians, and the number of reported casualties has been disputed.

Oct. 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that a peace deal and hostage/prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is “very close,” and he might travel to the Middle East this weekend.

Earlier in the day, Trump’s lead negotiators, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, finished their first day of talks in Egypt with Israel, Hamas and other Arab partners, including Qatar, which has been a mediator.

Israel’s chief negotiator is Ron Dermer, who didn’t arrive at talks until Wednesday.

They are seeking to end the war that began in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, after the militant Hamas attacked Israel.

“Our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well,” Trump said during a White House roundtable on Antifa, during which he was handed a note by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with the latest information. “I may go there sometime toward the end of the week. We’ll see, but there’s a very good chance that negotiations are going along very well.’

Trump said he might leave for the Middle East as early as Saturday from Washington, D.C.

“We haven’t decided exactly,” Trump said. “I’ll be going to Egypt. Most likely. That’s where everybody is gathered right now, and we appreciate that very much, but I’ll be making the rounds as the expression goes.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi invited Trump to attend the signing ceremony.

Final details were still being worked out in the Red Sea town of Sharm El-Sheikh.

“With God’s help, may we have a happy holiday with good news,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told those gathered to mark the Day of Georgian Jewry in Israel.

On Sept. 29, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a 20-point peace plan. On Friday, Hamas reacted positively to the plan.

Hamas would disarm and end control of Gaza. The area, which at one time had about 2.2 million Palestinians, would be governed temporarily by international trustees overseen by the U.S. and Arab allies. Hundreds of thousands have fled from the Gaza Strip and more than 67,000 have died, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Hamas has opposed the oversight committee led by Trump, called a “Board of Peace.”

On Monday, Trump said Hamas has “agreed to very important things” during the negotiations.

The plan calls for an exchange of hostages by Hamas and prisoners by Israel within 72 hours of an agreement.

In Gaza, Israel believes there are 20 live hostages and 28 dead.

“We are very close to an agreement. What’s still pending is the list of prisoners [to be] exchanged,” a Hamas official told CNN.

Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, has been in touch with the negotiators.

“We’re getting very positive reports, as of an hour ago,” Rubio said as he left the Senate Republican lunch at the Capitol. “I feel optimistic that we’re going to get to a deal, hopefully, that hostages will be released — all the hostages. There’s good progress being made. But it all begins with all the hostages coming home. And I think we have to be optimistic, but there’s still some work to be done.”

With a deal near, Rubio canceled a trip to France to meet with other foreign ministers.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming “more and more catastrophic,” the emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in the area told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.

Oct. 3 (UPI) — Hamas leaders say they will release all hostages, living and dead, but need more than three days to do so, which prompted President Donald Trump to urge Israel to stop bombing Gaza.

Hamas said it wants to enter into negotiations to end the war in Gaza that started when Hamas and its allies attacked, killed and kidnapped Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Hamas leaders in a Friday night statement said they agreed to “release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal,” according to the BBC.

Its leaders said they will need more than 72 hours to arrange the release of an estimated 48 hostages, of which only 20 are thought to be living.

Hamas did not say it accepts the peace plan proposed by Trump and others, though.

The president set a deadline for Hamas to agree to the peace plan that was negotiated with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu or face “all hell, like no one has ever seen before,” Trump said on Truth Social.

The 20-point peace plan was written by Trump’s son-in-law and former adviser Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

The plan calls for an immediate end to fighting, the release within 72 hours of the 20 living hostages and the return of remains of those believed to be dead.

Hamas leaders said they are willing to “hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support,” as reported by NBC News.

After reviewing Hamas’ response, Trump said he believes the designated foreign terrorist organization is “ready for lasting peace,” The Times of Israel reported.

He also said it’s important for Israel to stop attacking Gaza to support the peace effort.

“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly!” the president said in a Truth Social post on Friday evening.

“Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that,” he added. “We are already in discussions on details to be worked out.”

Trump said ending the war is about more than Gaza and is aimed at bringing peace to the entire Middle East.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Palestinian group Hamas to immediately release hostages held in Gaza, warning that “things will change rapidly,” Anadolu reports.

“Tell Hamas to IMMEDIATELY give back all 20 Hostages (Not 2 or 5 or 7!), and things will change rapidly. IT WILL END!” Trump wrote on his social media company, Truth Social.

The president did not elaborate on what measures he would take if the hostages were released or what “end” he was referring to.

