π️Lonny's War Update- October 493, 2023 - February 10, 2025 π️
π️Day 493 that 76 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
Hostage Updates
- Bound, gagged and starved: Released hostages report severe mistreatment by captors
Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi returned emaciated, were reportedly hung by their feet and burned; still in Gaza, Eliya Cohen and Alon Ohel said untreated for Oct. 7 wounds
A pro-hostage deal protester opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoists a sign reading: 'They're suffering a Holocaust and you're vacationing in America,' in Tel Aviv, February 8, 2025. (Lior Segev/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
The mother of hostage Eliya Cohen said Sunday that her son had been held with returning hostages who were chained, gagged, burned with a searing hot object, hung by the feet and starved.
Sigi Cohen said the hostages testified that her son was being held in a tunnel, has been chained for the entire length of his captivity, gets little food or daylight, and suffers from an untreated bullet wound to the leg sustained during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
Cohen’s comments came as the family of hostage Alon Ohel said they received a first sign of life from him. Ohel’s mother Idit said he was also bound, starved and untreated for shrapnel in his shoulder, arm and now-partially blinded eye.
“The hostages sleep on the floor and need to share a blanket,” Idit Ohel told Army Radio on Monday, as her hostage son marked his 24th birthday.
Meanwhile, Vicky Cohen, mother of 20-year-old captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, told Channel 12 Monday that a returning hostage had been held with her son for some six months. She said the hostage told her Nimrod was held in a tunnel for most of his captivity and was not bound, but appeared to be in poor physical and mental shape. Nimrod Cohen was said to trust that his family was doing everything to save him.
The new information followed the release Saturday of hostages Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who returned to Israel dangerously emaciated. They were said to have gone for days without food, and then only given a single rotten pita bread to share. Their captors would reportedly cover the hostages’ mouths in a thick cloth that made it difficult for them to breathe. Before their public handover ceremony, the hostages were paraded in front of cheering terrorists.
Eliya Cohen’s mother told the Israel Hayom newspaper that her son was held in the tunnels with Ben Ami, Sharabi and Levy, and that seeing them left her sleepless: “You understand they are suffering a holocaust.”
Hamas terrorists flank hostages (L-R) Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy on a stage before handing them over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)
Eliya Cohen, 27, is slated for release in the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal’s current, first phase, which includes women, children and civilian men over 50 or who are deemed especially unwell, in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including 737 serving life sentences for murdering Israelis. Alon Ohel and Nimrod Cohen are slated for release only in the second phase.
The far-right flank of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has threatened to topple the government should Israel proceed to the second phase, when the war is meant to stop for good, and the premier is said to be “signaling quite clearly that he does not want to move on” to it.
Netanyahu’s office said Saturday that it would not let the dire condition of Levy, Ben Ami and Sharabi “pass without a response,” provoking ire from activists who have long warned that hostages were being starved.
Idit Ohel told Army Radio: “We’ve been learning more and more details since Saturday and can no longer remain silent. The prime minister can’t say he didn’t know, can’t say he didn’t hear and wasn’t notified about the state of the hostages. Every day there is hell.”
Alon Ohel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova rave. (Courtesy)
Sigi Cohen, Eliya’s mother, told Kan public radio that the hostages’ emaciation had shattered the illusion that captives would return in relatively good shape.
Cohen slammed “heroes” in the government who oppose the hostage deal. “Hand over your own children” to Hamas, she said. “I’m unwilling to sacrifice my child.”
She also assailed the protracted hostage releases, likening the distinction between first- and second-phase hostages to Holocaust-era “selection” between Jews deemed fit for hard labor and those sent directly to the slaughter.
Eliya Cohen was wounded after fleeing the Re’im-area Supernova rave on October 7, 2023, and taken captive by Hamas terrorists. (Courtesy)‘They treated us like animals’
One of the three civilian men released on Saturday — Ben Ami, Sharabi and Levy — said of his captors that “they treated us like animals,” according to Kan. The public broadcaster reported that the three had been separately interrogated and tortured by their captors. In the interrogations, the hostages reportedly sustained burns from a white-hot, unidentified object. At one point, the report said, one of the hostages collapsed, leading fellow captives to think he had died.
