π️Lonny's War Update- October 485, 2023 - February 2, 2025 π️
π️Day 485 that 79 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!ΧΧΧ Χ Χ¦ΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ€ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧͺ
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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Hostage Updates
- According to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire are set to begin tomorrow, Monday, February 3, which marks the 16th day since the ceasefire was agreed upon. Netanyahu says he will not send the Israeli negotiation team to the talks and will wait until after his meeting with President Trump, which is scheduled for Tuesday. Netanyahu's refusal to begin negotiations on the day stipulated in the agreement is a clear violation of the agreement. Israel demands that Hamas adhere to all the terms of the agreement, while simultaneously violating it in a significant way. Once again, Netanyahu is abandoning the hostages and endangering them. (Gershon Baskin, February 2, 2025)
At rally, hostages’ moms await their turns for tearful reunions
At Tel Aviv’s weekly hostage rally, mothers of captives still held in the Strip speak of their happiness at seeing others released and express concerns over the long wait to be reunited with their loved ones.
“I can’t wait for that hug, the hug of a mother, when will it be my turn too?” says Vicky Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen. “I’m waiting and waiting.”
Cohen’s voice breaks as she addresses Nimrod directly: “We are with you, you are not alone. See how many people are fighting for you.”
It’s a message repeated by Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel who was taken captive from the Nova desert rave.
“Alon, do you hear my voice?” says Ohel. “I know you’re strong.”
“We won’t stop playing music, because the music strengthens you and reminds us that there is hope,” says Ohel, referring to Alon’s piano playing skills.
“I dream about the moment when I’ll hug you again — I envision you at the Shabbat table,” says Ohel.
She also thanks US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “for getting us this far.”
Israelis protest for the release of hostages, in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)Speaking in English, Cohen’s twin sister Romi urges the gathering to ensure the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal stays together until all those abducted are out.
“Today we were filled with joy and hope to see families reunited,” says Cohen. “This was only possible because of the deal. It is the result of a massive 15-month effort by everyone, especially President Trump and the negotiating team.”
“Keep fighting,” she tells the crowd. “Don’t let the deal collapse before everyone comes home.”
At weekly vigil, son of freed hostage says father was uplifted by rallies
Yair Mozes, son of released hostage Gadi Mozes, appears with a cleanshaven face and a wide smile at the weekly Tel Aviv Hostages Square rally.
The younger Mozes had sworn to not shave until his father was returned, and was seen embracing his newly freed dad Thursday while sporting a wild, bushy beard.
“We always knew he was a strong person and he’s even stronger than we could have imagined,” says Mozes of his 80-year-old father. “A man of the earth, who raised us on that love, he helped establish the kibbutz. He is the person who said he will do everything he can to rebuild Nir Oz. These are the values we were raised on.”
Freed hostage Gadi Mozes, second right, with his children Oded, Moran and Yair at Ichilov hospital on January 30, 2025. (Courtesy)Mozes thanks all of Israel for their support.“My father said he saw the protests and it strengthened him when he was down,” says Mozes, who also thanks the IDF and security forces, as well as the government and negotiators, the German government, the Hostages Forum, and the Jewish communities worldwide. Gadi Mozes holds dual German and Israeli citizenship.
“This is a day that our family, Kibbutz Nir Oz and all our family have been waiting for,” says Mozes. “My heart is lighter and my head and face as well,” he adds, referring to his facial hair vow.
“My father the mensch is home at last,” says Mozes speaking in English.
He calls on US President Donald Trump to help bring about the second stage of the hostage deal.
‘I’m at home’: Freed hostage Steinbrecher sends first message to Tel Aviv rally, thanks public
At the weekly Tel Aviv rally for the hostages, a prerecorded video is shown with the first public statement from former hostage Doron Steinbrecher since she was released on January 19.
“The last time I recorded a video was the propaganda film for Hamas,” says Steinbrecher about a January 2024 propaganda clip in which she had blonde hair and wore a pink blouse. “This time, I’m sitting on a couch, comfortably, with my family looking at me.”
Steinbrecher, her hair now shorter and brown, says she’ll be at the hostage rally in person as soon as she can, holding a sign.
“You know me from that terrible video,” she says, smiling. “But I’m not blonde anymore and I won’t wear pink anymore. I’m Doron, I’m 31, and I’m not in captivity any longer and I’m at home.”
Steinbrecher says it’s important for her to send this message and for everyone to see her as she is now.
“I’m okay, and I’m here because of you and I’m okay,” she says, clasping her hands.
“Thanks to all of you who helped me and my family, people I don’t even know,” says Steinbrecher. “Thank you to the soldiers and the security forces. I’m trying to understand everything that happened during this period.”
Steinbrecher speaks about those whose loved ones are still in captivity.
“We’ll do, I’ll do all I can until all are home and we can close this circle, and we’re together in this until it’s over,” says Steinbrecher.
Steinbrecher’s mother, Simone Steinbrecher, and sister, Yamit Ashkenazi, speak at the rally at Hostages Square.
“Did you see her?” Ashkenazi says. “I want to say, ‘I told you so!'” and the crowd applauds.
“She isn’t a captive anymore,” says Ashkenazi.
Ashkenazi thanks Netanyahu and Trump for their success in securing the release of 18 hostages so far — 13 Israeli, and five Thai — in the current deal, and says she is relying on them to fulfill the second and third stages of the hostage deal and bring home every hostage.
“I’m a mother who got to hug her daughter and I want to offer a huge thank you for that. So many won’t get to do that,” says Simone Steinbrecher. “But my heart is torn that others won’t, those who lost their loved ones.”
“We’re with you,” calls the crowd. “You are not alone.”
Yarden Bibas reportedly says Hamas taunted him about Shiri and kids; he’s clinging to hope
The three hostages who were released earlier today have all said since their return that they were held in harsh conditions, that they were frequently moved around, and that food was scarce, Kan news reports.
Keith Siegel was held by Hamas captors in Gaza City along with other hostages. He was kept in tunnels for some time, but mostly was moved between homes. His captors would lock him in a room so that he would not be spotted. Food was extremely scarce. Siegel is a vegetarian but his captors would sometimes bring him meat which he ate in order to survive, according to the report.
For many months, he did not know if his son Shai had survived the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. But then he heard Shai’s voice on the radio, and was immensely relieved.
Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas have recounted that they were held together in the early days of their captivity, Kan also reported. The terrorists beat them, put them in cages and abused them physically and mentally. They were moved often and held underground and in buildings, including with other hostages.
The captors treated Calderon like a reservist soldier, and thus he was released today in military clothing.
On his release, he asked the IDF soldiers with him for a beer, and was told he would need to take it slow because he was weak.
Bibas said he was moved from place to place in Khan Younis — in homes and tunnels. He learned Arabic. He was subjected to grave psychological abuse, including being compelled to film a video after his captors claimed his wife, Shiri, and young sons Ariel and Kfir. had been killed in an IDF strike. His captors talked incessantly to him about them, the report says. Now, Kan says, “he is clinging to hope.”
Both he and Calderon saw reporting on the campaigns for the hostages, and this gave them strength and hope, they have said.
Meanwhile, in other testimony, reported by Channel 12, from female hostages released earlier in the deal, one freed hostage said it did not seem to her that Hamas has been badly hurt. She and other hostages were transferred smoothly from house to house; there was only one mess-up when she saw another hostage in the street, she said, and she had the sense that Hamas was being run professionally.
Families of these freed hostages have recounted that they were frequently told they were “going home tomorrow,” that their captors would give them food and then take it away and laugh, and that some of them were handcuffed protractedly and subjected to heavy violence. Some were put into cages for “opposing the terrorists,” the report says. Some were held in humid tunnels with little air for long periods
- Hamas captors said to have tormented Yarden Bibas with incessant talk of wife, kidsReports say Bibas, Ofer Calderon were beaten, held in cages during early days of captivity; Keith Siegel says food was scarce, had to eat meat to survive despite being vegetarian
Yarden Bibas, flanked by his sister and father, is seen on an IDF helicopter on his way to a hospital in central Israel on February 1, 2025 (Israel Defense Force)Released hostage Yarden Bibas was taunted by his Hamas captors about the fate of his wife and children during his nearly 16 months in captivity, Hebrew media outlets reported Saturday upon his return to Israel on the 14th day of the ceasefire-hostage deal. Bibas, 35, was released by Hamas on Saturday morning along with Ofer Calderon, 54, in a handover in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, was released almost two hours later at the Gaza City port.
Bibas was wounded and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and massacre in southern Israel.
His wife Shiri and their two sons were taken separately. At the time, Kfir was 10 months old and Ariel was 4.
Hours after their abduction, a video circulated of Shiri, holding both boys in her arms, a look of terror on her face as she was surrounded by terrorists. The footage became a symbol of the cruelty of the Hamas-led onslaught.
Hamas claimed last year that Shiri and the two children had been killed in captivity, and while Israel has not confirmed the claim, it has expressed “grave concern” for their fate and last week reportedly demanded that the terror group clarify their condition, to no avail.
Upon Bibas’s return to Israel on Saturday, the Kan public broadcaster reported that he had been subjected to grave psychological abuse throughout his captivity, including an incident in which he was compelled to film a video after his captors told him that his wife and young children had been killed in an IDF airstrike.
Yarden, Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas (Courtesy)
The Hamas operatives would talk to him incessantly about his family, Kan reported, adding that he was now “clinging to hope” about their fate.