Around 250 hostages were taken to Gaza following the cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Tel Aviv estimates there are 50 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, including 20 alive. Meanwhile, rights groups say more than 10,800 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under torture, starvation, and medical neglect.

READ: US support to Israel limits EU leverage to halt war in Gaza: EU foreign policy chief

Israel has killed nearly 64,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

International efforts for a ceasefire since Israel shattered a truce in March have so far failed.

READ: Protests against Israeli team intensify at Spain’s La Vuelta cycling race

Aug. 26 (UPI) — Families of Israeli hostages and their supporters staged protests across the country Tuesday, blocking major roads and setting tire bonfires, demanding the government end the war in Gaza and agree a deal to bring their loved ones home.

The day of action organized by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill on multiple highways and intersections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv — where the main Ayalon thruway was closed for the second time in a week — and the main coastal highway linking Tel Aviv with the port city of Haifa.

The group kicked off the so-called “National Solidarity Day” by unfurling its huge yellow flags in front of the branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, with demonstrators also gathering outside the private residences of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Education Minister Yoav Kisch.

A mothers and strollers protest was also planned in Tel Aviv, marches across the country scheduled for 2 p.m. local time and a large rally capping the day off in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square in the evening.

“For 690 days, the government has been waging a war without a clear objective,” Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan Zangauker, who has been held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, told a news conference

“Today, it is clear that Netanyahu fears one thing, public pressure. We could have ended the war a year ago and brought all the hostages and soldiers home. We could have saved hostages and soldiers, but the prime minister chose, again and again, to sacrifice civilians for the sake of [maintaining] his rule,” she said.

Leaders of the group seized on comments Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump that there would be a “pretty conclusive ending” to the war in the next two to three weeks, to appeal to him to intervene and use his influence to help seal a cease-fire with Hamas.

In comments to reporters at the White House, Trump said a “very serious” diplomatic effort to end the war and secure the release of Israeli hostages was underway and that he had told Netanyahu he’d better get it settled soon.”

Trump did not elaborate but pointed to recent initiatives by his special envoy Steve Witkoff.

A framework first proposed by Witkoff in June formed the basis for a Qatari-Egyptian negotiated part-agreement for a 60-day cease-fire and hostage-prisoner swap deal currently on the table, accepted by Hamas but not Israel, which has instead launched a major military offensive to capture Gaza City.

The proposal, which calls for the release of half of the hostages in two phases, was not on the agenda of a meeting of Netanyahu’s security cabinet due to take place Tuesday afternoon, its first full meeting since the latest plan emerged Aug. 18.

Netanyahu has insisted that only a deal in which all the hostages are released will be considered, ordering his negotiators to resume talks on that basis — while restating his intention to follow through with seizing control of Gaza City.

Aug. 17 (UPI) — A nationwide strike on Sunday commenced in Israel as several hundred thousand people protested, demanding the government secure the release of 50 hostages still held by the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum and October Council, which represents family members of hostages or relatives of those killed, organized the strike and demonstrations.

The council wanted nearly one million people to go through Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and others to join in activities at cities throughout the nation.

“Today, we stop everything to remember the supreme value of the sanctity of life,” Anat Angrest, mother of hostage Matan Angrest, said at Hostage Squae. “Today, we stop everything to join hands — right, left, center and everything in between.”

The largest demonstrations were in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where they blocked major roads and closed businesses. They passed out yellow ribbons at intersections and protested outside the homes of government ministers.

The demonstrations are among the largest ones since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

They started at 6:29 a.m., the exact time when Hamas launched its attack on Israel.

Israeli police said 38 protesters were arrested in Israel for disturbing the peace as of early Sunday afternoon. They deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowd who sat inside a tunnel along a road that leads to the capital in Jerusalem.

Families of hostages announced in Tel Aviv an “emergency break” until they are released.

“Today, we stop everything to save the lives of 50 hostages and soldiers,” Anat Engrest, whose son, Matan, is held hostage in Gaza, during a news conference Sunday with October Council. “Today, we stop everything to remember the supreme value of the sanctity of life.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, during a visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, voiced his support for the families.

“We want them back home as soon as possible,” Herzog said. “The world should want them back home as soon as possible. Stop being a bunch of hypocrites. Press — because when you know how to press, you press — press and tell Hamas, ‘No deal, no nothing, until you release them,’ ”

He said the hostages are the “most important issue on world affairs.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the demonstrations.

“Those who are calling today to end the war without defeating Hamas not only harden Hamas’ stance and delay the release of our hostages — they are also ensuring that the horrors of Oct. 7 will repeat themselves again and again,” he said at a cabinet meeting.