Channel 12 quoted Levy telling his family: “I was bound in a dark tunnel, without air, without light. I couldn’t stand or walk, and only toward the time of the release did the terrorists remove the chains and I learned to walk again.” According to the report, the hostages were held mostly in tunnels, and always in dark, unventilated spaces, and had to “convince their captors” to let them relieve themselves more than once a day.
Levy, a civilian, reportedly said Hamas interrogated him intensively, treating him as though he were a soldier. He was also said to have described mind games in which the captors would falsely tell hostages they were about to be released.
Channel 12 said Levy, Sharabi and Ben Ami were notified 10 days before their actual release. Levy was said to have asked that a different hostage be released instead of him.
Top row, left to right: Released hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami seen on a stage set up by Hamas in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, before the terror group handed them over to the Red Cross, February 8, 2025. Bottom row, the three Israelis as pictured before they were abducted. (Eyad Baba / AFP; courtesy)
According to Channel 13, the captors routinely exposed the hostages to Israeli politicians’ statements opposing the hostage deal, telling them that “they don’t want to get you out.” The captors used to eat in front of the hostages without giving them food, and occasionally forced them to choose which of them would eat.The network reported that the hostages were barefoot the entire time, allowed to shower only once every few months, and were unable to distinguish between day and night. However, they were reportedly able to hold Sabbath services on Fridays. Or Levy’s brother Tal told the Haaretz newspaper that the hostages, who were entirely cut off from media, preserved their sanity by counting the days since their abduction on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.Seventy-three of the hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January. link
- PM, defense ministers were ‘explicitly’ told months ago about starvation of hostages
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known for some time that the hostages in Gaza are being intentionally starved by Hamas, Channel 12 reports, citing senior officials familiar with the intelligence material given to the premier on the hostages.
According to the report, Netanyahu was “frequently exposed to the hostages’ conditions,” as were former defense minister Yoav Gallant and his successor Israel Katz.
The three were “explicitly” told about “intentional starvation and about physical and mental abuse,” the report adds.
Furthermore, the unnamed officials tell Channel 12 that “what we saw yesterday was nothing. There are some in much worse conditions.”
“Anyone who says otherwise and pretends to be shocked now — they are lying to the public for political reasons,” the officials are quoted as having said. link It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Netanyahu lied about knowing the horrors that the hostages are going through daily for 493 days (because of him). His go to excuse, since October 7 is that he didn't know, that he wasn't told. He seems to think that his is a civil servant who is kept in the dark and not the prime minister who is supposed to be responsible for everything that happens during his watch. That is normally the situation but he only takes responsibility for good things and anything bad is the blame of anyone else. This isn't a leader. This is a coward.
Family: Or Levy had no connection with outside world, asked that another hostage be freed instead of him
Or Levy has told his family that the tunnel in which he was held was narrow and low, and he was unable to stand upright.
In testimony reported by Channel 12, Levy says his captors abused him psychologically by repeatedly telling him that he was about to be freed. They also staged manipulative events in which they pretended that he or other hostages were going to be freed, including despicable “games” in which they told one hostage they would be freed, and another that they would not.
The terrorists also insisted that he was a soldier, and interrogated him harshly.
Levy says he was able to count the days and kept track of when his toddler son Almog’s birthday was, and marked it in captivity.
Unlike some other hostages, Levy and other hostages held with him were allowed no connection with the outside world and knew nothing about the public struggle being waged for their release.
Levy has told his family that yesterday morning, ahead of his release, he asked that a different hostage be freed instead of him, and that it was extremely difficult for him to leave the others behind.
Ahead of his release, the terrorists took some of the hostages from place to place, to be displayed to cheering, singing terrorists.
Released hostage Or Levy reunites with his three-year-old son Almog after 491 days in captivity in Gaza, at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, February 8, 2025. (Courtesy)One of Levy’s relatives tells Channel 12 that the family was “deeply shocked” to hear government sources expressing surprise at the sight of the emaciated hostages. The relative notes that the family was told by Israeli officials several months ago that the slain Hamas leader had given instructions to starve and abuse the male hostages. They ask: “So how can you claim you did not know?”
