Author: mackenzie

Released hostage Omer Shem Tov was forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman and lowered into an underground tunnel in a bucket. He was spit on, cursed, and compelled to kiss his Hamas captor in a staged ceremony. Other hostages were shackled for months, starved, and left in complete darkness, their bodies wasting away.  According to testimonies published by Israeli media, the six freed hostages endured months of isolation, abuse, and deprivation in Hamas’s underground tunnel network. Eliya Cohen, one of the released hostages, recounted being shackled for extended periods, suffering deep cuts from the restraints. He and his…

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck and killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander deep within Lebanese territory on Wednesday, in one of its most significant strikes since the start of the ceasefire with the terror group over two months ago. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) “conducted an intelligence-based strike and eliminated Mahran Ali Nasser Al-Din, a significant terrorist in Hezbollah’s Unit 4400,” the IDF stated, confirming that Nasser al-Din was a key figure in the terror group’s weapons smuggling operations. “He was directly involved in coordinating with smugglers operating along the Syria-Lebanon border,” the military said, stressing that this constituted “a clear…

Shortly after the completion of the handover of the bodies of the four remaining hostages from the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal on Thursday morning, the Hamas terror organization released a statement confirming its readiness to enter negotiations for the second phase. “We renew our full commitment to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, with all its aspects and provisions, and we also confirm our readiness to enter into negotiations related to the second phase of the agreement,” Hamas said in the statement. Hamas also stated that the only way for Israel to guarantee the return of the…

Sheba Medical Center has risen from ninth to eighth place in Newsweek’s 2025 ranking of the world’s best hospitals. The achievement comes during a challenging year for Israel’s health care system, which has been tasked with treating the wounded, rehabilitating patients and caring for freed hostages. This marks the seventh consecutive year Sheba has been included in the prestigious ranking. Other Israeli hospitals also improved their standings: Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center climbed from 64th to 60th place, while Rabin Medical Center jumped from 158th to 122nd. Hadassah Medical Center ranked 242nd. At the top of the list, Mayo Clinic…

A car driven by a Palestinian who entered Israel illegally struck and injured at least 14 pedestrians at Karkur Junction near the northern town of Pardes-Hanna-Karkur, in what police said on Thursday was a terror attack. Medics first reported that 10 people were injured in the attack, among them a 17-year-old young woman in critical condition, two in serious condition, one in moderate condition and the rest lightly injured. One of the injured is a police officer who took part in the suspect’s arrest. Police said it caught the driver about four kilometers from the scene of the attack in…

Israel received coffins early Thursday from the Red Cross, after the alleged remains of four Israeli hostages murdered in captivity had been transferred to the international organization in the Gaza Strip. The four were positively identified as Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, Shlomo Mansour, and Tsachi Idan, who were kidnapped from their homes on October 7, 2023, before being murdered while held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released to secure the return of the bodies. “The coffins were, with Egyptian mediation, handed over to an IDF force at the Kerem Shalom Crossing,” the Prime Minister’s Office…

The families of Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Omer Sham Tov, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham al-Sayed have been informed that they will be released alive from Hamas captivity this Saturday. Here are their stories as they prepare to leave the horrors of captivity behind. Ziv Abud, the girlfriend of hostage Eliya Cohen, celebrated the news of his return Tuesday, writing on Instagram, “Eliya is coming home!” Cohen had attended the Nova music festival with Abud, his nephew Amit ben Avida, and Amit’s girlfriend, Karin Shwarcman. When the Hamas terror attack began, the four took cover in a rocket shelter…

The National Center for Forensic Medicine officially confirmed Thursday evening that it has identified the body of former hostage Oded Lifshitz, 85, who was murdered in captivity more than a year ago. His family and the Prime Minister’s Office had announced the development earlier in the day, with officials saying that he was killed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the forensic institute, said that forensic teams were working to provide definitive identification of the three other bodies transferred from Hamas custody, which the terrorist group has claimed to be those of Shiri Bibas and her two…

An Israeli American hostage recently freed from Hamas released a powerful message thanking Donald Trump for being the “reason I am home alive” and urged him to bring those remaining in captivity home. Keith Siegel, 65, issued a statement on Friday, February 14, commending the president for his “strength” and “leadership” during the conflict in Gaza while revealing the horrors he faced as a prisoner of Hamas. “Since February 1, I am a newly released Hamas hostage. I’m a survivor. I was held for 484 days in unimaginable conditions. Every single day felt like it could be my last,” Seigel…

Marking 500 days since the October 7 massacre, the Washington Hebrew Congregation was filled with a national prayer for the return of the hostages due to efforts from the Jewish Federations of North America on Tuesday. Hamas captivity survivors and their family members addressed a crowd of hundreds of people who showed up in support. Among the survivors who presented were Noa Argamani and Ilana Gritzewsky, both of whom have partners who remain in Gaza captivity, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker. In addition, Gal Dalal, brother of hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal, also spoke, in addition to Moshe Lavi, brother-in-law of hostage…