Freed hostage Nili Margalit, who spent nearly 50 days in Hamas captivity, revealed in December 2023 that she was with Bibas when Hamas terrorists told him his wife and two young children had been killed and ordered him to film a video in which he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of refusing to return their bodies to Israel. It was branded a “propaganda video” by the IDF, and was not published by Israeli media.
Bibas spent the early days of his captivity held alongside Calderon, and learned Arabic. Over the course of the 484 days he spent in captivity, he was transferred from place to place in Khan Younis, moving between homes and tunnels, the report said.
Both men were subjected to physical and mental abuse, the report said. They were beaten by terrorists, and held in cages. They have said, however, that they watched coverage of the campaign in Israel for the release of the hostages, and were able to draw strength and hope from it.
Following Bibas’s release, his cousin Oria told Channel 12 that he had lost weight, and that his family hoped to one day see him smile again.
Calderon, a dual French-Israeli national, was treated by his captors like an IDF reserve soldier, Kan reported. This treatment was evident upon Calderon’s release, as he appeared dressed in military-style clothing, similar to the outfits worn by the five female IDF soldiers released in recent days.
Israeli Ofer Calderon who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, walks next to Hamas gunmen before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. Photo/Abdel Kareem)
Calderon was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with two of his four children, Erez and Sahar, who were later released during a week-long truce in November 2023.
Upon Calderon’s release, his mother Kochi told Channel 12 that he looked “more or less okay,” even if “a little thin and pale.”
Kan said that Calderon had asked the IDF soldiers accompanying him back to Israel for a beer, but was advised not to do so until his health improved.
While Bibas and Calderon were held in southern Gaza, American-Israeli citizen Siegel was held in Gaza City along with other hostages, Kan reported.
He was mostly moved from house to house, but spent some time in the terror group’s underground tunnel network, the report said. His captors kept him out of sight by locking him in a room. He spent many months in captivity uncertain as to whether his son Shai had survived the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Eventually, however, he heard him speaking on the radio.
According to the report, Siegel has said that food was extremely scarce. His captors would occasionally give him meat, which he ate despite being a vegetarian, as he knew he needed it to survive.
Released hostage Keith Siegel is handed over to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip on February, 21, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)
The report said that he was last given food some 24 hours before his release.
The families of the freed hostages have recounted that their loved ones were frequently told they were “going home tomorrow,” and that their captors would give them food and then take it away again while laughing at them.
The constant taunting meant that when the hostages were finally informed that they were going to be released as part of the ceasefire deal, they didn’t believe their captors were telling the truth up until the last minute, Channel 12 reported.
Similar testimony was said to have been shared by the five Thai hostages released on Thursday outside of the framework of the ceasefire deal. They also asserted that their captors would give them false hope by telling them from time to time that their release was imminent.
Some of the freed hostages were subject to heavy violence, Channel 12 said, and were handcuffed for long periods. Some were put into cages for “opposing the terrorists,” and others were held in humid tunnels with little air for long periods.
The news outlet also reported on Saturday that one of the female hostages released earlier in the ongoing ceasefire-hostage deal had assessed that Hamas did not seem to have been badly hurt by the war with Israel.
The freed hostage said that she and the other captives were transferred smoothly from house to house; there was only one mess-up when she saw another hostage in the street. All in all, she said she had the sense that Hamas was being run professionally.
So far, 13 Israelis have been released as part of the ceasefire-hostage release deal, which mandates the release of 33 so-called “humanitarian hostages” during its first 42-day phase.
Israelis watch the release of Keith Siegel from Hamas captivity in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. (Adar Eyal / Hostages Families Forum)
As those hostages are gradually released, Israel is to release some 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners, including more than 100 serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks. Ninety security prisoners were to be freed Saturday, nine of them believed to be terrorists serving life terms.
The three-phase deal’s later stages are subject to negotiations with the stated goal of reaching a “sustainable calm” in the enclave, alongside the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, the release of more Palestinian security prisoners and an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
The second stage of the three-part deal is supposed to result in the release of all remaining living hostages not included in the first stage — mainly men of fighting age — but the sides must still hash out the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be let go as part of the deal.
The talks on the next stage are slated to begin no later than February 3, or 16 days after the deal went into effect. Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in the White House on February 4.
The freed hostages are among 251 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, amid rampant acts of brutality and overt targeting of civilians.
Netanyahu said to decide not to send team to Qatar until his Trump meeting, putting truce at risk
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to send Israel’s negotiations team to Qatar at this stage for talks about the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal that are meant to kick off on Monday, the Axios news outlet reports, citing an unnamed senior Israel source.
The development is a “very worrying sign” about the implementation of the deal’s second phase, a senior Israeli official is quoted as saying, expressing hope that this won’t negatively impact the fulfillment of the ongoing, 42-day first phase.
According to the deal’s terms, negotiations on the second phase must start on Monday, the 16th day of the first phase. The second stage is expected to include the return of all the remaining living hostages held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian security prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
Reports are increasingly indicating Netanyahu is seriously entertaining the possibility of resuming the war after the first phase, rather than continuing on to the second phase.
Axios reports that at the last minute, Netanyahu canceled a planned meeting tonight with Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, hostage point man Nitzan Alon and other senior negotiators, sending his military secretary Roman Gofman to update them that the premier had decided not to send the team to Qatar for now.
The source is quoted as saying Netanyahu prefers not to take any action on the matter until his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. However, delaying the negotiations until then would appear to violate the terms of the deal.
Netanyahu is reportedly seeking to appoint his confidant Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer as the head of the negotiations team instead of Barnea, arguing that the talks are chiefly diplomatic and strategic rather than security-oriented.
In 1st online post, ex-hostage Karina Ariev vows to memorialize comrades who died on Oct. 7
Former hostage Karina Ariev publishes her first Instagram post since her release from Gaza a week ago, thanking the soldiers fighting in Gaza and calling for the release of all the abductees.
“I was held in Hamas captivity for a year and five months. Today, thank God, I am home, in Israel,” writes Ariev, a surveillance soldier who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from the IDF’s Nahal Oz base.
“From now on, my personal journey, besides rehabilitation and returning to daily life, will include memorialization of my soldier friends, my commanders, colleagues and fighters who fell in the battle in the post where I served — Nahal Oz,” she says.
“I will fight for truth and justice alongside the families,” she adds.
Fifteen surveillance soldiers were killed and seven were taken hostage to Gaza in the attack. One of those hostages was recovered dead after she was murdered in captivity, another was rescued alive, and the remaining five, including Ariev, were released over the past week.
In total, 53 troops were killed in the assault on the base.
Ariev says she’s still trying to absorb the fact that she’s a well-known figure now in Israel and abroad, and has started to try to catch up on all that has happened since she was kidnapped.
“I was there — we mustn’t leave anyone behind,” Ariev adds. “I won’t rest until all are in Israel.”
Hostage Updates
- According to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire are set to begin tomorrow, Monday, February 3, which marks the 16th day since the ceasefire was agreed upon. Netanyahu says he will not send the Israeli negotiation team to the talks and will wait until after his meeting with President Trump, which is scheduled for Tuesday. Netanyahu's refusal to begin negotiations on the day stipulated in the agreement is a clear violation of the agreement. Israel demands that Hamas adhere to all the terms of the agreement, while simultaneously violating it in a significant way. Once again, Netanyahu is abandoning the hostages and endangering them.(Gershon Baskin, February 2, 2025)
At rally, hostages’ moms await their turns for tearful reunions
At Tel Aviv’s weekly hostage rally, mothers of captives still held in the Strip speak of their happiness at seeing others released and express concerns over the long wait to be reunited with their loved ones.
“I can’t wait for that hug, the hug of a mother, when will it be my turn too?” says Vicky Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen. “I’m waiting and waiting.”
Cohen’s voice breaks as she addresses Nimrod directly: “We are with you, you are not alone. See how many people are fighting for you.”
It’s a message repeated by Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel who was taken captive from the Nova desert rave.
“Alon, do you hear my voice?” says Ohel. “I know you’re strong.”
“We won’t stop playing music, because the music strengthens you and reminds us that there is hope,” says Ohel, referring to Alon’s piano playing skills.
“I dream about the moment when I’ll hug you again — I envision you at the Shabbat table,” says Ohel.
She also thanks US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “for getting us this far.”Israelis protest for the release of hostages, in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)Speaking in English, Cohen’s twin sister Romi urges the gathering to ensure the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal stays together until all those abducted are out.
“Today we were filled with joy and hope to see families reunited,” says Cohen. “This was only possible because of the deal. It is the result of a massive 15-month effort by everyone, especially President Trump and the negotiating team.”
“Keep fighting,” she tells the crowd. “Don’t let the deal collapse before everyone comes home.”At weekly vigil, son of freed hostage says father was uplifted by rallies
Yair Mozes, son of released hostage Gadi Mozes, appears with a cleanshaven face and a wide smile at the weekly Tel Aviv Hostages Square rally.
The younger Mozes had sworn to not shave until his father was returned, and was seen embracing his newly freed dad Thursday while sporting a wild, bushy beard.
“We always knew he was a strong person and he’s even stronger than we could have imagined,” says Mozes of his 80-year-old father. “A man of the earth, who raised us on that love, he helped establish the kibbutz. He is the person who said he will do everything he can to rebuild Nir Oz. These are the values we were raised on.”
