On Sunday, we woke up to the news that six Israeli hostages were executed by Hamas, just before soldiers reached them in a tunnel in Gaza. Another six, added to tens of thousands of people in this land who should not have died over the past year. During this week, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets. They feel angry, desperate and betrayed by their government. They have understood, perhaps for the first time, that the Israeli government does not want to return the hostages in a deal, but to continue the war indefinitely. They see that the occupation and the settlements matter more than human life – and not only of Palestinians, said B‘Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak, who addressed the UN Security Council last night (Wednesday) . B’Tselem – the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was invited by the Slovenian President of the Security Council to provide an expert review of the state of human rights in Israel/Palestine following the war.
Archiv: Entführungen / Geiseln / Auslieferungen / Deportationen / Abschiebungen / kidnappings / hostages / extraditions / renditions / deportations
US quietly reaches agreement with Qatar to keep operating largest military base in Middle East
(January 2, 2024)
The deal, which has not been announced publicly, highlights Washington’s reliance on the tiny Gulf country that has recently played a central role in mediating the release of Americans from captivity in Gaza and Venezuela.
The Al Udeid Air Base, located in the desert southwest of Doha, is the biggest US military installation in the Middle East and can house more than 10,000 American troops.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Vile Messiah Leading a Cult of Lies and Death
Despite presiding over numerous failures – including Iran, the economy, the cost of living and October 7 – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still worshipped by over a quarter of Israelis. The gap between his failings and his support has all the attributes of a cult
Hamas Says Hostage Guards Have Been Operating Under New Orders
“Netanyahu‘s insistence to free prisoners through military pressure, instead of sealing a deal, means they will be returned to their families in shrouds. Their families must choose whether they want them dead or alive,” he said
Hamas armed wing says new instructions given to guards of Israel hostages in Gaza
On Sunday, the Israeli military reported the recovery of the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, claiming that Hamas was responsible for their deaths. Obaida said his group holds Israel responsible for the deaths.
He said the new instructions, which he did not detail, were given to guards of hostages after a rescue operation by Israel in June.
Tumultuous weekend for Israelis leaves Netanyahu with fewer options than ever
Unlike Palestinians in Gaza, Israelis can rise up to challenge their leadership. Late-night skirmishes between protesters and the authorities Sunday on Tel Aviv’s usually hyper-busy eight-lane Ayalon Highway were a manifestation of that.
As flames and dense smoke engulfed wooden pallets and tires on the roads, I watched a young man, blue paint spray in hand, scrawl his message to the prime minister in foot-high letters on the roadside wall: “Hostages or revolt.”
Why are American Jewish institutions ignoring the hostage families?
(July 7, 2024)
There are exceptions of course. The Reform Movement issued a statement supporting President Joe Biden’s announcement of a potential ceasefire and hostage release plan, and calling on Netanyahu to accept it. T’ruah, the organization I lead, has been clear in our calls for a bilateral ceasefire that brings home the hostages and ends the war. Ditto our partners in the Progressive Israel Network, including J Street, Americans for Peace Now, New York Jewish Agenda and New Israel Fund.
But many of the largest Jewish organizations, including legacy groups such as Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League have decoupled calls to “Bring them Home” from any talk of ending the war, and have refrained from placing any blame on the Israeli government.
Hostages families forum blames Netanyahu for death of captives
„A deal for the return of the abductees has been on the table for over two months,“ the forum said. „If it weren‘t for the thwarting [of the deal], the excuses and the spins, the abductees whose deaths we learned of this morning would probably be alive.
„Enough with the excuses. Enough with the spins. Enough of the procrastination!
The time has come to return our abductees home – the living for rehabilitation and the victims and the murdered for burial in their own country.“
‘Mr. Death’: Hostage families say Netanyahu has condemned their loved ones to die
(August 31, 2024)
In a statement read out in front of the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, family members of the hostages accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of knowingly condemning the hostages to death.
“Netanyahu and his partners in the cabinet decided to torpedo the [hostage-ceasefire] deal due to the Philadelphia spin, and as such knowingly condemn the hostages to death,” the statement says.
Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas hostage Matan Zangauker, calls Netanyahu “Mr. Death.”
Israeli superstar Chanan Ben Ari singing at the Levaya for hostage Ori Danino HY’D with Ori’s bro.