The strike was a “cynical political maneuver on the backs of the hostages,” Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right Minister of National Security, said.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “You can continue to hide behind spins and political calculations, but you cannot escape responsibility.”

The group plans to set up an encampment on the Gaza border. “Waypoint 50” will represent the 50 hostages to pressure the government to get their release.

“I know firsthand what it’s like to be in captivity. I know that military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back — it only kills them,” released hostage Arbel Yehoud, whose boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, is still held captive, said. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”

“We are united in one simple demand directed at the Israeli government: Put an Israeli proposal on the table today for a comprehensive deal — to end the war in exchange for the return of the last hostage,” Vicky Cohen, whose son, Nimrod, is a hostage, said. “No slogans, no sabotage, no demands that we know the other side won’t accept. “It’s time to end the horrific nightmare the entire country has been living in for 22 months.

It wasn’t disclosed how long the strike would last.

Histadrut, Israel’s largest labor organization, didn’t join the strike, though they encouraged employers to allow their workers to participate.

“If I knew that a strike — not just for one day but longer — would end the matter, stop the war and bring back the hostages, I would go for it with full force,” Histadrut chair Arnon Bar-David, senior representatives of the business sector, said to the Times of Israel. “Unfortunately, and although my heart is bursting with anger, it has no practical outcome.”

Technology companies, law firms, academic institutions and others in the public and private sector plan to take the day off or refrain from business transactions.

Last week, the strike was announced after they said the hostages’ lives are in danger when Israel’s security cabinet voted to expand the war and take over Gaza City.

An estimated 90% of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced, the Agency for Palestinian Refugees said in May.

There was a cease-fire between Jan. 19 to March 1, during which 25 Israeli living hostages and 1,737 Palestinian prisoners were released. Israeli believe 20 hostages are still alive.

In late March, Hamas agreed to release five hostages, including the American-Israeli Edan Alexander, as part of a 50-day cease-fire proposal from Egypt and Qatar. Alexander was released in May, but there was no cease-fire.

A 60-day ceasefire was later proposed by the United States.

In July, the last round of negotiations ended without any deal when Israel and the United States withdrew their teams in Doha, Qatar. They accused Hamas of not negotiating in good faith.

Thousands of protesters in Israel have taken to the streets demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to free captives held there, as the military intensifies attacks on Gaza City to force tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again.

Israeli schools, businesses and public transport have been shut down, with demonstrations planned in major cities as part of a national day of action by two groups representing a number of the families of captives and bereaved families.

Protesters, who fear further fighting could endanger the 50 captives believed to remain in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are thought to be alive, chanted: “We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages.”

“Military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back – it only kills them,” former captive Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”

Police said they had arrested 32 as part of the nationwide demonstration – one of the fiercest since the uproar over six captives found dead in Gaza last September.

Sunday’s rallies came just days after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to advance on Gaza City, nearly two years into a genocidal war that has devastated the enclave, left much of its population on the brink of famine, and led to Israel being increasingly internationally isolated.

At Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”, activists unfurled a huge Israeli flag covered with the faces of captives still held in Gaza. Protesters also blocked major roads, including the highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where tyres were set alight and traffic came to a standstill, according to local reports.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those held, declared a nationwide strike. “We will shut down the country today with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war,” the group said, pledging to escalate their campaign with a protest tent near the Gaza border.

“If we don’t bring them back now – we will lose them forever,” the group warned.

In Jerusalem, businesses closed as demonstrators joined marches. “It’s time to end the war. It’s time to release all of the hostages. And it’s time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East,” said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide speaking to the AFP news agency.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv that while protests were spread across the country, turnout remained relatively small.

“The number of people is pretty small … I do expect it to increase during the day,” he said, noting many shops, restaurants and universities were closed, with public transport running at half capacity. “It’s not a general strike in the sense that people envisage, but it is palpable, it’s tangible, you can feel it in the air.”

On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the unrest, Pinkas was scathing. “Most prime ministers would have resigned after October 7th … He is not just another prime minister. He cares only about his survival. He is driven by some Messianic delusions of redrawing the Middle East.”

Pinkas added that Netanyahu was deflecting public anger by blaming “the elites” and a “deep-state cabal” rather than taking responsibility.

Israeli government condemns protests

President Isaac Herzog voiced support for the captives’ return, urging international pressure on Hamas rather than heeding calls to halt the war.