Freed hostage Gadi Mozes, second right, with his children Oded, Moran and Yair at Ichilov hospital on January 30, 2025. (Courtesy)Mozes thanks all of Israel for their support.“My father said he saw the protests and it strengthened him when he was down,” says Mozes, who also thanks the IDF and security forces, as well as the government and negotiators, the German government, the Hostages Forum, and the Jewish communities worldwide. Gadi Mozes holds dual German and Israeli citizenship.
“This is a day that our family, Kibbutz Nir Oz and all our family have been waiting for,” says Mozes. “My heart is lighter and my head and face as well,” he adds, referring to his facial hair vow.
“My father the mensch is home at last,” says Mozes speaking in English.
He calls on US President Donald Trump to help bring about the second stage of the hostage deal.
‘I’m at home’: Freed hostage Steinbrecher sends first message to Tel Aviv rally, thanks public
At the weekly Tel Aviv rally for the hostages, a prerecorded video is shown with the first public statement from former hostage Doron Steinbrecher since she was released on January 19.
“The last time I recorded a video was the propaganda film for Hamas,” says Steinbrecher about a January 2024 propaganda clip in which she had blonde hair and wore a pink blouse. “This time, I’m sitting on a couch, comfortably, with my family looking at me.”
Steinbrecher, her hair now shorter and brown, says she’ll be at the hostage rally in person as soon as she can, holding a sign.
“You know me from that terrible video,” she says, smiling. “But I’m not blonde anymore and I won’t wear pink anymore. I’m Doron, I’m 31, and I’m not in captivity any longer and I’m at home.”
Steinbrecher says it’s important for her to send this message and for everyone to see her as she is now.
“I’m okay, and I’m here because of you and I’m okay,” she says, clasping her hands.
“Thanks to all of you who helped me and my family, people I don’t even know,” says Steinbrecher. “Thank you to the soldiers and the security forces. I’m trying to understand everything that happened during this period.”
Steinbrecher speaks about those whose loved ones are still in captivity.
“We’ll do, I’ll do all I can until all are home and we can close this circle, and we’re together in this until it’s over,” says Steinbrecher.
Steinbrecher’s mother, Simone Steinbrecher, and sister, Yamit Ashkenazi, speak at the rally at Hostages Square.
“Did you see her?” Ashkenazi says. “I want to say, ‘I told you so!'” and the crowd applauds.
“She isn’t a captive anymore,” says Ashkenazi.
Ashkenazi thanks Netanyahu and Trump for their success in securing the release of 18 hostages so far — 13 Israeli, and five Thai — in the current deal, and says she is relying on them to fulfill the second and third stages of the hostage deal and bring home every hostage.
“I’m a mother who got to hug her daughter and I want to offer a huge thank you for that. So many won’t get to do that,” says Simone Steinbrecher. “But my heart is torn that others won’t, those who lost their loved ones.”
“We’re with you,” calls the crowd. “You are not alone.”
Yarden Bibas reportedly says Hamas taunted him about Shiri and kids; he’s clinging to hope
The three hostages who were released earlier today have all said since their return that they were held in harsh conditions, that they were frequently moved around, and that food was scarce, Kan news reports.
Keith Siegel was held by Hamas captors in Gaza City along with other hostages. He was kept in tunnels for some time, but mostly was moved between homes. His captors would lock him in a room so that he would not be spotted. Food was extremely scarce. Siegel is a vegetarian but his captors would sometimes bring him meat which he ate in order to survive, according to the report.
For many months, he did not know if his son Shai had survived the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. But then he heard Shai’s voice on the radio, and was immensely relieved.
Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas have recounted that they were held together in the early days of their captivity, Kan also reported. The terrorists beat them, put them in cages and abused them physically and mentally. They were moved often and held underground and in buildings, including with other hostages.
The captors treated Calderon like a reservist soldier, and thus he was released today in military clothing.
On his release, he asked the IDF soldiers with him for a beer, and was told he would need to take it slow because he was weak.
Bibas said he was moved from place to place in Khan Younis — in homes and tunnels. He learned Arabic. He was subjected to grave psychological abuse, including being compelled to film a video after his captors claimed his wife, Shiri, and young sons Ariel and Kfir. had been killed in an IDF strike. His captors talked incessantly to him about them, the report says. Now, Kan says, “he is clinging to hope.”
Both he and Calderon saw reporting on the campaigns for the hostages, and this gave them strength and hope, they have said.
Meanwhile, in other testimony, reported by Channel 12, from female hostages released earlier in the deal, one freed hostage said it did not seem to her that Hamas has been badly hurt. She and other hostages were transferred smoothly from house to house; there was only one mess-up when she saw another hostage in the street, she said, and she had the sense that Hamas was being run professionally.
Families of these freed hostages have recounted that they were frequently told they were “going home tomorrow,” that their captors would give them food and then take it away and laugh, and that some of them were handcuffed protractedly and subjected to heavy violence. Some were put into cages for “opposing the terrorists,” the report says. Some were held in humid tunnels with little air for long periods
- Hamas captors said to have tormented Yarden Bibas with incessant talk of wife, kidsReports say Bibas, Ofer Calderon were beaten, held in cages during early days of captivity; Keith Siegel says food was scarce, had to eat meat to survive despite being vegetarianYarden Bibas, flanked by his sister and father, is seen on an IDF helicopter on his way to a hospital in central Israel on February 1, 2025 (Israel Defense Force)Released hostage Yarden Bibas was taunted by his Hamas captors about the fate of his wife and children during his nearly 16 months in captivity, Hebrew media outlets reported Saturday upon his return to Israel on the 14th day of the ceasefire-hostage deal.Bibas, 35, was released by Hamas on Saturday morning along with Ofer Calderon, 54, in a handover in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, was released almost two hours later at the Gaza City port.Bibas was wounded and abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and massacre in southern Israel.His wife Shiri and their two sons were taken separately. At the time, Kfir was 10 months old and Ariel was 4.Hours after their abduction, a video circulated of Shiri, holding both boys in her arms, a look of terror on her face as she was surrounded by terrorists. The footage became a symbol of the cruelty of the Hamas-led onslaught.Hamas claimed last year that Shiri and the two children had been killed in captivity, and while Israel has not confirmed the claim, it has expressed “grave concern” for their fate and last week reportedly demanded that the terror group clarify their condition, to no avail.Upon Bibas’s return to Israel on Saturday, the Kan public broadcaster reported that he had been subjected to grave psychological abuse throughout his captivity, including an incident in which he was compelled to film a video after his captors told him that his wife and young children had been killed in an IDF airstrike.Yarden, Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas (Courtesy)The Hamas operatives would talk to him incessantly about his family, Kan reported, adding that he was now “clinging to hope” about their fate.Freed hostage Nili Margalit, who spent nearly 50 days in Hamas captivity, revealed in December 2023 that she was with Bibas when Hamas terrorists told him his wife and two young children had been killed and ordered him to film a video in which he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of refusing to return their bodies to Israel. It was branded a “propaganda video” by the IDF, and was not published by Israeli media.Bibas spent the early days of his captivity held alongside Calderon, and learned Arabic. Over the course of the 484 days he spent in captivity, he was transferred from place to place in Khan Younis, moving between homes and tunnels, the report said.Both men were subjected to physical and mental abuse, the report said. They were beaten by terrorists, and held in cages. They have said, however, that they watched coverage of the campaign in Israel for the release of the hostages, and were able to draw strength and hope from it.Following Bibas’s release, his cousin Oria told Channel 12 that he had lost weight, and that his family hoped to one day see him smile again.Calderon, a dual French-Israeli national, was treated by his captors like an IDF reserve soldier, Kan reported. This treatment was evident upon Calderon’s release, as he appeared dressed in military-style clothing, similar to the outfits worn by the five female IDF soldiers released in recent days.Israeli Ofer Calderon who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, walks next to Hamas gunmen before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. Photo/Abdel Kareem)Calderon was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with two of his four children, Erez and Sahar, who were later released during a week-long truce in November 2023.Upon Calderon’s release, his mother Kochi told Channel 12 that he looked “more or less okay,” even if “a little thin and pale.”Kan said that Calderon had asked the IDF soldiers accompanying him back to Israel for a beer, but was advised not to do so until his health improved.While Bibas and Calderon were held in southern Gaza, American-Israeli citizen Siegel was held in Gaza City along with other hostages, Kan reported.He was mostly moved from house to house, but spent some time in the terror group’s underground tunnel network, the report said. His captors kept him out of sight by locking him in a room. He spent many months in captivity uncertain as to whether his son Shai had survived the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Eventually, however, he heard him speaking on the radio.According to the report, Siegel has said that food was extremely scarce. His captors would occasionally give him meat, which he ate despite being a vegetarian, as he knew he needed it to survive.Released hostage Keith Siegel is handed over to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip on February, 21, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)The report said that he was last given food some 24 hours before his release.The families of the freed hostages have recounted that their loved ones were frequently told they were “going home tomorrow,” and that their captors would give them food and then take it away again while laughing at them.The constant taunting meant that when the hostages were finally informed that they were going to be released as part of the ceasefire deal, they didn’t believe their captors were telling the truth up until the last minute, Channel 12 reported.Similar testimony was said to have been shared by the five Thai hostages released on Thursday outside of the framework of the ceasefire deal. They also asserted that their captors would give them false hope by telling them from time to time that their release was imminent.Some of the freed hostages were subject to heavy violence, Channel 12 said, and were handcuffed for long periods. Some were put into cages for “opposing the terrorists,” and others were held in humid tunnels with little air for long periods.The news outlet also reported on Saturday that one of the female hostages released earlier in the ongoing ceasefire-hostage deal had assessed that Hamas did not seem to have been badly hurt by the war with Israel.The freed hostage said that she and the other captives were transferred smoothly from house to house; there was only one mess-up when she saw another hostage in the street. All in all, she said she had the sense that Hamas was being run professionally.So far, 13 Israelis have been released as part of the ceasefire-hostage release deal, which mandates the release of 33 so-called “humanitarian hostages” during its first 42-day phase.Israelis watch the release of Keith Siegel from Hamas captivity in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. (Adar Eyal / Hostages Families Forum)As those hostages are gradually released, Israel is to release some 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners, including more than 100 serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks. Ninety security prisoners were to be freed Saturday, nine of them believed to be terrorists serving life terms.The three-phase deal’s later stages are subject to negotiations with the stated goal of reaching a “sustainable calm” in the enclave, alongside the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, the release of more Palestinian security prisoners and an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.The second stage of the three-part deal is supposed to result in the release of all remaining living hostages not included in the first stage — mainly men of fighting age — but the sides must still hash out the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be let go as part of the deal.The talks on the next stage are slated to begin no later than February 3, or 16 days after the deal went into effect. Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in the White House on February 4.The freed hostages are among 251 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, amid rampant acts of brutality and overt targeting of civilians.