Channel 12 also says that the three hostages freed yesterday were told 10 days ago that they were going to be released. Their captives made one of them put on a military uniform and ordered him to say on camera that he is a soldier. They explained that the more hostages who say they were soldiers, the more terrorists they can get released in exchange.
The three had very little to eat in captivity, and there were long days when they were given nothing at all to eat, the TV report says.
The three were not always held in tunnels, but even when not, they were held in small areas with little air and no daylight. They were allowed to shower only rarely and often had to get on the good side of the terrorists in order to be allowed to go to the toilet more than once a day.
Channel 12 notes that many of the hostages freed earlier in the current deal have also said they are extremely surprised at the professed shock among Israeli officials over the condition of the three hostages freed yesterday. They, too, were starved and abused in captivity, they have said, and returned in the same condition as those freed yesterday.
Several of them have also said that there were many times during their captivity when they feared that they were about to be killed by their captors.
Freed female hostage says she was kept chained in a dark, airless tunnel for over 15 months, could not walk or stand
A female hostage freed in the current deal says she was kept chained in an airless tunnel by her captors, unable to stand or walk, for almost the entire period she was held hostage, and that she had to learn to walk again when the chains were removed shortly before she was freed.
The family of this female hostage has asked that she not be identified, Channel 12 reports. It describes her testimony as among the gravest to be given by any of the freed hostages to date.
It quotes her saying that for more than 15 months, “the terrorists kept me in chains inside a tunnel. The tunnel was dark and airless… I could not walk or stand.
“Only close to my release did the terrorists remove the chains, and I learned to walk again.”
- These are the 17 hostages yet to be returned in phase one of Gaza ceasefire
The 17 hostages slated to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal as of February 8, 2025 after the first five rounds saw 16 captives freed. Row 1 (L-R): Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Sasha Trufanov; Row 2: Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz, Tsahi Idan; Row 3: Hisham al-Sayed, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert; Row 4: Itzik Elgarat, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov. (All photos courtesy)
Hamas has said 8 abductees to be freed in first phase are dead, but has not specified who; still unreleased are Shiri Bibas, her two children, five older men, nine men under 50
With five rounds of hostage-prisoner releases completed in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal as of Saturday, there are 17 Israeli hostages still supposed to be set free in the first phase.
Days into the truce, which began in January, family members of several hostages slated to be released from Gaza in the coming weeks expressed dread over their loved ones’ fates after Hamas conveyed information saying that eight of the 33 hostages on the original list are dead.
Following the release of the information, those families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.
Those on the list, to be returned over the initial period of 42 days, are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, the identities of those set to return are to be provided by the terror group 24 hours before each release, though in recent weeks Hamas has often not met the deadline.
As of Sunday, February 9, 73 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Three Israeli hostages are paraded on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on February 8, 2025 (Screencapture/Anadolu Agency/Reuters)
The list of hostages left on the list to be released in the deal’s initial stage includes Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2.Israel is said to be pressuring mediators to clarify the condition of Bibas and her young sons. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that the three had been killed, which Israel called a “cruel” claim that it could not confirm. Israel has said there is “grave concern” over the fate of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.
The list of remaining hostages to be released in the first stage also includes five older men:
With five rounds of hostage-prisoner releases completed in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal as of Saturday, there are 17 Israeli hostages still supposed to be set free in the first phase.
Days into the truce, which began in January, family members of several hostages slated to be released from Gaza in the coming weeks expressed dread over their loved ones’ fates after Hamas conveyed information saying that eight of the 33 hostages on the original list are dead.
Following the release of the information, those families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.
Those on the list, to be returned over the initial period of 42 days, are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, the identities of those set to return are to be provided by the terror group 24 hours before each release, though in recent weeks Hamas has often not met the deadline.