But senior government figures lashed out at the protests.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced them as “a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas,” while Culture Minister Miki Zohar said blocking roads “is a serious mistake and a reward to the enemy”.

Police reinforced their presence across the country, warning that no “public order disturbances” would be tolerated. Demonstrations were also held near the Gaza border, including in Beeri, a kibbutz badly hit during the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in that attack that triggered what campaigners say is Israel’s war of vengeance. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children, in an Israeli offensive that has been dubbed genocide by multiple rights groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yaov Gallant have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said efforts were under way to broker a 60-day truce that would include captive releases. A previous round of talks in Qatar collapsed without progress. The last trace agreed to in January was broken by Israel in March.

Israel’s plan to expand the offensive into Gaza City has been met with international alarm, as United Nations-backed experts warn of famine across the territory.

ISRAEL is set to tell civilians in Gaza they have until October 7 to evacuate before they launch a full military occupation.

The Israeli security cabinet have approved a plan which will see the IDF march through Gaza City in a major final push to eliminate Hamas and secure the remaining hostages.

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October 7 marks exactly two years since the terror group first launched an evil assault on Israeli civilians which killed over 1,200 people.

The IDF will try to move the population in Gaza City to the south of the Strip before commencing with its assault.

It is widely understood the plan will continue until every region in the Gaza Strip is under Israeli control.

The move is aimed at smashing the last remnants of Hamas’s grip on the war-torn enclave before handing it over to allied Arab forces.

While Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed the decision as “wrong”, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that the only plan to real security for Israel was through total military control of Gaza’s remaining territory.

He said his country was “well on our way” to ensuring Gaza “doesn’t pose a threat to Israel again”.

Despite authorising a full military occupation, Netanyahu stressed that Israel does not intend to re-establish long-term rule over Gaza.

Instead, he floated the idea of transferring control to Arab states or or “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”

Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday: “We intend to, in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas there, and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel.

“We want to liberate ourselves and liberate the people of Gaza from the awful terror of Hamas.”

Israel’s cabinet also signed off on five guiding principles to conclude the war — a roadmap that leaves no room for compromise with Hamas.

First and foremost is the disarmament of Hamas.

Israel has made it clear that the terrorist group must be stripped of its weapons entirely – not just weakened, but dismantled – to prevent any future attacks on Israeli civilians and to break Hamas’ military stranglehold on Gaza.

The return of all hostages, both living and dead, is a non-negotiable pillar of the plan.

Israeli leaders have stressed that no resolution will be accepted unless it includes the safe return of every captive held in Gaza.

About 50 hostages are still held in Gaza — with officials estimating only 20 are alive.

Negotiations for their release broke down in July, and with each passing day, pressure builds.

Shocking videos of frail hostages and starving children have fuelled global outrage, even as Israel insists Hamas is hoarding aid to feed its own fighters.

Another central principle is the demilitarisation of the Strip.

Beyond just disarming Hamas, Israel seeks to eliminate all terrorist infrastructure – from weapons factories to underground tunnels – that have turned Gaza into a launchpad for attacks.

The goal is to create a buffer zone of peace, free from rockets, terrorists and threats.

Israel also insists on maintaining security control over Gaza.

While it has no desire to govern the territory, it does intent to ensure that no hostile elements can regroup or rearm.

That means a continued Israeli military presence and oversight, likely through a security perimeter, to prevent Hamas or any similar group from returning.

Finally, the war will only end once an alternative civil administration is in place — one that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

Israel wants to see a neutral, functional governing body installed, ideally backed by moderate Arab states, capable of running day-to-day life in Gaza without posing a threat to Israeli citizens or enabling terror.

This vision aims to create a new future for Gaza’s people — free from the terror, tyranny, and corruption of Hamas rule.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.

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Aug. 5 (UPI) — A special session of the U.N. Security Council was set to convene Tuesday morning at the request of Israel to discuss the dozens of its citizens being held in Gaza after Hamas released footage of starving hostages over the weekend.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called for an urgent meeting of the 15-member council after shocking videos of hostages Evyatar David, 24, and Rom Braslavski, 21, in which they appear severely emaciated, were circulated by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

“The international community must make it not worthwhile for the terrorists. The world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and center on the world stage,” he said at a news conference Monday.

He thanked the United States and Panama for seconding his call for the special session meeting in New York.

The Israeli consulate in New York upped the pressure by uploading the video of David for all to see on a giant screen in Times Square in midtown Manhattan.

