Browsing: Israel News

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…

Israeli delegation returns from Athens with plans to triple trade volume, marking Greece as a key economic ally amid fallout from Turkey-Israel tensions Greece is on track to become Israel’s primary trade partner, replacing Turkey within months, as Israel seeks to mitigate the economic fallout from a Turkish boycott on economic ties with the country. Israel’s reciprocal boycott of Turkey has exacerbated disruptions across construction, industry, and commerce. According to initial estimates, following a discreet visit of an economic delegation to Greece last week, trade between the two nations is expected to triple, surging from $1.3 billion to approximately $4…

In an annual report published on Tuesday, December 31, summarizing its activities over the past year, the Shin Bet said it interrogated more than 650 suspects from the Gaza Strip, thwarted 1,040 major terror attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem, busted 20 terror cells among Arab Israeli citizens and foiled a record 13 Iranian espionage plots. The internal security agency also said it assisted in several missions to rescue hostages from Gaza and unveiled audio from the rescue of Cpl. Ori Megidish last October. Additionally, the agency said it helped thwart hundreds of cyberattacks on Israel; secure hundreds of…

The body of hostage Youssef Ziyadne, 53, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, was recovered by the Israeli military from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday. Members of Ziyadne’s family said that the military had informed them that the body of his son, Hamza Ziyadne, 22, was also recovered from Gaza, though the IDF said that this was not yet confirmed. Youssef was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, along with three of his children, Hamza, Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17,…

At the start of the new year, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released updated casualty figures among the Israeli forces for the past two years, as the longest war in Israel’s history continues with no end in sight. In 2024, 363 regular, professional, and reserve IDF soldiers died while fulfilling their duties, compared to 558 the year before. In addition, 5,569 were wounded to varying degrees. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the IDF said that 891 soldiers have fallen. This includes 329 who died during the Hamas invasion, and the bloody and confused fighting that followed to stem the tide and…