As of Sunday, February 9, 73 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Three Israeli hostages are paraded on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on February 8, 2025 (Screencapture/Anadolu Agency/Reuters)The list of hostages left on the list to be released in the deal’s initial stage includes Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2.Israel is said to be pressuring mediators to clarify the condition of Bibas and her young sons. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that the three had been killed, which Israel called a “cruel” claim that it could not confirm. Israel has said there is “grave concern” over the fate of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.
The list of remaining hostages to be released in the first stage also includes five older men:
Itzik Elgarat, 70
Shlomo Mansour, 86
Ohad Yahalomi, 50
Oded Lifshitz, 84
Tsahi Idan, 50
And another nine men under 50:
Hisham al-Sayed, 36
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36
Yair Horn, 46
Omer Wenkert, 23
Sasha Trufanov, 28
Eliya Cohen, 27
Avera Mengistu, 38
Tal Shoham, 39
Omer Shem-Tov, 22
Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been captive in Gaza for over a decade, after entering the Strip of their own accord. All the others were abducted on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and five Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began on January 19. The terror group also freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
In total, Israel has said it will release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners — including 737 serving life terms for dozens of murders — in return for 33 Israeli hostages during the deal’s first phase.
The deal’s implementation has been shaky, with Israel and Hamas both accusing each other of violating it at multiple junctures. US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza fueled further uncertainty on whether the multiphase agreement will hold up.
The 16 hostages who have been released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners in the deal so far, in five batches, are:
Romi Gonen, 23
Emily Damari, 27
Doron Steinbrecher, 31
Liri Albag, 19
Karina Ariev, 20
Agam Berger, 21
Danielle Gilboa, 20
Naama Levy, 20
Arbel Yehoud, 29
Gadi Moshe Mozes, 80
Keith Siegel, 65
Yarden Bibas, 35
Ofer Calderon, 54
Or Levy, 34
Ohad Ben-Ami, 58
Eli Sharabi, 52
The three-phase deal’s later phases are to see 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.
Though talks for the second phase were supposed to commence last week, the negotiating team that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent to Doha on Saturday evening reportedly only has a mandate to discuss technical issues about the ongoing initial stage.
The prime minister’s spokesman has denied reports that the premier presented in Washington a plan to end the fighting in Gaza — a requirement for the second stage, but a red line for the right flank of Netanyahu’s coalition.
The families of male hostages who are not set to be released until after the first phase of the deal have expressed deep concern over the delay in talks on the second phase.
Demonstrators protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, outside the southern Israeli city of Sderot, February 8, 2025. (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking 251 hostages, amid many acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Aside from hostages released under deals with the Palestinian terror group, eight have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding Mengistu and Al-Sayed — the two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015 — as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January.
Family of hostage Alon Ohel say freed hostages told them he is alive but injured
The family of Hamas hostage Alon Ohelsays that they have received a sign of life from him for the first time since he was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.In a statement released via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Ohel’s family says that returning hostages have informed them that he is alive, but injured and not receiving medical care.
“We were informed today that since his abduction, Alon has been held in the tunnels in Gaza together with recently released hostages,” the family says. “We are happy and excited to know that Alon is alive, but devastated and shocked by the difficult physical and mental condition Alon is in, and the abuse he and the other hostages are still going through.”
Sharing what they have been told by the freed hostages, the family says Ohel “has been held in difficult conditions in Hamas’s underground tunnels, without daylight, and in inhuman conditions.”
“We were informed that Alon’s eyes were injured,” the family continues, adding that he is “being held in extremely harsh conditions, with a severe shortage of food.”
Calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with negotiating the second phase of the ceasefire deal without further delay, the family asks the public to join them tomorrow evening in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mark Alon’s 24th birthday.
Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi returned emaciated, were reportedly hung by their feet and burned; still in Gaza, Eliya Cohen and Alon Ohel said untreated for Oct. 7 wounds
A pro-hostage deal protester opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoists a sign reading: 'They're suffering a Holocaust and you're vacationing in America,' in Tel Aviv, February 8, 2025. (Lior Segev/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
The mother of hostage Eliya Cohen said Sunday that her son had been held with returning hostages who were chained, gagged, burned with a searing hot object, hung by the feet and starved.