“Hamas kidnapped him. Hamas tortures him. Hamas is starving him. This is what real hunger looks like. This is what truth looks like. Evyatar David is being starved by a Nazi terrorist organization that dares, with the backing of parts of the media, to spread the blood libel that Israel is starving the people of Gaza,” Consul General Ofir Akunis said in a post on X.

“We will continue to expose, everywhere and at all times, the lies of these vile terrorists and their collaborators. Now his face is on Times Square — because the world can’t look away anymore.”

Hamas insisted that the same provisions were provided to the hostages as those available to its members and ordinary people in Gaza and that it did not purposely starve them, stressing that the enclave was in the depths of the hunger crisis.

World leaders joined in the condemnation of the images of the hostages released after Hamas said it would not lay down its arms until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy led the criticism, calling what he described as hostages being paraded for propaganda “sickening” and demanding their release without conditions.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Hamas stood for “abject cruelty,” while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was left shocked by the images and reiterated that no cease-fire could be reached without the hostages’ release.

Calling the videos “appalling,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a post on X that the images provided “stark evidence of the life-threatening conditions in which the hostages are being held,” and demanded it be allowed to visit them.

“We know families watching these videos are horrified and heartbroken by the conditions they see their loved ones held in. We reiterate that all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. This dire situation must come to an end now.”

Israel said David and Braslavski are among 22 hostages who remain alive out of 49 still being held captive.

In its latest update posted to social media Tuesday morning, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the number of malnutrition deaths recorded by hospitals in the Palestinian enclave in the past 24 hours had risen to 188 martyrs, including 94 children.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened on Monday to unleash “the gates of hell” on the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian group Hamas fails to release Israeli hostages, Anadolu reports.

“If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza,” Katz said in a ceremony marking the demolitions of buildings damaged in Israeli missile strikes last month in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv.

“This is a complex war, it goes beyond what was done in the past. We are approaching stages where decisions need to be made. This is leadership and we are responsible, not the prosecutor and not anyone else.”

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all Israeli captives in exchange for ending the war, Israeli troop withdrawal, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted such terms, instead calling for the disarmament of the Palestinian resistance factions and signaling plans to reoccupy Gaza.

READ: Israeli defence minister threatens to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, attacks Tehran

Israel estimates that 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, over 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

The Israeli opposition and hostages’ families have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Hamas official says Israel’s truce “claim” aims to deceive international public

June 5 (UPI) — Israel said Thursday it had recovered the remains of two Israeli-American hostages in a military operation overnight in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that the bodies of Gadi Haggai, 72, and Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, had been returned to their families in Israel 20 months after they were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and taken back to Gaza.

He said the married couple were recovered in a special operation mounted by the Israeli Security Agency and Israel Defense Forces.

“I would like to thank, and express appreciation to, the fighters and commanders for this determined and successful operation. We will not rest, nor will we be silent, until we return home all of our hostages — the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu said.

The couple, who held U.S. citizenship, were out for a morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when they were gunned down by Mujahideen Brigades fighters who joined the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and hundreds abducted.

“We welcome the closure and their return to a proper burial at home, in Israel,” a statement from the families of Haggai and Weinstein said.

Judy Weinstein-Haggai was born in New York but moved to Toronto, Canada, with her family at the age of 3. She married Gadi Haggai after meeting him while working as a volunteer on a kibbutz in the 1970s, according to a bio posted on social media.

Gadi Haggai was described as a retired chef, a passionate jazz musician, and a devoted father and grandfather.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said it was a painful time but also a moment of solace.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to bring our sisters and brothers back from hell — the living, for healing and rehabilitation, and the fallen, to be laid to rest in dignity. Every last one of them!” Herzog said on X.

The couple’s recovery means 54 out of the 251 people originally taken hostage remain in Gaza, of whom about 20 are believed to be still alive.

As of Wednesday, Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, put the number of Palestinians killed since Israel launched its military response a day after the Oct. 7 attacks at 54,607 and 125,341 injured.

The “Bring Them Home Now” Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it wanted to stress that a grave was a basic human right and called for authorities to do whatever was necessary to reach an agreement that will see the return of the rest of the hostages, “the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial.”

“There is no need to wait another 608 agonizing days for this. The mission can be completed as early as tomorrow morning. This is what the majority of the Israeli people want.”

Thursday’s rescue came hours after the United States vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.