(…)
Hundreds Attend Funeral for Slain Hostage Eden Yerushalmi in Petah Tikva
Footage shows relatives crying over Yerushalmi‘s body while her father is seen reading prayers. Later, a procession is shown carrying the body wrapped in an Israeli flag for burial.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Funeral Service Held for Israeli Hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polino | N18G
A funeral is held for Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American taken hostage in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and whose body was recovered from a tunnel in Gaza.
Funeral held for Israeli hostage Almog Sarusi after his body was recovered from Gaza
The funeral was held on Sunday for one of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered by the Israeli military from Gaza
Amid protests after murder of hostages, Netanyahu to hold press conference
The press conference will take place amid public demonstrations against his government for not doing enough to secure a hostage deal in the wake of the murder of six hostages,..
Israel’s anti-Netanyahu strike ends early and fails to bring the country to a standstill
The strike began at 05:00 local time and was expected to last 24 hours but at midday a court ordered it to end, considering it “political” and “unrelated” to the issue for which it had been called. Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David announced to the labor court that he was considering a petition to suspend it that would end the action at 18.00. However, the court ordered the strike to end at 2:30 p.m. and Bar-David responded by urging workers to return to their posts.
During its short duration, the strike failed to paralyze Israel.
Masses around Israel demand Gaza deal as nation recoils from murder of 6 hostages
Labor federation chief Arnon Bar-David says hostage release stuck due to ‘political considerations,’ most of labor market will strike as of 6 a.m. Monday
Protest In Tel Aviv Live | Israelis Protest In Tel Aviv City After Hostages Dead | Israel Hamas War
Protesters gather in Tel Aviv after Israel‘s army announced it recovered the bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza.
Israelis protest against Netanyahu after 6 hostages found dead in Gaza
Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages protested Sunday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office in Jerusalem. Eylon Keshet, a family member of a Hamas-held hostage, says ‘it’s been a nightmare every day,’ adding that Netanyahu ‘should be held responsible’ and Hamas should be pressured into a ceasefire.
Israelis erupt in protest to demand a cease-fire after 6 more hostages die in Gaza
Grieving and angry Israelis surged into the streets Sunday night after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza, chanting “Now! Now!” as they demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a cease-fire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.
Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, pressured the government by calling a general strike for Monday, the first since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.
Hamas says captives killed by Israeli fire
The group also blamed Netanyahu for the deaths of Israeli captives, saying they „were killed by his army‘s bullets„.
(…)
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas‘ political bureau, said the six captives found dead by the Israeli army „were only killed by Zionist bombing„.
Bodies of 6 hostages, murdered by Hamas just days ago, found in Rafah – IDF
Their bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head and other parts of their bodies, the Ynet news site reported. An autopsy found they were murdered in the 48 hours prior to the discovery of their bodies, the report said.
Israeli Hostage Families Breach Gaza Fence As Netanyahu Fails To Crack Deal With Hamas | Tel Aviv
A video on Aug 29 said to show relatives of hostages holding a protest near the Gaza border. In the video, people can be seen breaching the fence & running toward their loved ones. They reportedly heeded pleas from security forces & made their way back to kibbutz nirim. Watch this video for all the details.
Shin Bet chief warns prime minister in July 2023 that war is incoming
The Prime Minister‘s Office denied these allegations, saying: „Prime Minister Netanyahu did not receive a warning about the war in Gaza not on the date in question not before October 7. On the contrary, all security officials made it clear that Hamas is deterred and strives to reach an agreement. Also, a few days before October 7, the Shin Bet assessed that Gaza‘s stability is expected to be maintained for a long time.“
The Shin Bet did not comment on the Prime Minister Office‘s response.
Israel, opposition leader accuses Netanyahu: He knew about the threat of October 7 and did nothing
In the weeks that followed, Lapid continued, he viewed classified intelligence provided to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that indicated that deterrence had indeed eroded. He also viewed highly classified material made available to him as a former prime minister. On September 18, 2023, there was “a further warning. For me, what was written there was unmistakable: Israel’s deterrence has eroded dramatically; our enemies think they have a rare opportunity to harm us,” Lapid said.