Sigi Cohen said the hostages testified that her son was being held in a tunnel, has been chained for the entire length of his captivity, gets little food or daylight, and suffers from an untreated bullet wound to the leg sustained during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
Cohen’s comments came as the family of hostage Alon Ohel said they received a first sign of life from him. Ohel’s mother Idit said he was also bound, starved and untreated for shrapnel in his shoulder, arm and now-partially blinded eye.
“The hostages sleep on the floor and need to share a blanket,” Idit Ohel told Army Radio on Monday, as her hostage son marked his 24th birthday.
Meanwhile, Vicky Cohen, mother of 20-year-old captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, told Channel 12 Monday that a returning hostage had been held with her son for some six months. She said the hostage told her Nimrod was held in a tunnel for most of his captivity and was not bound, but appeared to be in poor physical and mental shape. Nimrod Cohen was said to trust that his family was doing everything to save him.
The new information followed the release Saturday of hostages Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who returned to Israel dangerously emaciated. They were said to have gone for days without food, and then only given a single rotten pita bread to share. Their captors would reportedly cover the hostages’ mouths in a thick cloth that made it difficult for them to breathe. Before their public handover ceremony, the hostages were paraded in front of cheering terrorists.
Eliya Cohen’s mother told the Israel Hayom newspaper that her son was held in the tunnels with Ben Ami, Sharabi and Levy, and that seeing them left her sleepless: “You understand they are suffering a holocaust.”
Eliya Cohen, 27, is slated for release in the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal’s current, first phase, which includes women, children and civilian men over 50 or who are deemed especially unwell, in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including 737 serving life sentences for murdering Israelis. Alon Ohel and Nimrod Cohen are slated for release only in the second phase.
The far-right flank of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has threatened to topple the government should Israel proceed to the second phase, when the war is meant to stop for good, and the premier is said to be “signaling quite clearly that he does not want to move on” to it.
Netanyahu’s office said Saturday that it would not let the dire condition of Levy, Ben Ami and Sharabi “pass without a response,” provoking ire from activists who have long warned that hostages were being starved.
Idit Ohel told Army Radio: “We’ve been learning more and more details since Saturday and can no longer remain silent. The prime minister can’t say he didn’t know, can’t say he didn’t hear and wasn’t notified about the state of the hostages. Every day there is hell.”
Alon Ohel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova rave. (Courtesy)
Sigi Cohen, Eliya’s mother, told Kan public radio that the hostages’ emaciation had shattered the illusion that captives would return in relatively good shape.
Cohen slammed “heroes” in the government who oppose the hostage deal. “Hand over your own children” to Hamas, she said. “I’m unwilling to sacrifice my child.”
She also assailed the protracted hostage releases, likening the distinction between first- and second-phase hostages to Holocaust-era “selection” between Jews deemed fit for hard labor and those sent directly to the slaughter.
‘They treated us like animals’
One of the three civilian men released on Saturday — Ben Ami, Sharabi and Levy — said of his captors that “they treated us like animals,” according to Kan. The public broadcaster reported that the three had been separately interrogated and tortured by their captors. In the interrogations, the hostages reportedly sustained burns from a white-hot, unidentified object. At one point, the report said, one of the hostages collapsed, leading fellow captives to think he had died.
Levy, a civilian, reportedly said Hamas interrogated him intensively, treating him as though he were a soldier. He was also said to have described mind games in which the captors would falsely tell hostages they were about to be released.
Channel 12 said Levy, Sharabi and Ben Ami were notified 10 days before their actual release. Levy was said to have asked that a different hostage be released instead of him.
Top row, left to right: Released hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami seen on a stage set up by Hamas in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, before the terror group handed them over to the Red Cross, February 8, 2025. Bottom row, the three Israelis as pictured before they were abducted. (Eyad Baba / AFP; courtesy)
Seventy-three of the hostages remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January. link
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has known for some time that the hostages in Gaza are being intentionally starved by Hamas, Channel 12 reports, citing senior officials familiar with the intelligence material given to the premier on the hostages.