Netanyahu said to decide not to send team to Qatar until his Trump meeting, putting truce at risk
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to send Israel’s negotiations team to Qatar at this stage for talks about the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal that are meant to kick off on Monday, the Axios news outlet reports, citing an unnamed senior Israel source.
The development is a “very worrying sign” about the implementation of the deal’s second phase, a senior Israeli official is quoted as saying, expressing hope that this won’t negatively impact the fulfillment of the ongoing, 42-day first phase.
According to the deal’s terms, negotiations on the second phase must start on Monday, the 16th day of the first phase. The second stage is expected to include the return of all the remaining living hostages held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian security prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
Reports are increasingly indicating Netanyahu is seriously entertaining the possibility of resuming the war after the first phase, rather than continuing on to the second phase.
Axios reports that at the last minute, Netanyahu canceled a planned meeting tonight with Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, hostage point man Nitzan Alon and other senior negotiators, sending his military secretary Roman Gofman to update them that the premier had decided not to send the team to Qatar for now.
The source is quoted as saying Netanyahu prefers not to take any action on the matter until his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. However, delaying the negotiations until then would appear to violate the terms of the deal.
Netanyahu is reportedly seeking to appoint his confidant Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer as the head of the negotiations team instead of Barnea, arguing that the talks are chiefly diplomatic and strategic rather than security-oriented.
In 1st online post, ex-hostage Karina Ariev vows to memorialize comrades who died on Oct. 7
Former hostage Karina Ariev publishes her first Instagram post since her release from Gaza a week ago, thanking the soldiers fighting in Gaza and calling for the release of all the abductees.
“I was held in Hamas captivity for a year and five months. Today, thank God, I am home, in Israel,” writes Ariev, a surveillance soldier who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from the IDF’s Nahal Oz base.
“From now on, my personal journey, besides rehabilitation and returning to daily life, will include memorialization of my soldier friends, my commanders, colleagues and fighters who fell in the battle in the post where I served — Nahal Oz,” she says.
“I will fight for truth and justice alongside the families,” she adds.
Fifteen surveillance soldiers were killed and seven were taken hostage to Gaza in the attack. One of those hostages was recovered dead after she was murdered in captivity, another was rescued alive, and the remaining five, including Ariev, were released over the past week.
In total, 53 troops were killed in the assault on the base.
Ariev says she’s still trying to absorb the fact that she’s a well-known figure now in Israel and abroad, and has started to try to catch up on all that has happened since she was kidnapped.
“I was there — we mustn’t leave anyone behind,” Ariev adds. “I won’t rest until all are in Israel.”
Gaza and the South
- Senior Hamas official claims terror group abiding by ceasefire but still ‘fully prepared’ to resume war
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu claims in an interview with Al Jazeera’s Mubasher network that the release of Palestinian security prisoners to Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal proves that Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip even after more than 15 months of war with Israel.
“The scenes of the prisoners’ handover prove that the popular front is rallying around the resistance,” al-Nunu says, referring to the three buses of Palestinian prisoners that arrived in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Saturday.
The released prisoners were welcomed with blaring music, and a crowd of waving, cheering supporters.
He claims that beyond showing support for Hamas’s leadership, the support for the prisoners will also deter Israel from restarting its fight against the Gaza terror group at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
He says that the celebrations “send a message to those who imagine they can continue the war” that Hamas is “ready and prepared” to begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, but that at the same time, it is “fully prepared to continue the struggle” against Israel.
Negotiations for the second phase are expected to begin Monday, on the 16th day of the ceasefire.
In the same interview, al-Nunu tells Al Jazeera that Hamas plans to continue governing the Gaza Strip, and claims that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party have rejected the possibility of a power-sharing agreement with Hamas, which would see the two create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza. link. Once again, we can thank Netanyahu for the current situation in Gaza that Hamas still rules and is taking back full control of everything that was on the brink. Netanyahu has refused to place a real alternative governing body in Gaza which would have to be based on either the PA or Palestinians that have connection to the PA. His career endeavors of weakening the PA and strengthening Hamas to show there is no partner to peace brought us October 7 and is continuing to bring us the return and strengthening of Hamas. His first and major goal of the war of destroying Hamas is foiled by his own actions and it is all of Israel that pays the price for his horrendous plans and actions.
- IDF confirms strike on vehicle that was driving on Gaza coastal road in violation of truce
The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in central Gaza a short while ago, after a vehicle attempted to travel to the Strip’s north without undergoing an inspection on the Salah a-Din road, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.
The vehicle had been driving on the coastal road, which is only permitted for pedestrian traffic under the deal.
On the Salah a-Din road, a private company is inspecting Palestinian cars heading north.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu claims in an interview with Al Jazeera’s Mubasher network that the release of Palestinian security prisoners to Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal proves that Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip even after more than 15 months of war with Israel.
“The scenes of the prisoners’ handover prove that the popular front is rallying around the resistance,” al-Nunu says, referring to the three buses of Palestinian prisoners that arrived in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Saturday.
The released prisoners were welcomed with blaring music, and a crowd of waving, cheering supporters.
He claims that beyond showing support for Hamas’s leadership, the support for the prisoners will also deter Israel from restarting its fight against the Gaza terror group at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
He says that the celebrations “send a message to those who imagine they can continue the war” that Hamas is “ready and prepared” to begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, but that at the same time, it is “fully prepared to continue the struggle” against Israel.
Negotiations for the second phase are expected to begin Monday, on the 16th day of the ceasefire.
In the same interview, al-Nunu tells Al Jazeera that Hamas plans to continue governing the Gaza Strip, and claims that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party have rejected the possibility of a power-sharing agreement with Hamas, which would see the two create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza. link. Once again, we can thank Netanyahu for the current situation in Gaza that Hamas still rules and is taking back full control of everything that was on the brink. Netanyahu has refused to place a real alternative governing body in Gaza which would have to be based on either the PA or Palestinians that have connection to the PA. His career endeavors of weakening the PA and strengthening Hamas to show there is no partner to peace brought us October 7 and is continuing to bring us the return and strengthening of Hamas. His first and major goal of the war of destroying Hamas is foiled by his own actions and it is all of Israel that pays the price for his horrendous plans and actions.
The IDF confirms carrying out a drone strike in central Gaza a short while ago, after a vehicle attempted to travel to the Strip’s north without undergoing an inspection on the Salah a-Din road, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The military says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including by using a precision munition and aerial surveillance.
The vehicle had been driving on the coastal road, which is only permitted for pedestrian traffic under the deal.
On the Salah a-Din road, a private company is inspecting Palestinian cars heading north.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- After warning Lebanese not to move south, IDF said to detain fisherman, open fire at returning civilians
Lebanese media report that the Israeli Navy has detained a fisherman off the coast of Naqoura in southern Lebanon.
Earlier, reports in Lebanon claimed Israeli forces opened fire on civilians attempting to return to the border village of Yaroun.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incidents.
The IDF has warned Lebanese residents against returning to south Lebanon villages amid an ongoing ceasefire.
“Do not move south! The IDF is not interested in hurting you. Do not return to your homes until further notice. Anyone who travels south puts themselves at risk,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X this morning.
- After warning Lebanese not to move south, IDF said to detain fisherman, open fire at returning civilians
Lebanese media report that the Israeli Navy has detained a fisherman off the coast of Naqoura in southern Lebanon.
Earlier, reports in Lebanon claimed Israeli forces opened fire on civilians attempting to return to the border village of Yaroun.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incidents.
The IDF has warned Lebanese residents against returning to south Lebanon villages amid an ongoing ceasefire.
“Do not move south! The IDF is not interested in hurting you. Do not return to your homes until further notice. Anyone who travels south puts themselves at risk,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X this morning.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Israel warns freed terror chief Zubeidi: ‘One mistake and you’re going to meet old friends’
Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, a Palestinian prisoner and former a top commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades who was released by Israel, waves a Palestinian flag as he is cheered by people after arriving in Ramallah aboard buses of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on January 30, 2025. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
In a tweet, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens the recently released Palestinian prisoner and former terror chief Zakaria Zubeidi, warning that “one mistake and you’re going to meet old friends.”