Netanyahu was warned a year before Oct. 7 that Hamas saw its ‘moment had arrived,’ Lapid tells civilian inquiry
“During the months leading up to the disaster, the prime minister and cabinet ministers received a series of serious, unprecedented warnings. From the middle of 2023 there were more and more voices within the terrorist organizations that said that the moment they had been waiting for had arrived,” he says.
Lapid recalls asking Bar “if these warnings were also brought before the prime minister and cabinet ministers, and the answer was: ‘Of course they were.‘”
Israeli opposition leader Lapid says Netanyahu was warned about Hamas
„I want to refute the statement that is made time and time again by the current government that, somehow, the political echelon was not aware that Hamas was not deterred,“ Lapid told the paper.
„It was indeed informed. I was informed,“ he said, adding that the intelligence material he saw „was of course, also seen by the prime minister and ministers of the Cabinet.“
„It was clear what they [Hamas] wanted,“ he said.
Netanyahu Let Hamas’ Oct 7 Attack Happen? Bombshell Claim By Arch Rival Amid 10 Months Of Gaza War
In a heated exchange, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid clashed over the handling of Hamas’ October 7 attack. Lapid accused Netanyahu of ignoring critical warnings that eroded national security, claiming the PM failed to act despite knowing a violent eruption was looming. In response, Netanyahu fired back, accusing Lapid of ‚spreading lies.‘ Watch for more.
Who Is Farhan al-Qadi, the Rescued Hostage?
“I can’t explain these feelings,” Mr. al-Qadi’s brother said in a video shared by Israel’s official account on X, taken before he saw him again. “It’s better than being born again.”
The 52-year-old, a Muslim and member of Israel’s Bedouin community, is from a village near Rahat, in southern Israel. He was working as a security guard in a small Israeli kibbutz, called Magen, near the Gaza border, when he was abducted, according to Israel officials.
Hostage rescued by IDF from tunnel in south Gaza after 10 months of Hamas captivity
Hagari denied rumors that al-Qadi managed to escape the tunnel in which he was held, saying that troops “rescued Farhan from underground, he met our forces underground.”
Al-Qadi was not discovered by Israeli special forces “by chance” as some reports described, although there was no pre-planned operation to specifically rescue him, military sources said.
Histadrut Head Urges Early Elections, Hostages Families Demand ‘General Strike Now’
The head of the Histadrut labor federation urges again far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a date for early elections, indicating that if the premier refuses, the organization could take steps aimed at forcing his hand.
Speaking at a conference hosted by Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, May 8, Arnon Bar-David declares that Netanyahu and his government “cannot avoid responsibility for the failures of October 7.”
Last year, when protests against the same government’s divisive judicial overhaul plan reached a tipping point following Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Histadrut declared a general strike, helping force the prime minister to walk back that decision and to pause the overhaul.
Police Violence as Thousands in Tel Aviv Demand End of War and Deal with Hamas
Thousands protested in Tel Aviv on Monday night, April 29, in a rally that later descended into clashes with police forces, arrests, and police violence toward protesters and relatives of hostages. The rally reached the King George Street near of the ruling Likud party’s headquarters, where police used a water cannon and mounted cops to disperse the protest.
Cops shoved Ilana Gritzewsky, Matan Zangauker’s partner who was kidnapped on October 7 and released in the November deal. Early protesters blocked the army headquarters entrance at Begin Street and Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan, addressed Netanyahu, saying he had to choose between bringing the hostages home and keeping intact his government over the objections of racist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who vehemently oppose a hostage deal that would require a ceasefire. Einav Zangauker told Ynet that cops had pushed her to the ground at the Likud headquarters and that the police used excessive force and sent in disproportionate forces to disperse the crowd, in what she called “stepped-up violence.”
רבבות הפגינו ברחבי הארץ נגד הממשלה ולהשבת החטופים; אלפים בנצרת קראו לשים קץ למלחמה ולכיבוש
רבבות הפגינו אמש (מוצ“ש) נגד הממשלה ולמען השבת החטופים בתל אביב, ירושלים, קיסריה, חיפה, באר שבע ועשרות מוקדים נוספים. בשעות הבוקר נערכה בצרת הפגנת אלפים נגד המלחמה והכיבוש ולציון ה-1 במאי. ההפגנה המרכזית בקריאה לבחירות נערכה בצומת קפלן בתל אביב ובמקביל התקיימה ברחבת מוזיאון תל אביב העצרת השבועית של מטה משפחות החטופים. בנוסף התקיימה הפגנה של בני משפחות חטופים נגד ממשלת הימין מול שער בגין בקריה.