According to the report, Netanyahu was “frequently exposed to the hostages’ conditions,” as were former defense minister Yoav Gallant and his successor Israel Katz.
The three were “explicitly” told about “intentional starvation and about physical and mental abuse,” the report adds.
Furthermore, the unnamed officials tell Channel 12 that “what we saw yesterday was nothing. There are some in much worse conditions.”
“Anyone who says otherwise and pretends to be shocked now — they are lying to the public for political reasons,” the officials are quoted as having said. link It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Netanyahu lied about knowing the horrors that the hostages are going through daily for 493 days (because of him). His go to excuse, since October 7 is that he didn't know, that he wasn't told. He seems to think that his is a civil servant who is kept in the dark and not the prime minister who is supposed to be responsible for everything that happens during his watch. That is normally the situation but he only takes responsibility for good things and anything bad is the blame of anyone else. This isn't a leader. This is a coward.
Family: Or Levy had no connection with outside world, asked that another hostage be freed instead of him
Or Levy has told his family that the tunnel in which he was held was narrow and low, and he was unable to stand upright.
In testimony reported by Channel 12, Levy says his captors abused him psychologically by repeatedly telling him that he was about to be freed. They also staged manipulative events in which they pretended that he or other hostages were going to be freed, including despicable “games” in which they told one hostage they would be freed, and another that they would not.
The terrorists also insisted that he was a soldier, and interrogated him harshly.
Levy says he was able to count the days and kept track of when his toddler son Almog’s birthday was, and marked it in captivity.
Unlike some other hostages, Levy and other hostages held with him were allowed no connection with the outside world and knew nothing about the public struggle being waged for their release.
Levy has told his family that yesterday morning, ahead of his release, he asked that a different hostage be freed instead of him, and that it was extremely difficult for him to leave the others behind.
Ahead of his release, the terrorists took some of the hostages from place to place, to be displayed to cheering, singing terrorists.
One of Levy’s relatives tells Channel 12 that the family was “deeply shocked” to hear government sources expressing surprise at the sight of the emaciated hostages. The relative notes that the family was told by Israeli officials several months ago that the slain Hamas leader had given instructions to starve and abuse the male hostages. They ask: “So how can you claim you did not know?”
Channel 12 also says that the three hostages freed yesterday were told 10 days ago that they were going to be released. Their captives made one of them put on a military uniform and ordered him to say on camera that he is a soldier. They explained that the more hostages who say they were soldiers, the more terrorists they can get released in exchange.
The three had very little to eat in captivity, and there were long days when they were given nothing at all to eat, the TV report says.
The three were not always held in tunnels, but even when not, they were held in small areas with little air and no daylight. They were allowed to shower only rarely and often had to get on the good side of the terrorists in order to be allowed to go to the toilet more than once a day.
Channel 12 notes that many of the hostages freed earlier in the current deal have also said they are extremely surprised at the professed shock among Israeli officials over the condition of the three hostages freed yesterday. They, too, were starved and abused in captivity, they have said, and returned in the same condition as those freed yesterday.
Several of them have also said that there were many times during their captivity when they feared that they were about to be killed by their captors.
Freed female hostage says she was kept chained in a dark, airless tunnel for over 15 months, could not walk or stand
A female hostage freed in the current deal says she was kept chained in an airless tunnel by her captors, unable to stand or walk, for almost the entire period she was held hostage, and that she had to learn to walk again when the chains were removed shortly before she was freed.
The family of this female hostage has asked that she not be identified, Channel 12 reports. It describes her testimony as among the gravest to be given by any of the freed hostages to date.
It quotes her saying that for more than 15 months, “the terrorists kept me in chains inside a tunnel. The tunnel was dark and airless… I could not walk or stand.
“Only close to my release did the terrorists remove the chains, and I learned to walk again.”