“We will not accept support for terrorism,” Katz writes, after Zubeidi was freed on Thursday in exchange for Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
On Friday, following an Israeli warning, Palestinian officials canceled a large planned celebration in Ramallah for Zubeidi, who organized dozens of attacks during the Second Intifada while heading the al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades in Jenin.
Officers from the Civil Administration “conveyed unequivocal messages, according to which, the IDF will show zero tolerance towards the planned event and asserted that if there is a gathering in honor of Zubeidi, it will be dispersed quickly and aggressively,” Israeli defense sources say.
Palestinians report 4 dead in two IDF strikes in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports two dead in the IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin and another two dead in a drone strike in Qabatiya.
In both strikes, the IDF said it had targeted terror operatives.
IDF drone strike in West Bank said to kill Palestinian prisoner freed in 2023 deal
One of two Palestinian gunmen killed in an IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Qabatiya this evening is identified by Palestinian media as Abd Issam Alawneh.
Alawneh had been previously detained by Israel, and was released in the November 2023 hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.
He is the fourth Palestinian released in the November 2023 deal to have been killed by Israel.
A separate drone strike in Jenin this evening killed three more Palestinians, according to media reports.
Palestinians say elderly man killed during IDF operation in northern West Bank
The Palestinian Authority health ministry says an elderly man was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp a short while ago.
He is named as Walid Lahlouh, 73.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF, which has been carrying out a major operation in the Jenin area for nearly two weeks.
- IDF expands West Bank counterterrorism operation to town of Tamun
The IDF says it has expanded its ongoing counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, now in its 12th day, and troops are now operating in the town of Tamun.
Troops of the Bislamach Brigade — the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders in peacetime — entered the town overnight, and have so far located several weapons, the military says.
Last week, a drone strike in Tamun killed 10 Palestinian terror operatives.
The ongoing IDF offensive, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, has primarily focused on the city and refugee camp of Jenin but also expanded to Tulkarem last week and now to Tamun.
IDF says it targeted 3 West Bank terror cells in strikes last night, including freed prisoner
The IDF says it targeted Palestinian terrorists in three separate aerial strikes within several hours in the northern West Bank last night, including a cell that was on its way to carry out an imminent attack, confirming that it took out a prisoner set free as part of a 2023 deal with Hamas.
The military says the strike on the cell on its way to carry out a terror attack occurred in Qabatiya, with secondary explosions observed as a result of bombs that were in the car going off.
That strike, the IDF says, killed terror operatives Salah Zakarneh and Abd al-Hadi Kamil, the latter of whom was released as part of a hostage deal in November 2023.
The IDF publishes footage of the Qabatiya strike.
- Police discover, seize dozens of firearms smuggled from Jordan
Law enforcement over the weekend uncovered a stash of firearms smuggled in from Jordan, according to a police spokesman.
Border Police found the smuggled arms as they were being transported in two vehicles through the northern city of Afula. Upon stopping the cars, officers discovered the weapons stash, which consisted of 34 pistols, two Kalashnikov rifles and two M16 rifles.
Police arrested the drivers and passengers, three residents of Zarzir, whom they suspect were involved in the smuggling, says the spokesman.
Israel warns freed terror chief Zubeidi: ‘One mistake and you’re going to meet old friends’Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, a Palestinian prisoner and former a top commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades who was released by Israel, waves a Palestinian flag as he is cheered by people after arriving in Ramallah aboard buses of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on January 30, 2025. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
In a tweet, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens the recently released Palestinian prisoner and former terror chief Zakaria Zubeidi, warning that “one mistake and you’re going to meet old friends.” “We will not accept support for terrorism,” Katz writes, after Zubeidi was freed on Thursday in exchange for Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza. On Friday, following an Israeli warning, Palestinian officials canceled a large planned celebration in Ramallah for Zubeidi, who organized dozens of attacks during the Second Intifada while heading the al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades in Jenin. Officers from the Civil Administration “conveyed unequivocal messages, according to which, the IDF will show zero tolerance towards the planned event and asserted that if there is a gathering in honor of Zubeidi, it will be dispersed quickly and aggressively,” Israeli defense sources say.
Palestinians report 4 dead in two IDF strikes in West Bank
The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports two dead in the IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin and another two dead in a drone strike in Qabatiya.
In both strikes, the IDF said it had targeted terror operatives.
IDF drone strike in West Bank said to kill Palestinian prisoner freed in 2023 deal
One of two Palestinian gunmen killed in an IDF drone strike in the West Bank city of Qabatiya this evening is identified by Palestinian media as Abd Issam Alawneh.
Alawneh had been previously detained by Israel, and was released in the November 2023 hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.
He is the fourth Palestinian released in the November 2023 deal to have been killed by Israel.
A separate drone strike in Jenin this evening killed three more Palestinians, according to media reports.
Palestinians say elderly man killed during IDF operation in northern West Bank
The Palestinian Authority health ministry says an elderly man was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp a short while ago.
He is named as Walid Lahlouh, 73.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF, which has been carrying out a major operation in the Jenin area for nearly two weeks.
The IDF says it has expanded its ongoing counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, now in its 12th day, and troops are now operating in the town of Tamun.
Troops of the Bislamach Brigade — the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders in peacetime — entered the town overnight, and have so far located several weapons, the military says.
Last week, a drone strike in Tamun killed 10 Palestinian terror operatives.
The ongoing IDF offensive, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, has primarily focused on the city and refugee camp of Jenin but also expanded to Tulkarem last week and now to Tamun.
IDF says it targeted 3 West Bank terror cells in strikes last night, including freed prisoner
The IDF says it targeted Palestinian terrorists in three separate aerial strikes within several hours in the northern West Bank last night, including a cell that was on its way to carry out an imminent attack, confirming that it took out a prisoner set free as part of a 2023 deal with Hamas.
The military says the strike on the cell on its way to carry out a terror attack occurred in Qabatiya, with secondary explosions observed as a result of bombs that were in the car going off.
That strike, the IDF says, killed terror operatives Salah Zakarneh and Abd al-Hadi Kamil, the latter of whom was released as part of a hostage deal in November 2023.
The IDF publishes footage of the Qabatiya strike.
Law enforcement over the weekend uncovered a stash of firearms smuggled in from Jordan, according to a police spokesman.
Border Police found the smuggled arms as they were being transported in two vehicles through the northern city of Afula. Upon stopping the cars, officers discovered the weapons stash, which consisted of 34 pistols, two Kalashnikov rifles and two M16 rifles.
Police arrested the drivers and passengers, three residents of Zarzir, whom they suspect were involved in the smuggling, says the spokesman.
Politics and the War (general news)
- Report: Netanyahu held meeting on option of resuming Gaza war, is pushing for move
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting yesterday on the possibility of resuming the war in Gaza, according to Channel 13 news.
The report quotes senior Israeli officials who say that Netanyahu seems to be pushing for a resumption of the war, and has asked the IDF to present operational plans.
Report: Netanyahu may tap Minister Dermer to head negotiating team instead of Mossad chief
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering appointing Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer head of Israel’s negotiating team for hostage talks with Hamas, according to Channel 12 news. He would take over the role from Mossad chief David Barnea.
According to the report, Barnea would remain on the team alongside Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF hostage point man Nitzan Alon, with Dermer overseeing the talks.
Israeli officials tell the outlet that Netanyahu recognizes that the negotiators want do everything possible to ensure that the second stage of the hostage deal with Hamas takes place, and the premier wants to keep his options open.
According to Channel 12, officials on Netanyahu’s team say that since the main discussions are now taking place with the Trump administration, they should be led by someone with a diplomatic viewpoint, not a security one.
The report claims that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has expressed to Netanyahu that he would prefer to work with Dermer, and that he has reservations about working with the current negotiating team.
Witkoff and Netanyahu spoke today, says Channel 12, adding that the prime minister will hold a meeting later tonight to decide whether to send a mid-level delegation to Qatar this week.
In response, Netanyahu’s office says that “the reports are not true.”
“The decisions on the negotiations will be made only after the prime minister returns from the US.”
This move by Netanyahu is very clearly to have his main person representing him and not the country. Dermer is Netanyahu's closest person and confidant and will do Netanyahu's bidding to a T. Barnea and the rest of the security people on the negotiating team are looking out for the interest of the hostages and trying to get them home as soon as possible and have made it clear to Netanyahu that the security forces can handle any deal that includes ending the war. Netanyahu wants the lead negotiator to represent him and not the hostages and if he doesn't want to end the war, Dermer will make sure that it never reaches any point of discussion. As always, Netanyahu looks to his own personal and political position before the good of the hostages and the nation.
Hostages’ relatives claim Netanyahu trying to sabotage truce, ask Trump not to let him
At a protest for the hostages outside Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, a cousin of released captive Ofer Calderon, freed earlier today, says Calderon and the other two men released today were left “in hell” for a needlessly long time by a government that abandoned them in favor of far-right political interests.
“If it hadn’t been for [US] President [Donald] Trump, they would not be here,” Yifat Zailer tells the crowd, demanding that “extremists” not be allowed to torpedo the deal.
“This is a stain on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s legacy that will not wash,” she says.
A similar vein of anger at the government runs through other speeches at the demonstration.
“Netanyahu and his associates haven’t stopped trying to sabotage the deal,” charges Dani Elgarat, brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat, slated to be released sometime in the first stage of the agreement.
Dani Elgarat, brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat, speaks at Begin Gate in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. (Marcelo Sznaidman/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Like Elgarat, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen accuses Netanyahu of attempting to manufacture an excuse to return to fighting while blaming Hamas for the breakdown.
