Category: Israel

Three Israeli hostages were released from captivity in Gaza Saturday, including Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American citizen. Dekel-Chen was freed along with Yair Horn, an Argentine-Israeli, and Sasha Trufanov, a Russian-Israeli. All three were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the Gaza border during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Dekel-Chen and Horn were held by Hamas, […]

An American-Israeli released from Gaza during the current Israel-Hamas ceasefire is exhorting President Donald Trump to press for the release of the remaining hostages. “President Trump, you are the reason I am home alive. You are the reason I was reunited with my beloved wife, four children and five grandchildren. Thank you,” Siegel says in […]

After days of brinksmanship in which both Hamas and Israel threatened to breach their current ceasefire, Hamas has named three more Israeli hostages that it will release in accordance with the ceasefire’s terms on Saturday. The hostages set for release include the only remaining American citizen set to be freed during the current phase of […]

Hamas said that it will release three more Israeli hostages on Saturday, a sign that the ceasefire in Gaza may hold despite a crisis earlier this week. Israel has not confirmed that its dispute with Hamas was resolved. But negotiations are ongoing, signaling that both sides may be retreating from demands that seemed to imperil […]

Some of the biggest names in Israeli literature, in addition to an array of American Jewish leaders, are speaking out in support of two Palestinian booksellers from east Jerusalem who were placed on house arrest after a police raid. Sunday’s raid on two branches of the Educational Bookshop, a prominent bookstore with a large English-language […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not “return our hostages” by noon on Saturday, adding more uncertainty to the future of the three-week-old ceasefire. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end [and] the IDF will resume intense fighting until the […]

The oldest hostage in Gaza is not alive, Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday. Shlomo Mantzur was killed 16 months ago, during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was taken to Gaza, Israeli officials said they determined after assessing intelligence data gathered in recent months. He was 85 at the time […]

A poll this week showed that across Israel’s fractious society, there’s at least one thing most people agree on: The ceasefire and hostage release deal happened thanks to President Donald Trump. Nearly three-quarters of Israelis credit the president for pushing the deal through, including majorities of Israeli Jews, Arabs and the country’s left, center and […]