Former hostages Omer Wenkert, Liri Albag, and Gadi Moses spoke at a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday, demanding that the Israeli government agree to a comprehensive deal that would return all Israeli hostages.
Omer Wenkert, a former hostage who was released in the first phase of the currently paused hostage deal, opened the protest rally.
"I was brought back to life about a month and a half ago. I am here, excited and crying out: Return my brothers from captivity. But I’m not really here; only half of me stands here. Part of me is still captive in a tunnel, and you [here at the rally] are not really here either—because part of us, part of all of us, is captive in Gaza."
Go to the full article >>
The Hamas terrorist organization released a teaser of a propaganda video on Saturday afternoon that showed Israeli hostages Bar kupershtein and Maxim Herkin.
Originally, Hamas published a teaser video with two blurred figures.
Shortly after, the family of hostage Maxim Herkin confirmed that he was one of the hostages in the video. "We recognized his voice," the family said.
The Hostages Families Forum has requested that the propaganda video, or parts of it, not be published or shared without their permission.
Go to the full article >>
The Hamas terrorist organization released a teaser of a propaganda video on Saturday afternoon that features two hostages whose faces are blurred, which is expected to be released in full later in the day.
The Hostages Families Forum has requested that the propaganda video, or parts of it, not be published or shared without their permission.
This is a developing story.
Go to the full article >>
The UN Human Rights Council renewed the tenure of Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 during a vote on Saturday.
Albanese herself confirmed the results of the vote with multiple posts on X/Twitter.
The confirmation comes despite opposition from the US, UN Watch, and hundreds of thousands of petitioners.
Go to the full article >>
US deputy special envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, concluded her meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday, after arriving in Beirut on Friday for her second visit to Lebanon since US President Donald Trump took office in January, Al-Monitor reported Friday night. Her last visit was in February.
She is also scheduled to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri regarding the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire that was signed in November, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Ortagus will demand that Lebanese authorities establish a clear schedule for Hezbollah’s disarmament, Al-Monitor reported, citing local reports. She is also expected to push for the beginning of talks between Israel and Lebanon on the demarcation of their border, currently marked by the blue line drawn by the United Nations in 2000.
Go to the full article >>
The IDF expanded ground operations in Gaza overnight Friday, in the North and South, and took control of several areas in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Rafah, and the Morag Axis.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Israeli air force and artillery batteries operated to target terrorist objectives and support the operating troops.
On Friday evening, both ground troops and the Israeli air force struck in Rafah, Khan Yunis, Shuja'iya, Gaza City, and Beit Hanoun.
Go to the full article >>
The New York Times obtained a video recording on a cell phone of one of the killed paramedics, who was found with 14 other aid workers in a mass grave in Rafah in late March, that shows that the ambulances and fire truck the workers were traveling in were clearly marked and had their emergency lights on when Israeli troops fired at them, the NYT reported Friday evening.
Earlier in the week, an Israeli military spokesperson, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, reportedly told the NYT that the IDF did not “randomly attack” an ambulance,” but that several vehicles “were identified advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals toward Israeli troops, prompting them to shoot.
He also said that the majority of those killed were terrorists, according to the NYT.
The IDF said it is conducting an investigation into this incident on Thursday, Reuters reported. The military said its Southern Command had transferred the investigation to a general staff mechanism outside the chain of command to establish what had happened and "hold accountable people if we need to."
Go to the full article >>
Despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that recent strikes on Yemen had “decimated” the Houthis, government officials have reportedly quietly acknowledged in private that the attacks have been less effective than anticipated, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Pentagon officials reportedly acknowledged that the US was struggling to hit the Houthis’ underground arsenal.
Despite limited success, the attacks have grown fiercer under the Trump administration, the NYT report detailed, with attacks reportedly stronger than what the US defense department is willing to admit.
Go to the full article >>
Half of the living hostages are in areas that the IDF has attempted to evacuate recently, Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement on Friday.
"We have decided not to move these captives from those areas and to keep them under strict security measures - but their lives are in extreme danger," he said.
"If Israel is concerned for the lives of these hostages, Netanyahu must immediately enter negotiations for their release," he continued. "The Netanyahu government bears full responsibility for the lives of the hostages. If it truly cared about them, it would have honored the agreement signed in January, and most of them would likely already be home."
Go to the full article >>
Hamas has been collaborating with Bedouins in the Negev to smuggle drones into the Gaza Strip for the past several weeks, N12 reported on Friday.
Each drone is smuggled into the Gaza Strip at a rate of one million dollars per drone; at least ten drones have been delivered.
The drones are worth only NIS 100 to 150 each and can carry up to 70 kilograms of cargo.
Hamas is expected to modify the drone for military use in combat against IDF troops.
Go to the full article >>
