Ex-hostage twins attend first Maccabi Tel Aviv game since release

Gal and Ziv Berman, who endured 772 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, arrived on Sunday night at Bloomfield Stadium for a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. and Beitar Jerusalem F.C., the first since before their abduction. Read more

‘Measure of comfort’ after return of slain soldier Itay Chen’s remains

The body of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen was identified on Wednesday morning after being returned from Gaza to Israel overnight. Read more

Hamas again hands over remains that don’t belong to hostages

Hamas transferred to Israel the remains of three individuals which do not belong to any of the 11 slain hostages still held by terrorists in Gaza, Israel’s broadcaster Channel 13 reported on Saturday. Read more

‘Very optimistic’ ceasefire agreement will hold, Vance says in Israel

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is “very optimistic” that the White House-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hamas terror organisation will hold, the former Ohio senator said during a press conference in Israel on Tuesday. Read more

Kibbutz Nir Oz mourns Aryeh Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar

The remains of two fallen hostages returned from Gaza have been identified as Aryeh Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar on Wednesday morning, bringing closure to Kibbutz Nir Oz, where both hostages lived. Read more

Netanyahu meets US envoys, Hamas hands over another body

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are visiting Israel to shore up a tenuous ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Read more

Israel receives two more hostage bodies from Red Cross

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has handed over two more bodies of presumed Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Read more

Gaza-Egypt border crossing to stay closed

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over the bodies of more dead hostages, as the two sides trade blame over ceasefire violations. Read more

Bedouin soldier and young woman who fought back: hostages’ bodies returned from Gaza

The bodies of two hostages returned from Gaza on Wednesday night were positively identified as Bedouin soldier Sgt. Maj. Muhammad el-Atrash and Inbar Hayman, the last female hostage. Read more

Hostages describe torture and torment in Gaza

Many were beaten, starved and isolated for two years. Read more

Remains of hostages Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levy identified

The families of soldiers Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi and civilian Eitan Levy announced on Wednesday morning that their bodies were among the four returned by Hamas overnight. Read more

Hamas hands over first seven hostages in Gaza ceasefire

Hamas has handed over the first seven hostages to the Red Cross as part of the Gaza ceasefire. Read more

Who are the Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas?

Hamas is set to release hostages it has been holding in Gaza in exchange for almost 2000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners. Read more

Israel prepares to welcome the last living hostages

The release of Israeli hostages that have been held in Gaza for two years is imminent, with 20 survivors to be released together, followed by the handover of 28 others – 26 dead and two whose fate is unknown. Read more

Israel gears up to receive hostages, release Palestinian prisoners

Israel’s health, justice, and security institutions began mobilising on Thursday for the long-awaited return of hostages held by Hamas and the parallel release of Palestinian prisoners. Read more

Focus turns to lasting peace as ceasefire deal hailed

A ceasefire in the Middle East is a welcome breakthrough, Australia’s prime minister says, but the next steps to a lasting peace and recovery loom as tougher prospects. Read more

Israel attacks Hamas in Qatar, Trump ‘very unhappy’

Donald Trump says he’s “very unhappy about every aspect” of the surprise Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in the capital of close US strategic ally Qatar. Read more

After ‘last warning’, Trump eyes Gaza deal ‘soon’

Donald Trump says a deal to release all hostages held by Hamas is being worked out after earlier giving the militant group a “last warning” to accept the terms. Read more

‘I chose life’ – Sharabi’s story of survival grips JNF event

“My name is Eli Sharabi. I’ve come back from hell.”

With those words, Eli Sharabi, who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity, addressed an extraordinary sold-out JNF Annual Event in Sydney on Tuesday evening, where he shared his story in conversation with leading Israeli journalist and commentator, Nadav Eyal.

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Penny Wong meets released hostage

Released hostage Eli Sharabi met Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra yesterday. Read more

Israel recovers body of hostage Idan Shtivi

The IDF announced that, in a complex operation conducted under the joint guidance of the Intelligence Corps’ Unit 8200 and the Shin Bet, the body of Israeli hostage Idan Shtivi was recovered from Gaza, alongside the body of Ilan Weiss, which was announced on Friday. Read more

Parents of captive IDF soldier Nimrod Cohen release footage of abduction

The parents of Nimrod Cohen, an Israel Defence Forces soldier taken captive by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, on Monday night released for publication footage of his abduction. Read more

Israel to begin Gaza ceasefire talks to end war: PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will immediately resume negotiations for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and an end to the nearly two-year-old war, but on terms acceptable to Israel. Read more

Hamas ‘death culture’ beyond comprehension, says founder’s son

Hamas’s embrace of “death culture” is beyond comprehension for much of the world, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the eldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, the founder of the terrorist group, told JNS on Tuesday. Read more

Jerusalem mayor urged to rename Gaza Street to Hostages Street

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum appealed to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion in a letter on Thursday to rename the capital’s Gaza Street to Hostages Street until all of the captives return from Hamas captivity. Read more

Israel gripped by nationwide strike as hostage families warn ‘silence kills’

A nationwide general strike swept Israel on Sunday as families of the hostages protested the government’s decision to expand the war in Gaza rather than pursue a deal to bring their loved ones home. Read more

Israel welcomes UN blacklisting of Hamas for sexual crimes in conflict

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed the UN’s decision to add Hamas to its “blacklist” of groups committing sexual crimes in armed conflicts, calling it an overdue recognition of atrocities committed since October 7. Read more

Global momentum behind Australia recognising Palestine

The international community is making a united effort to recognise Palestine, the prime minister says, despite a top US official saying Australia’s push is meaningless. Read more

Trump’s message to Israel: ‘Remember Oct. 7’

“I have one thing to say: remember October 7, remember October 7,” U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios on Monday, referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel by the terror group Hamas. Read more

Israel faces growing calls to scrap Gaza offensive plan

International condemnation is growing over Israel’s plan for a military takeover of Gaza City ahead of an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting. Read more

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