Browsing: Israel News

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…

The Prime Minister’s office announced on Wednesday that Israel has received the list of hostages who died in captivity whose bodies are due to be released on Thursday, pursuant to the framework of the agreement with Hamas. The four murdered hostages who will be returned are Shiri Bibas, her young sons, Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz. The Prime Minister’s Office stated that the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch has updated the families of the hostages via the representatives of the IDF. “At this difficult hour, our hearts are with the grieving families. Additional…

Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas were transferred Saturday morning, February 1, by the Hamas terror organization to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, and joined up with IDF forces, who brought them to a reception point in Re’im. Two hours later, Keith Siegel was released from Gaza Port. He ascended the stage briefly, wearing a hat and waving to the crowd. At the transfer point, Hamas gave him two bags. Reports said that one of them was for his wife, Avivah, who was freed in a November 2023 prisoner swap deal. He was later transferred to the IDF and crossed…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip and allow Gaza residents to leave voluntarily, calling it “the first good idea that I’ve heard.” In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Netanyahu expressed support for Trump’s proposal, while attempting to clarify some media misrepresentations of the idea. “The actual idea of allowing first Gazans who want to leave to leave – I mean, what’s wrong with that?” Netanyahu asked. The prime minister also countered reports that Trump was calling for the forced displacement of Gaza residents. “They…

Gadi Mozes, 80, maintained a morning walking routine and kept a journal, while the IDF lookouts refrained from eating leavened food on Passover and fasted on Yom Kippur. Keith Siegel, a vegetarian, was forced to eat meat due to food shortages. Yarden Bibas and Ofer Calderon were held in cages during their first days in captivity, while Emily Damari, after being shot twice, was transferred to a UNRWA facility without medical care. These are some of the first testimonies emerging after the release of 13 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals, who spent over 15 months in Hamas captivity. Siegel…

The Shin Bet security agency announced on Thursday that it thwarted a bus bombing in Jerusalem, in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces. The terror cell, consisting of five terrorists affiliated with both the Hamas and Fatah movements, was arrested in the Ramallah area between November and December of last year. The cell planned to reach the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank, and to detonate an explosive charge that would allow it to infiltrate the country, echoing the events of October 7 on a smaller scale. The terror cell would then plant and detonate an explosive charge…