Freed hostage recounts abuse, gut-wrenching parting with captive still in Gaza When Eli Sharabi received the news of his impending release on February 8, Alon Ohel clutched him and wouldn't let go until a guard forcibly separated them. February 28, 2025
Auschwitz museum confiscates hostage symbols deeming them ‘political’ 'We explained it was for the hostages, but they said the yellow ribbon was a political symbol.' February 28, 2025
IDF internal report shows false assumptions, outdated strategies made Israel vulnerable to Oct. 7 attack A major factor in the Israeli military's failure to prevent the October 7th attack was the assumption that Hamas' primary focus was underground warfare in tunnels, rather than a ground invasion. February 27, 2025
Additional hostages may be freed Saturday if ceasefire extended It is estimated that 59 hostages remain in Gaza with 35 declared dead. February 27, 2025
Pentagon declares transgender soldiers disqualified from service without an exemption Those identified as transgender by the Pentagon will be immediately dismissed from service and given an honorable discharge, provided they maintained a clean record. February 27, 2025
Man threatens to kill children at Amsterdam Jewish school over Gaza war The man wrote: 'What is happening in Gaza is not okay. I am going to shoot three children from your school.' February 26, 2025
Smotrich: Biden holding up arms caused serious problems for IDF Smotrich: 'We had to use mechanical kits from the Yom Kippur War, some of which failed to detonate.' February 26, 2025
Mother of American-Israeli captive says ‘Trump understands how to get the hostage deal done’ Edan Alexander is expected to be released in 'phase two' of the hostage agreement, though his mother Yael emphasized that she doesn't view the releases in terms of phases. February 26, 2025
Berlin chief rabbi welcomes new conservative chancellor Merz 'Mr. Merz is a close personal friend and a steadfast ally of Israel,' Rabbi Teichtal said. February 25, 2025
Hezbollah beeper operation was ‘turning point of war,’ says Mossad chief On September 17, 2024, thousands of pagers in the hands of Hezbollah terrorists detonated simultaneously. February 25, 2025
Gaza hospital director admits hostages were kept at the facility IDF on arresting Safiya, 'We discovered that the individual orchestrating the terror and Hamas activities within the compound, was the hospital director himself.' February 24, 2025
Hamas official says October 7th wouldn’t have happened had he known the outcome Marzouk's admission of regret does not reflect the views of all Hamas leaders, signaling a division within the terrorist organization. February 24, 2025
New Zealand’s only Jewish school defaced with antisemitic graffiti The building, which houses facilities for the Jewish community, was smeared with graffiti that read ‘genocide high school’ and ‘God hates you.’ February 24, 2025
Freed hostages were isolated in tunnels, starved, and degraded On Saturday, Hamas released Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed to Israel. February 23, 2025
Bibas family thanks public for ‘warm embrace, tears’ The family added that those who wish to pay their final respects to Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel can do so along the funeral route, which will be publicized. February 23, 2025
Israel redeems six hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza Hamas is slated to return four additional bodies to Israel next Thursday, in what would be the final exchange of Phase 1 of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19 and is due to end on March 1. February 22, 2025
Freed hostage Agam Berger found Rabbi Druckman’s book in Gaza, consulted it on the issue of non-kosher meat The book, With Strength and With Spirit, which was distributed in Bnei Akiva yeshivas and girls' high schools, was accidentally left behind by an IDF soldier. February 21, 2025
US envoy warns Hamas to release all hostages ‘or face total annihilation’ Boehler: 'It’s not just that you need to release her (Shiri Bibas's) body; you must free all of the remaining hostages.' February 21, 2025
Bereaved mother of hostage says of deceased Bibas children, ‘They are just like Yotam’ Iris Haim: 'Orange is the color of love, the orange-gold hair of the three hostages – Ariel and Kfir Bibas and Yotam Haim.' February 21, 2025
Bus explosions near Tel Aviv were likely terror attacks intending to kill hundreds of civilians Bus drivers in the Tel Aviv area have been instructed to search their vehicles for possible explosives. February 20, 2025
UN finally condemns Hamas, says ceremony over hostage bodies might have violated international law Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families. February 20, 2025