בסיום ההפגנה בתל אביב עשרות מוחים יצאו לצעדה לכיוון גשר יהודית, והמשטרה חסמה מיוזמתה את איילון דרום. מטה משפחות החטופים מסר כי אילה מצגר, כלתו של החטוף יורם מצגר, עוכבה לחקירה לאחר שהדליקה לפיד בהפגנה. מאוחר יותר מפגינים, בהם בני משפחה של חטופים, חסמו את איילון צפון סמוך למחלף קק“ל והדליקו כתובת אש עם המילה „חלאס“ במקום. מהמשטרה נמסר כי שבעה מפגינים נעצרו.
VIDEO: Thousands block Tel Aviv streets to protest Netanyahu government
Protesters demonstrated against the government‘s inability to retrieve the remaining hostages, demanding an election.
Of course Netanyahu should go – in an orderly process that gives our enemies cause for fear
(today)
And therefore, as was the case when he insisted on continuing to run the country while in the midst of a corruption trial, and as was the case when he pressed on with his assault on Israeli democracy and briefly fired that defense minister, so too, now, it falls to a potential few good men and women within his own coalition base to tell him that his presence is harming Israel, that his policies empowered and emboldened Hamas, and that far from being uniquely capable of ensuring Israel has the practical and diplomatic room to destroy Hamas, he is almost uniquely incapable of doing so.
Hostage Families Unite With Anti-Government Protests, Demanding Action
Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday night, marking a significant shift in the ongoing protests led by the families of hostages held by Hamas. In an announcement, Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri is among those captured, declared the end of separate gatherings at Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv. Instead, he urged everyone to merge with the broader anti-government protests, signaling a new phase of intensified demonstrations, a representation of the frustration felt among the families and supporters of the hostages following the government’s inability to secure their release since the outbreak of hostilities on October 7.
Protesters begin to assemble in Jerusalem for four-day demonstration against government
(´Today, 6:32 pm)
The organizers of the protest are calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to resign, for Israel to hold early elections, and for the country’s leaders to agree to a hostage deal that will bring about the release of the 130 captives held in Gaza since October 7.
Protests will be centered around the Knesset but will also be held in other key locations, including close to Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence.
U.S. allows U.N. cease-fire vote, but it’s too late for many in Gaza
We are already halfway through Ramadan, a month-long holy period marked by pronounced grief and suffering in the Palestinian territories. The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, including many women and children, forced the overwhelming majority of people in Gaza to flee their homes and plunged more than half of Gaza’s population into a de facto famine. Small children are dying of malnutrition in what U.N. officials describe to be the broadest and most severe food crisis in the world.
WATCH: UNSC Chamber Bursts Into Applause As Gaza Ceasefire Resolution Is Adopted | Dawn News English
Amid growing global pressure for a truce in the fighting that has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, the US abstained from the vote to allow the Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramazan, which ends in two weeks.
It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Gaza: UN Security Council demands ‚immediate‘ ceasefire for first time, US abstains
(25.03.2024)
After more than five months of war in Gaza, the UN Security Council for the first time on Monday, March 25, demanded an immediate ceasefire after the United States, Israel‘s ally which vetoed previous draft resolutions, abstained. Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which „demands an immediate ceasefire“ for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Netherlands Protest LIVE: Protest In Amsterdam Against Israeli President Herzog | Gaza War | IN18L
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is to attend the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid a planned protest against Israel‘s killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
Gaza in the Minds of Israelis
(20.02.2024)
Since 2005, as Dotan Halevy, one of the anthology’s editors puts it in the introduction, a generation has grown up in Gaza “that knows nothing of Israel” (and in Israel, a generation that “knows nothing of Gaza”). Unfortunately, that generation of Israelis is now getting to know Gaza too well. During the Oct. 7 assault, hundreds or even thousands of the Strip’s civilians streamed into southern Israel. They plundered and, alongside the Hamas fighters, murdered and raped—while their faces shone with profound joy.