He also offers a warning to Trump, who is slated to meet the Israeli premier on Tuesday.
“Netanyahu is going to try to spin you like he spun Biden,” Yehuda Cohen warns. “Don’t let him.”
Hamas killed Thai nationals deliberately
The terrorists called to the workers from Thailand in their native tongue to lure them out of hiding, only to kill them or take them hostageFor a year and a half, the Israel-Hamas war raged on relentlessly. Finally, both sides reached a six-week ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025.
On Thursday, Hamas announced the release of five Thai laborers held hostage: Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak.
However, Hamas’s brutality against innocent civilians remains unchanged. The terrorist group has not only targeted Jewish people, but also foreigners — particularly Thai nationals. Among all the casualties they brought upon foreign nationals, Thai workers suffered the highest number of casualties in this war.
One of the Thai survivors, nicknamed Top, recounted his near-death experience on October 7, 2023. Initially, he dismissed the sound of gunfire as a routine clash between Israeli forces and Hamas. However, by 7:00 a.m., the reality of the massacre unfolded — four armed Hamas militants stormed a nearby labor camp, indiscriminately gunning down every Thai worker in sight. Top managed to hide inside a bunker, narrowly escaping the same fate.
By 4:00 p.m., Hamas fighters regrouped around the labor camp. Then came an eerie moment he never expected: one of the militants greeted him in Thai: “Sawasdee Kub Khon Thai” (Hello, Thai people). Immediately after, they fired rounds into the air, before setting fire to the room where he was hiding. In that moment, he believed he was doomed. He held his breath for over 20 minutes, but as the smoke thickened, he could no longer endure it. Desperate, he broke down the door and ran into the nearby forest. Miraculously, by then, Hamas had already left.
Another survivor, nicknamed Lord, who found himself in a similar situation, described how Hamas meticulously raided each labor camp, slaughtering every unarmed worker they encountered. Those who did not die from gunfire were executed with knives in gruesome beheadings. When Hamas failed to locate the remaining Thai workers, they resorted to deception — driving into the camp while calling out in Thai, offering to sell ducks and chickens. What was even more terrifying was their uncanny ability to speak the local language fluently. Throughout the ordeal, Lord could do nothing but pray to his ancestors for protection.
One Thai laborer, Witthawat Kulwong, chose to fight back. When Hamas attempted to slit his throat, he resisted with all his strength. The struggle lasted nearly an hour. He suffered deep stab wounds to his neck, back, and forehead. In the end, the knife broke, but not before leaving him gravely wounded. His coworkers did everything they could to stop the bleeding. Against all odds, he survived after receiving emergency treatment.
The atrocities committed by Hamas were not limited to Israelis alone. Innocent Thai workers — foreign nationals with no involvement in the war — became deliberate targets of deception, abduction, and slaughter. Hamas showed no hesitation in using deception to lure Thai laborers, either to kill them outright or take them hostage in the most brutal ways imaginable.
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According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 44 Thais were killed during Hamas’s murderous attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. the conflict, including the two who died in Hamas captivity. 31 were taken hostage, where two died in captivity, and 23 were released in November 2023, as part of a brief ceasefire agreement. On Thursday, January 30, 2025, on day 482 of captivity, five Thai nationals (pictured and named above) were released, in another ceasefire-hostage release deal. The status of one Thai national remains unclear. Agricultural laborers from Thailand remain the largest group of foreign (agricultural) workers in Israel, sending wages home. Thailand and Israel implemented a bilateral agreement a decade ago to ease the way for workers in the agriculture sector. (AP). link
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krit Saetae is an independent writer. His BA in Political Science and International Relations is from Suan Sunandha Rajahbat University, Bangkok, Thailand
As Netanyahu heads to US, Smotrich urges him to advance Israeli sovereignty in West Bank
There is a good chance that Netanyahu will broach this with Trump for several reasons. Netanyahu may soon be in a position of having to choose between Trump's demands to end the war and Smotrich's ultimatum to leave the government if we don't go back to fighting in Gaza, which would mean the government would fall and elections will follow. Everyone knows that Trump is entirely transactional and Netanyahu could try to sell annexation for the price of ending the war. In addition, Netanyahu will most likely go along with Trump's idiotic and internationally illegal plan to transfer Gazans to 3rd countries as a sweetener to the deal to keep Smotrich in the government and have Ben Gvir return to the government. The idea of annexation presents a big problem for Trump, though and that is his goal of bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. That can only be done if there is a concrete plan for advancing a Palestinian State. And that goes against everything Netanyahu has dedicated his political life to preventing, even at the cost of October 7 which is a direct result of his actions to prevent even discussion of a Palestinian State. This will be the harder nut for Netanyahu to crack with Trump. He, most likely will try to put together a formula that will appease Trump and the Saudis without putting any real action into place on the road to a Palestinian State.
The Region and the World
- Report: Netanyahu held meeting on option of resuming Gaza war, is pushing for move
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting yesterday on the possibility of resuming the war in Gaza, according to Channel 13 news.
The report quotes senior Israeli officials who say that Netanyahu seems to be pushing for a resumption of the war, and has asked the IDF to present operational plans.
Report: Netanyahu may tap Minister Dermer to head negotiating team instead of Mossad chief
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering appointing Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer head of Israel’s negotiating team for hostage talks with Hamas, according to Channel 12 news. He would take over the role from Mossad chief David Barnea.
According to the report, Barnea would remain on the team alongside Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF hostage point man Nitzan Alon, with Dermer overseeing the talks.
Israeli officials tell the outlet that Netanyahu recognizes that the negotiators want do everything possible to ensure that the second stage of the hostage deal with Hamas takes place, and the premier wants to keep his options open.
According to Channel 12, officials on Netanyahu’s team say that since the main discussions are now taking place with the Trump administration, they should be led by someone with a diplomatic viewpoint, not a security one.
The report claims that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has expressed to Netanyahu that he would prefer to work with Dermer, and that he has reservations about working with the current negotiating team.
Witkoff and Netanyahu spoke today, says Channel 12, adding that the prime minister will hold a meeting later tonight to decide whether to send a mid-level delegation to Qatar this week.
In response, Netanyahu’s office says that “the reports are not true.”
“The decisions on the negotiations will be made only after the prime minister returns from the US.”
This move by Netanyahu is very clearly to have his main person representing him and not the country. Dermer is Netanyahu's closest person and confidant and will do Netanyahu's bidding to a T. Barnea and the rest of the security people on the negotiating team are looking out for the interest of the hostages and trying to get them home as soon as possible and have made it clear to Netanyahu that the security forces can handle any deal that includes ending the war. Netanyahu wants the lead negotiator to represent him and not the hostages and if he doesn't want to end the war, Dermer will make sure that it never reaches any point of discussion. As always, Netanyahu looks to his own personal and political position before the good of the hostages and the nation.Hostages’ relatives claim Netanyahu trying to sabotage truce, ask Trump not to let him
At a protest for the hostages outside Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, a cousin of released captive Ofer Calderon, freed earlier today, says Calderon and the other two men released today were left “in hell” for a needlessly long time by a government that abandoned them in favor of far-right political interests.
“If it hadn’t been for [US] President [Donald] Trump, they would not be here,” Yifat Zailer tells the crowd, demanding that “extremists” not be allowed to torpedo the deal.
“This is a stain on [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s legacy that will not wash,” she says.
A similar vein of anger at the government runs through other speeches at the demonstration.
“Netanyahu and his associates haven’t stopped trying to sabotage the deal,” charges Dani Elgarat, brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat, slated to be released sometime in the first stage of the agreement.
Dani Elgarat, brother of hostage Itzik Elgarat, speaks at Begin Gate in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. (Marcelo Sznaidman/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Like Elgarat, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen accuses Netanyahu of attempting to manufacture an excuse to return to fighting while blaming Hamas for the breakdown.
He also offers a warning to Trump, who is slated to meet the Israeli premier on Tuesday.
“Netanyahu is going to try to spin you like he spun Biden,” Yehuda Cohen warns. “Don’t let him.”
Hamas killed Thai nationals deliberately
The terrorists called to the workers from Thailand in their native tongue to lure them out of hiding, only to kill them or take them hostageFor a year and a half, the Israel-Hamas war raged on relentlessly. Finally, both sides reached a six-week ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025.
On Thursday, Hamas announced the release of five Thai laborers held hostage: Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak.
However, Hamas’s brutality against innocent civilians remains unchanged. The terrorist group has not only targeted Jewish people, but also foreigners — particularly Thai nationals. Among all the casualties they brought upon foreign nationals, Thai workers suffered the highest number of casualties in this war.
One of the Thai survivors, nicknamed Top, recounted his near-death experience on October 7, 2023. Initially, he dismissed the sound of gunfire as a routine clash between Israeli forces and Hamas. However, by 7:00 a.m., the reality of the massacre unfolded — four armed Hamas militants stormed a nearby labor camp, indiscriminately gunning down every Thai worker in sight. Top managed to hide inside a bunker, narrowly escaping the same fate.
By 4:00 p.m., Hamas fighters regrouped around the labor camp. Then came an eerie moment he never expected: one of the militants greeted him in Thai: “Sawasdee Kub Khon Thai” (Hello, Thai people). Immediately after, they fired rounds into the air, before setting fire to the room where he was hiding. In that moment, he believed he was doomed. He held his breath for over 20 minutes, but as the smoke thickened, he could no longer endure it. Desperate, he broke down the door and ran into the nearby forest. Miraculously, by then, Hamas had already left.