Azerbaijan may become a crucial player in Israeli-American vision for Middle East The Atlantic Council, a prominent U.S. think tank, stated that the U.S. should follow Israel's lead in fostering ties with Azerbaijan. February 20, 2025
Syrian Jews visit Damascus for the first time in 30 years This is the first time the father and son have set foot in Damascus since fleeing in the 1990s, when Hafez al-Assad lifted the travel ban on the country's Jews. February 20, 2025
Trump reposts video of freed hostage Agam Berger thanking him, demanding release of remaining captives Berger, 20, was one of five lookouts who scouted the Gaza border, were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and released after 15 months. February 19, 2025
‘The heart of the entire nation is torn,’ Netanyahu says ahead of expected release of dead captives Bibas family: 'Until we receive definitive confirmation, our ordeal is not over. We kindly ask the media and the public to respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us about this issue.' February 19, 2025
Forensic expert says identifying bodies of hostages held for extended time ‘not always feasible’ On Thursday, the bodies of four hostages including Shiri Bibas and her two children, are expected to be returned to Israel. February 19, 2025
Trump calls Zelensky a ‘dictator without elections’ as tensions rise over ending Russia-Ukraine war Trump lashed out after the Ukrainian president said Trump was being influenced by Russian disinformation. February 19, 2025
Jewish groups urge Knesset to press UN on Hamas sexual crimes The UN has yet to list Hamas as a party accused of committing rape in armed conflict or hold the terrorist organization accountable for these crimes against humanity. February 19, 2025
Two IDF soldiers doxxed by anti-Israel group forced to leave Amsterdam For security reasons, both active and reserve soldiers are advised to delete posts about the war from their social media and consider making their accounts private. February 18, 2025
Australian Muslims call reaction to viral video of nurses threatening to kill Israelis ‘manufactured moral panic’ Muslim groups said claims of antisemitism were simply 'gaslighting by Zionist lobby groups and their allies in government and media circles.' February 18, 2025
New evidence: Biden pressured Israel to send Gaza aid that went directly to Hamas Although Israel informed then-U.S. President Biden about the recordings, the Biden Administration still pressured Israel to send hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza daily. February 17, 2025
Smotrich freezes additional PA funds, will use them to assist terror victims This is the latest in a series of liens that freeze designated PA funds to prevent them from being used to finance terrorism. February 17, 2025
Conservative residents of liberal US state want to secede and join neighboring state The eastern part of Oregon is ideologically at odds with the urban and progressive areas of the state, as evidenced by the intensity of anti-police protests in Portland in 2020. February 17, 2025
Trump gives Iran a deadline to close its nuclear program The United States is actively seeking direct and confidential negotiations with Iran, according to the same diplomatic source. February 16, 2025
Doctors give Netanyahu a clean bill of health in spite of recent surgeries His medical team stressed that there is no indication of prostate cancer and that the tissue removed during the recent surgery in December was benign. February 16, 2025
Arab Countries announce 5 year Gaza reconstruction plan without Hamas control or civilian relocation The plan provides for reconstruction over three to five years, without the displacement of the Palestinian population and without Hamas control. February 16, 2025
German Chancellor Scholz criticizes VP Vance’s remarks about Europe’s free speech policy Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties’ 'firewall' against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). February 16, 2025
Israel’s UN Ambassador Leiter says Egypt’s military buildup will be addressed ‘very soon’ Egypt has constructed military bases in Sinai 'that can only be used for offensive operations, for offensive weapons—that’s a clear violation,' said Leiter. February 16, 2025
Israel in ‘full cooperation’ with Trump, say Netanyahu, Rubio Netanyahu: 'We have a shared strategy, which cannot always be detailed to the public—including when the gates of hell will open. And they will open if all our hostages are not returned, every last one of them.' February 16, 2025