Netanyahu orders Israeli delegation to not return to Cairo for captive release talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli delegation not to return to Cairo for extended talks, after they were scheduled to travel to the Egyptian capital on Thursday to continue negotiations for a captive release deal.
„Top defense officials held urgent consultations the night before October 7 about a possible Hamas attack. But no one in the IDF notified the the Nova festival organizers or the party-goers, hundreds of whom were mown down….“ 2/2
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-05/ty-article/.premium/despite-intel-warnings-about-a-hamas-attack-the-army-didnt-evacuate-the-nova-festival/0000018c-3993-dc03-a9ec-3dfb2cda0000
Families Of Hostages Still Captive In Gaza Approach World Court Against Hamas
Haim Rubinstein from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the campaign group will file a case against Hamas leaders at the ICC.
„We are the families of the hostages who have gone through and are still going through this terrible hell,“ Rubinstein said in a televised briefing from Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv.
„We will file charges against Hamas members and their collaborators and ensure that they pay the heaviest price for the crimes against humanity that they continue to commit.“
Get your tissues. This is the moment Fernando Marman and Luis Har were reunited with their families after 127 days as hostages in Gaza.
Verfahren gegen Correctiv: Die Medienplattform verwickelt sich weiter in Widersprüche
Nach Schravens Drohung stellt sich erstens die Frage: Wenn Correctiv über gerichtsfeste Belege verfügt, wer auf dem Treffen mit welcher wörtlichen Formulierung aufgetreten war – warum finden sich diese wörtlichen Zitate dann nicht in dem Correctiv-Artikel? Bis jetzt wurden sie auch nicht nachgereicht.
Und zweitens: Warum rückt Correctiv nicht spätestens jetzt damit heraus? Da die eidesstattlichen Versicherungen der Teilnehmer schon Teil des Verfahrens sind, müsste Correctiv nicht erst bis zur Gerichtsverhandlung damit warten, gleich sieben Teilnehmer des Treffens einer Straftat zu überführen.
Statement by Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on the situation in the Middle East and on the Order of the International Court of Justice of 26 January 2024, indicating provisional measures in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)
(09.02.2024)
The Special Adviser echoes the 26 January statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General taking note of the Order of the International Court of Justice of 26 January 2024 indicating provisional measures in the case concerning the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel), in which the Court ordered Israel, inter alia, in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, “to take all measures within its power” in relation to Palestinians in Gaza to prevent the commission of acts within the scope of Article II of the Convention, including killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s destruction and imposing measures intended to prevent births, as well as to “ensure with immediate effect that its military forces do not commit any of the above-described acts”. Furthermore, the Court indicated “that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide in relation to members of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip”. In this connection, neither the Secretary-General nor the Special Adviser take a position in relation to ongoing judicial proceedings before the Court.Echoing the words of the Secretary-General, the Special Adviser reiterates that violations of international humanitarian law can never justify the collective punishment of the people in Gaza. “Civilians must be protected at all times on both sides,” Special Adviser Wairimu Nderitu reminded.
UN Special Adviser ‘horrified’ at suffering of civilians in the Middle East
(09.02.2024)
The statement also referred to the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought forward by South Africa against Israel on prevention of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Ms. Nderitu noted that neither the UN Secretary-General nor herself, as his Special Adviser, “take a position” in relation to ongoing judicial proceedings before the court.
In the 26 January decision, the ICJ ordered Israel, inter alia, in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, “to take all measures within its power” to prevent the commission of acts within the scope of article II of the instrument, including killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s destruction and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
The court also ordered Israel to “ensure with immediate effect that its military forces do not commit any of the above-described acts”.
Israeli military says it‘s rescued 2 hostages during Rafah raid; Palestinian officials say dozens of Palestinians killed
The army identified the rescued hostages as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who it said were kidnapped by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yizhak in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the war. Netanyahu‘s office said they also hold Argentinian citizenship. In a post on X, the former Twitter, Argentine President Milei thanked Israel for the rescue.
Israel-based civil society and human rights organizations call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of hostages
We, the undersigned Israel-based civil society and human rights organizations, call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and demand the immediate release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. An immediate ceasefire will prevent further loss of civilian lives and facilitate access to vital aid for Gaza to address the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe there.