Another survivor, nicknamed Lord, who found himself in a similar situation, described how Hamas meticulously raided each labor camp, slaughtering every unarmed worker they encountered. Those who did not die from gunfire were executed with knives in gruesome beheadings. When Hamas failed to locate the remaining Thai workers, they resorted to deception — driving into the camp while calling out in Thai, offering to sell ducks and chickens. What was even more terrifying was their uncanny ability to speak the local language fluently. Throughout the ordeal, Lord could do nothing but pray to his ancestors for protection.
One Thai laborer, Witthawat Kulwong, chose to fight back. When Hamas attempted to slit his throat, he resisted with all his strength. The struggle lasted nearly an hour. He suffered deep stab wounds to his neck, back, and forehead. In the end, the knife broke, but not before leaving him gravely wounded. His coworkers did everything they could to stop the bleeding. Against all odds, he survived after receiving emergency treatment.
The atrocities committed by Hamas were not limited to Israelis alone. Innocent Thai workers — foreign nationals with no involvement in the war — became deliberate targets of deception, abduction, and slaughter. Hamas showed no hesitation in using deception to lure Thai laborers, either to kill them outright or take them hostage in the most brutal ways imaginable.
—
According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 44 Thais were killed during Hamas’s murderous attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. the conflict, including the two who died in Hamas captivity. 31 were taken hostage, where two died in captivity, and 23 were released in November 2023, as part of a brief ceasefire agreement. On Thursday, January 30, 2025, on day 482 of captivity, five Thai nationals (pictured and named above) were released, in another ceasefire-hostage release deal. The status of one Thai national remains unclear. Agricultural laborers from Thailand remain the largest group of foreign (agricultural) workers in Israel, sending wages home. Thailand and Israel implemented a bilateral agreement a decade ago to ease the way for workers in the agriculture sector. (AP). link
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Krit Saetae is an independent writer. His BA in Political Science and International Relations is from Suan Sunandha Rajahbat University, Bangkok, ThailandAs Netanyahu heads to US, Smotrich urges him to advance Israeli sovereignty in West Bank
There is a good chance that Netanyahu will broach this with Trump for several reasons. Netanyahu may soon be in a position of having to choose between Trump's demands to end the war and Smotrich's ultimatum to leave the government if we don't go back to fighting in Gaza, which would mean the government would fall and elections will follow. Everyone knows that Trump is entirely transactional and Netanyahu could try to sell annexation for the price of ending the war. In addition, Netanyahu will most likely go along with Trump's idiotic and internationally illegal plan to transfer Gazans to 3rd countries as a sweetener to the deal to keep Smotrich in the government and have Ben Gvir return to the government. The idea of annexation presents a big problem for Trump, though and that is his goal of bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. That can only be done if there is a concrete plan for advancing a Palestinian State. And that goes against everything Netanyahu has dedicated his political life to preventing, even at the cost of October 7 which is a direct result of his actions to prevent even discussion of a Palestinian State. This will be the harder nut for Netanyahu to crack with Trump. He, most likely will try to put together a formula that will appease Trump and the Saudis without putting any real action into place on the road to a Palestinian State.The Region and the World
- Syria’s President Sharaa to visit Saudi Arabia today in first trip abroad as leader
Iran test-fires anti-warship cruise missile with a range of more than 600 miles
Iran test-fired an anti-warship cruise missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) capable of reaching US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, Iranian state TV reports.
“This is a Ghadr-380 mile type L. It has over 1,000 kilometers range. It has anti-jamming capability,” said Gen. Ali Reza Tangsiri, the head of the navy of the Revolutionary Guard, in a report that shows an underground missile facility on the southern coast of Iran.
The report elaborates neither on the warhead that the missile carried, nor the time of the test.
Tangsiri said the facility is “only one part of the missile systems of the Guard,” adding that the missiles can create “a hell for the enemy’s warships.”
The report says the new weapon was a “sophisticated missile,” without elaborating, which could be launched from the underground facility. The missile was launched from central Iran into the Sea of Oman, it says.
It claims the missile can be made ready and launched by one member of personnel in less than five minutes.
Since 2011 Iran has occasionally announced the inauguration of underground missile facilities along with missile tests. It has boasted of underground facilities across the country as well as along the southern coast near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claims to have missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), placing much of the Middle East, including Israel, within range.
Personal StoriesArbel was Held Alone, Liri Refused to Be Released Without Agam | Testimonies from Captivity
The hostages who have returned have begun to share snippets of the horrific suffering they endured at the hands of Hamas terrorists. The female observers cooked for the terrorists but were not allowed to eat. They showered on average once every two weeks, and if they cried or supported each other, they were severely punished. Even Gadi Moses, who was occasionally exposed to television, did not know the full extent of the disaster: when he arrived in Israel, he asked if his partner and daughter were alive.
**They Cooked and Cleaned – But Did Not Surrender to the Terrorists**
As more pieces of the puzzle come together, the magnitude of the nightmare endured by the hostages during the more than 482 days they were held captive by Hamas becomes clearer. For example, Arbel Yehud, who was released yesterday (Thursday), was alone in captivity until she met Gadi Moses in the morning. She was held by terrorists belonging to a sub-organization affiliated with Islamic Jihad, unaware of what was happening outside or what had occurred in her kibbutz on the horrific morning of October 7.
Gadi Moses also did not know everything that had happened, despite being occasionally exposed to TV and radio broadcasts. When he met the soldiers at the rendezvous point with the IDF, he asked about the well-being of Efrat, his partner who was tragically murdered on October 7, and his daughter Moran. It was there that he first learned his partner had been killed and his daughter was alive.
**Testimony from One of the Released Hostages**
On their way back, Gadi and Arbel passed through the kibbutz area and saw the farmers and friends standing outside, paying tribute to them. Among them were friends of the late Dolav Yehud, Arbel's brother who was murdered on October 7. They wrote to her in the fields: "How good it is that you came home, Arbel."
**They Stood Courageously Against the Terrorists**
Dramatic testimonies from the captivity of the female observers reveal the courage they displayed in the face of the terrorists during the more than 480 days they were held captive. Agam Berger spent most of her time with Liri Albag. The two were forced to clean and cook for the terrorists, but the food they prepared was not allowed to be eaten by them. The same was done to other hostages. Some of them showered once every two weeks at best and endured daily psychological terror. The terrorists forbade them from crying or supporting each other, otherwise imposing severe punishments.
**Testimony from One of the Released Hostages**
Liri and Agam refused to go down into the tunnels and argued with the terrorists about it. Due to their insistence, the terrorists relented, and they were mostly held above ground. Faith strengthened Agam, and she wanted to convey a message to her family through returning hostages. She etched her father and mother's phone number onto a plastic cup using a pin she received to fasten her hijab, so they could be contacted.
**The Hostages Handed Over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip (Photo: Reuters)**
Liri refused to leave Agam during the release. She stood bravely in front of the terrorists, insisted – and in the end, to get her to come with them, they told her she was going to film a video. Only then did she discover they had lied to her – she was released, while Agam remained in captivity until the current phase.
Additionally, hostages who returned from captivity in Gaza shared what happened after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was eliminated: "The Gazans we met were not very moved by his death." link
Working through the trauma, Thai farmhands who survived Oct. 7 return to the fields
Iran test-fires anti-warship cruise missile with a range of more than 600 miles
Iran test-fired an anti-warship cruise missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) capable of reaching US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, Iranian state TV reports.
“This is a Ghadr-380 mile type L. It has over 1,000 kilometers range. It has anti-jamming capability,” said Gen. Ali Reza Tangsiri, the head of the navy of the Revolutionary Guard, in a report that shows an underground missile facility on the southern coast of Iran.
The report elaborates neither on the warhead that the missile carried, nor the time of the test.
Tangsiri said the facility is “only one part of the missile systems of the Guard,” adding that the missiles can create “a hell for the enemy’s warships.”
The report says the new weapon was a “sophisticated missile,” without elaborating, which could be launched from the underground facility. The missile was launched from central Iran into the Sea of Oman, it says.
It claims the missile can be made ready and launched by one member of personnel in less than five minutes.
Since 2011 Iran has occasionally announced the inauguration of underground missile facilities along with missile tests. It has boasted of underground facilities across the country as well as along the southern coast near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claims to have missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), placing much of the Middle East, including Israel, within range.
While many lost colleagues and friends in the Hamas terror onslaught, foreign agricultural workers still need to support families back home. But not all is business as usual
Korawit Kaeokoed, a cowshed worker at Kibbutz Alumim who is known as Kuay, pointing toward Gaza in December 2024, outside the shelter where many of his fellow Thai farm workers were killed in the Hamas terror onslaught of October 7, 2023 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
Korawit Kaeokoed, a cowshed worker at Kibbutz Alumim who is known as Kuay, pointing toward Gaza in December 2024, outside the shelter where many of his fellow Thai farm workers were killed in the Hamas terror onslaught of October 7, 2023 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
With news of eight Thai hostages possibly being freed in the coming days, (5 were released on Thursday) Jakkrit Noiphoothorn, known as Thon, stood outside a Kibbutz Alumim chicken coop, pointed toward Gaza in the near distance, and sent a fervent wish for the hostages to come home.
“I would like the war to end because then we can do better work and sleep more peacefully,” said Thon, who has worked at Kibbutz Alumim for nearly four years.