International human rights lawyer: ‘It is absolutely legal for the US to take over Gaza’ Ostrovsky says those violating international human rights law are the ones insisting Gazan civilians must stay in Gaza. February 16, 2025
IDF soldiers report that Hamas is planting explosives in the Gaza buffer zone This report follows news from last week that Nukhba terrorists were driving pickup trucks near the buffer zone. February 16, 2025
Hamas captors cynically gave Sagui Dekel-Chen earrings for his wife on news she gave birth Dekel-Chen did not believe the terrorists about the birth of his daughter until the IDF confirmed it was true. February 16, 2025
Hamas agrees to relinquish control of Gaza in second phase of hostage deal – report Hamas said it would be prepared to discuss the implementation of Phase Two of the hostage and ceasefire agreement on Monday. February 15, 2025
369 Palestinian prisoners freed, forced to wear sweatshirts with message from Israel Of the 369 Palestinian prisoners released Saturday, 36 were serving life sentences for murder. February 15, 2025
3 released hostages appeared emaciated, pale Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Iair Horn, appeared emaciated and pale as they returned to Israel after 498 days in captivity. February 15, 2025
Trump announces Israel-India trade route running through Israel Trump: 'It will run from India to Israel to Italy and onward to the U.S., connecting our partners, roads, railways, and undersea cables.' February 14, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio invites Arab States opposed to Trump’s Gaza plan to propose an alternative 'All these countries claim to care about Palestinians, but none of them are willing to take any in. None have a history of doing anything for Gaza,' Rubio said. February 14, 2025
80-year old freed hostage Gadi Moses describes walking 7km, solving complex math problems during captivity 'At some point, he realized he had to stop expecting immediate rescue and shift his focus to surviving each day. He taught himself to think differently.' February 13, 2025
Midwife complained a year ago about Australian nurses who boasted about killing Jews In the video, one nurse says with a throat-cutting gesture, 'You have no idea how many [Israelis] came to this hospital, and I sent them to Jahannam (hell).' February 13, 2025
Lebanese government prevents Iranian plane with funds for Hezbollah from leaving Tehran The Lebanese government is fulfilling a provision in the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which requires it to prevent Iran from transferring funds to Hezbollah. February 13, 2025
Israelis warned against participating in anti-settler documentary by Louis Theroux 'I’m interested in ideologues and fundamentalists of all stripes ...I wanted to see settler expansionism up close, and the human cost it entails.' February 13, 2025
2024 deadliest year for journalists; media claims most killed by Israel’s military In October, the IDF said that six Al Jazeera journalists were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. February 12, 2025
Family of kidnapped IDF soldier Matan Angrest receives news he is alive Matan Angrest's mother Anat: 'We were informed that he was held there in harsh conditions because he is a soldier.' February 12, 2025
Trump to Jordan’s King Abdullah: ‘We will take Gaza’ King Abdullah said Jordan would not take in additional Gazans and would do what was in the best interests of his country. February 11, 2025
Which captives have not yet been freed in first phase of hostage deal? The list of 17 includes five older men, nine men under 50, a mother and two children. February 11, 2025
Hamas official threatens: ‘October 7th was just a prelude’ On Monday, Hamas announced it would pause hostage releases, citing alleged 'Israeli violations' of the agreement. February 10, 2025
Israel responds to Hamas’s threat to cancel hostage deal Defense Minister Katz: 'Hamas’s announcement that it will halt the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.' February 10, 2025
PA nixes ‘pay for slay’ – but quietly finds alternative funding for jailed terrorists The 'pay-for-slay' program refers to the PA's policy of providing financial support to terrorists who carry out attacks against Israelis. February 10, 2025
Hostages’ testimony reveals Hamas’s cruelty The former hostages reported being interrogated and burned, leading one of them to collapse. February 10, 2025
Iran’s attempts on Trump’s life were more serious than initially disclosed, book reveals During his 2024 campaign, officials warned Trump that Iranian terrorists had access to surface-to-air missiles and were planning to crash his private plane. February 9, 2025