The Slovenia-sponsored resolution, which also called for the unconditional release of all the hostages held by Hamas and other groups and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on aid going into Gaza, was defeated in a 14-1 vote on Wednesday evening in New York, the U.N. said in a news release.

Slovenia’s representative to the U.N. expressed disappointment at the vetoing of a measure motivated by humanitarian intentions, saying “starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering” was inhumane, in breach of international law and unwarranted by any war objective.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said Washington could not support rewarding Hamas with a permanent cease-fire that would leave it with the ability to carry out further attacks and criticized the “false equivalence” drawn between Hamas and Israel in the text of the draft resolution.

She also argued that the draft did not make any mention of the failings of the system used operated by the U.N. and aid charities to distribute humanitarian assistance in Gaza, which she said had been exploited by Hamas for its own benefit.

“Performative actions designed to draw a veto” would only serve to undermine efforts to resolve matters through quiet diplomacy currently underway between the parties, said Shea.

HAMAS has said that it is ready to release hostages in a bid to end the war in Gaza.

The move by the terror group is part of a response to a US ceasefire proposal.

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Hamas said it would release ten living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel’s release of a number of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas said: “This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and ensure the flow of aid to our people and families.”

There was no immediate response from Israel to the statement.

But PM Benjamin Netanyahu had last week told families of the hostages they had accepted the US proposals.

It comes as Gaza health officials said yesterday that 14 people had been killed and 284 injured in the past day.

Yesterday, The UN warned that Gaza had become “the hungriest place on Earth”.

It said the territory’s entire population was at risk of famine.

Displaced Palestinians living in tents were handed food by aid agencies.

Women and children were among those gathered in Khan Yunis holding pots and pans.

Jens Laerke, of the UN’s humanitarian agency, said it was the only area on the planet where 100 per cent of the population was at risk of famine.

He added: “Gaza is the hungriest place on Earth.”

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May 31 (UPI) — Militant Hamas said Saturday it would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners and ending the war that began in October 2023.

Steve Witkoff, who is President Donald Trump‘s Middle East envoy, on Thursday submitted his proposal to mediators from Qatar and Egypt.

“As part of this agreement, 10 living Israeli prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners,” Hamas said in a statement obtained by CNN.

The group said it came to the decision “after conducting a round of national consultations.”

“This proposal aims to achieve a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a statement also obtained by The Guardian.

The Hamas response is similar to an earlier proposal to release 10 hostages, as well as a number of hostages’ remains during the cease-fire in exchange for 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.

An unidentified Israeli official told Israeli reporters in Saturday that they are treating Hamas’ response as an “effective rejection.”

Fifty-eight hostages are believed to still be alive. A total of 146 Israeli hostages have been freed or rescued from Gaza, including 25 during the truce.

The U.S. proposal called for a 60-day pause in fighting and renewed efforts toward long-term peace, as well as guarantees from Israel that it will not resume its offensive after Hamas releases hostages.

Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the proposal.

Israeli negotiators accepted the deal, but Hamas has not backed it.

On Thursday, Hamas official Basem Naim said the U.S. proposal “does not respond to any of our people’s demands,” including lifting the humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip that has led to famine-like conditions among 2 million.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened Hamas if it did not accept.

“The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the ‘Witkoff deal’ for the release of the hostages — or be annihilated,” Katz said.

A cease-fire lasted from Jan. 19 to March 1.

Israel refused to move to a planned second phase that could have led to a permanent end to the war. Israel began fighting, including airstrikes.

In a ramped-up offensive, at least 60 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over the last 24 hours, Hamas-run health officials said. And 72 were killed on Thursday.

Negotiators have made little progress.

“Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal,” Qatar’s ambassador to the United Nations, Ayla Ahmed Saif al-Thani said Friday. He noted the mediators from Qatar are “very determined to find an ending to the horrific situation in Gaza.”

For three months, Israel’s blockade has stopped virtually all humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving – and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by,” the World Food Program said on Saturday.

The United Nations aid agency was allowed to bring 77 trucks loaded with flour into Gaza overnight, but the trucks were stopped by crowds of hungry people.

Lindsey Hutchison of Plan International said “having the military control aid and choose who they distribute it to in limited ways completely violates the way humanitarian operations are supposed to be conducted.”

She said the situation is not working.

“We saw chaos and despair at the distribution site, which is frankly masquerading as a humanitarian aid scheme. That’s not what this is,” she told Al Jazeera from New York.

More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began Oct. 7, 2023. Israel retaliated for a Hamas attack on the same da in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.