Twelve Thai farm workers and 10 Nepalese agricultural students were killed in the workers’ living quarters of Kibbutz Alumim and four were taken captive to Gaza when Hamas-led terrorists attacked with gunfire and grenades on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people in southern Israel were brutally slaughtered that day and 251 were abducted.
Now, five of eight Thai hostages still being held are slated to be freed Thursday along with Israeli hostages Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moshe Mozes. One Nepalese national and one Tanzanian are also still held. The Tanzanian and two of the Thais have been declared dead by Israel.
The release is seen as a gesture of goodwill from Hamas during the newly implemented ceasefire’s first phase, whose terms include the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for up to 1,904 Israel-held Palestinian security prisoners.
But for those who survived October 7 and returned to work on the kibbutz where they were attacked, the memories of that day are nightmarish.
“I don’t want it to happen again,” said Thon. “It’s always in my mind. No matter what I do, it won’t go away.”
During the massacre, Thon spoke on the phone with his kibbutz boss, Michael Huller, originally from Manchester, England, and a member of Alumim for the last 40 years. Huller was hiding in the safe room of his house on the other side of the kibbutz.
Another foreign farm worker, one of the Nepalese agricultural students, was killed while speaking to Huller on the phone.
Huller told Thon to climb out the window next to his bed and crawl into the nearby cowshed, where he hid under cow dung for 20 hours.
After being evacuated from Alumim with the rest of the kibbutz members to a Netanya hotel on October 8, and then flown home by the Thai king one week later, Thon was back at Kibbutz Alumim within three months.
“Thon came back because he has to make money and he still has his five-year visa,” said Huller. “The king paid for a ticket home, so he went home to visit. And then he came back.”
When Thon returned to Alumim, Huller was living in Netanya and returning to work at the kibbutz several times a week.
“On the first day I heard he was back, I came, we hugged, we cried together,” said Huller. “He was shaking.”
During his first days back, Thon took a wide detour each day on his way to work in the chicken coops, attempting to avoid the area of the cowshed and an adjacent garden where much of the fighting had taken place between Hamas terrorists and Alumim’s security team and outside security forces on October 7.
Thon wasn’t the only member of Huller’s team who was traumatized by the events of October 7.
One of Huller’s staff members is Eitan Cunio, a resident of nearby Kibbutz Nir Oz whose two brothers were taken captive — Eitan’s twin brother David Cunio and their younger brother, Ariel Cunio, along with Ariel’s girlfriend, Arbel Yehud.
David’s wife and twin daughters were also taken hostage and released in November 2023. David, Ariel and Arbel all remain in captivity, and Eitan Cunio drives a white station wagon covered with pictures of his family members, including one bumper sticker that says, “I am a hostage brother.” (Arbel Yehud is slated to be released from Gaza this week.)
Huller encouraged all his staff to start slowly and work their way back into a routine.
“When I came back I was scared, but I was the breadwinner for the family,” said Thon.
Huller now hugs Thon each time he sees him.
“Since October 7, everyone is a hugger,” he said. “Thon doesn’t like talking about the hostages — that’s partially an issue of language and culture — but he knows what happened to Eitan’s family and that puts it in perspective.”
It’s a story repeated in many of the Gaza border communities attacked on October 7. Roughly three dozen Thai workers were murdered, while some two dozen others were kidnapped during the onslaught.
Seventeen Thai farm workers were released from Gaza in November 2023 and sent home. Most of the other 10,000 Thai workers in Israel went home on airline tickets gifted them by the Thai government.
About 10 days after October 7, Michal Havivian, whose husband’s family owns an organic farm near the southern city of Ashkelon, was told by her Thai workers that the Thai king had ordered them to come home.
“They told us that with all respect, they had to listen to their families and go home,” she said.
Their work ethic and service-oriented manner made these foreign workers vital to the Israeli farming industry, said Havivian.
“They speak few words and do a lot of work,” she said. “They find honor in this work, and in following instructions.”
And yet, even after so many were killed and taken hostage on October 7, the Thai nationals in Israel are relatively unknown among the communities in which they live, partially due to language barriers and the constructs of their culture.
A Thai Embassy staffer told The Times of Israel that it would not share any details about the Thai hostages and fatalities on October 7.
Huller wasn’t surprised to hear that statement from the Thai Embassy.
“We’re friendly, I see pictures of their family on their phones, I invite them to our family events, but it’s not more than that,” he said. “We make sure they have everything, but knowing it will be over after five years.”
While speaking to several Thai workers at Alumim, usually using Google Translate on a phone, it became clear that they didn’t know the Thai workers taken hostage from other communities.
“Thailand is a big country,” said Havivian, “and there’s several dialects.”
Korawit Kaeokoed, an Alumim cowshed worker known as Kuay, hid on October 7 for hours in the drop ceiling above the storeroom where they keep the cows’ medication.
He was also evacuated to Netanya and then went home to Thailand to visit with his wife and two children before returning to Alumim several months later.
He has stayed in touch with Phonsawan Pinakalo, a fellow farm worker who was taken hostage from Alumim and then released in November 2023.
Pinkalo decided to stay in Thailand and open a store in his hometown, said Kuay.
“He says to me, ‘You are not smart to stay in Israel, you didn’t die last time but you could die next time,'” said Kuay.
“‘I said, ‘It will be okay,'” added Kuay, who speaks basic Hebrew.
“Alumim is good, the boss is good, the people are good, the work is good,” he said, stirring a pot of broth redolent with lemongrass and ginger on a stove in the simple quarters he shares with the other Thai workers. “Thailand has no work, no money. If Alumim were not good, I would not have come back.”
The living quarters for foreign workers was burned to the ground on October 7. The simple new corrugated metal structure includes a communal kitchen with at least a dozen rice cookers on the open shelves.
The lowing of the cows in the nearby shed can be steadily heard in the background along with the explosions of Israeli shelling in nearby Gaza.
Even now, said Kuay, it can be hard to be back on the kibbutz, where any sirens or sounds of explosions from Gaza can send him into a panic. When his work visa expires, said Kuay, he’ll return home to Thailand, where he plans on growing rice.
Cultural differences
The Thai are closed and private, and they don’t like to talk about what happened on October 7, said Havivian. It can be hard to get close to them, even after years of working together.
“They don’t like to be bothered,” she said. “They are people who are under the radar.”
Havivian said that when Thais come to work in Israel, they usually offer a shortened version of their name to make it easier and perhaps to have a different identity while they’re in a foreign place. When they receive a package from home, she often has to check their passports in order to know who it is addressed to.
“It’s not because I don’t want to know, it’s just how it works,” said Havivian, who recently collaborated on a project with Tel Aviv culinary center Asif in which lemongrass was planted in the Asif urban garden project to honor their Thai workers.
“Our communication is limited, but… they’re the people who service our old people and the farms and they do all the work,” she said. “They are the backbone of the work that we don’t want to do.” link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
The King of Gog and MagogHadas KalderonMother of Erez and Sahar, who returned from Hamas captivity after 52 days. Their father Ofer Kalderon is still being held in Gaza. Her mother Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old niece Noya were murdered.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the spirit of horror and terror was hovering over our heads.I remember when the air was filled with innocence, orange groves, winds of fulfillment, golden fields, simplicity, hope, and revival.And today, among the cypress trees, the pines, the potato fields—silence.It is the silence of abandonment, desertion, and betrayal. Friends, this is the silence of death.Since October 7th, we have been a wounded, bleeding, hurt society. A society losing its most basic values. Core values, such as the sanctity of life, have gone bankrupt; the abnormal has been normalized. Our senses are dull, we have grown accustomed to every shocking piece of news, every new horror.If I naively thought that the worst of our enemies were behind the fence, I was proven wrong. Agonized by impossible stomach cramps, the inability to digest the new, monstrous understanding—that the enemy is here, among us, disguised. It is not easy to notice them, to defend ourselves.It is the masquerading juggler, our very own Prime Minister, the glorious Benjamin Netanyahu.Until today, the most horrendous event in the history of Israel has been managed by unloving, uncompassionate hands, hands that are not obligated to the core Israeli and Jewish values.Worst of all, the clock ticks twice.First, for the miserable hostages who were accidentally thrust into this whirlpool of horror; the helpless hostages, our young, gentle soldiers, and civilians from all over who are being tortured and sacrificed at the altar. What altar?!The altar of Netanyahu’s crazed rule.Second, the genuine fear for the survival, revival, and future of our country.Our Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not a true leader. There are no leaders today. Where have they all gone? Perhaps they are buried under the weight of corruption, interests, and aggression.And I must ask: What legacy will he leave behind? What mark?The mark of a diabolical juggler, devoid of values and a heart. A walking mask, mercilessly playing with us all with no second thought, devoid of conscience, and with no moral compass to guide him.The masked man is hurting, deserting, and sacrificing innocent civilians.Good people who have given their lives and their souls to this country that has turned its back on them in their time of need.How dare he speak of the safety of our civilians when the lives of 120 women and men are at stake even as we speak? Every moment he procrastinates endangers them even more.How did he create a bond with Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar? At the beginning, by feeding and strengthening the beast, and now in this endless war. You cannot kill an idea which promises that the war will go on forever, with the hostages being used as the perfect bargaining chip.The Prime Minister is in a conflict of interests: the war serves his personal agendas.We’re fighting to save lives while he’s fighting to save his throne.The king of Gog and Magog. This is how you will be remembered in the history books. Instead of bringing them home and becoming the king of kings, with a diamond-adorned crown.Shame. Shame. Shame.
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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