The 17 hostages slated to be returned in phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal as of February 8, 2025 after the first five rounds saw 16 captives freed. Row 1 (L-R): Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Sasha Trufanov; Row 2: Shlomo Mansour, Ohad Yahalomi, Oded Lifshitz, Tsahi Idan; Row 3: Hisham al-Sayed, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn, Omer Wenkert; Row 4: Itzik Elgarat, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengistu, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov. (All photos courtesy)
Hamas has said 8 abductees to be freed in first phase are dead, but has not specified who; still unreleased are Shiri Bibas, her two children, five older men, nine men under 50
With five rounds of hostage-prisoner releases completed in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal as of Saturday, there are 17 Israeli hostages still supposed to be set free in the first phase.
Days into the truce, which began in January, family members of several hostages slated to be released from Gaza in the coming weeks expressed dread over their loved ones’ fates after Hamas conveyed information saying that eight of the 33 hostages on the original list are dead.
Following the release of the information, those families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.
Those on the list, to be returned over the initial period of 42 days, are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, the identities of those set to return are to be provided by the terror group 24 hours before each release, though in recent weeks Hamas has often not met the deadline.
As of Sunday, February 9, 73 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Three Israeli hostages are paraded on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on February 8, 2025 (Screencapture/Anadolu Agency/Reuters)
The list of hostages left on the list to be released in the deal’s initial stage includes Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2.Israel is said to be pressuring mediators to clarify the condition of Bibas and her young sons. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that the three had been killed, which Israel called a “cruel” claim that it could not confirm. Israel has said there is “grave concern” over the fate of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.
The list of remaining hostages to be released in the first stage also includes five older men:
With five rounds of hostage-prisoner releases completed in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal as of Saturday, there are 17 Israeli hostages still supposed to be set free in the first phase.
Days into the truce, which began in January, family members of several hostages slated to be released from Gaza in the coming weeks expressed dread over their loved ones’ fates after Hamas conveyed information saying that eight of the 33 hostages on the original list are dead.
Following the release of the information, those families were informed by the military that Hamas’s information aligned with previous assessments and there were dire concerns about their fates.
Those on the list, to be returned over the initial period of 42 days, are so-called “humanitarian” cases: women, children, elderly individuals and the infirm.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, the identities of those set to return are to be provided by the terror group 24 hours before each release, though in recent weeks Hamas has often not met the deadline.
As of Sunday, February 9, 73 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
The list of hostages left on the list to be released in the deal’s initial stage includes Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33, and her two young sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2.Israel is said to be pressuring mediators to clarify the condition of Bibas and her young sons. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that the three had been killed, which Israel called a “cruel” claim that it could not confirm. Israel has said there is “grave concern” over the fate of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.
The list of remaining hostages to be released in the first stage also includes five older men:
Itzik Elgarat, 70
Shlomo Mansour, 86
Ohad Yahalomi, 50
Oded Lifshitz, 84
Tsahi Idan, 50
And another nine men under 50:
Hisham al-Sayed, 36
Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36
Yair Horn, 46
Omer Wenkert, 23
Sasha Trufanov, 28
Eliya Cohen, 27
Avera Mengistu, 38
Tal Shoham, 39
Omer Shem-Tov, 22
Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been captive in Gaza for over a decade, after entering the Strip of their own accord. All the others were abducted on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has so far released 21 hostages — civilians, soldiers, and five Thai nationals — during the ceasefire that began on January 19. The terror group also freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.
In total, Israel has said it will release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners — including 737 serving life terms for dozens of murders — in return for 33 Israeli hostages during the deal’s first phase.
The deal’s implementation has been shaky, with Israel and Hamas both accusing each other of violating it at multiple junctures. US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza fueled further uncertainty on whether the multiphase agreement will hold up.
The 16 hostages who have been released in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners in the deal so far, in five batches, are:
Romi Gonen, 23
Emily Damari, 27
Doron Steinbrecher, 31
Liri Albag, 19
Karina Ariev, 20
Agam Berger, 21
Danielle Gilboa, 20
Naama Levy, 20
Arbel Yehoud, 29
Gadi Moshe Mozes, 80
Keith Siegel, 65
Yarden Bibas, 35
Ofer Calderon, 54
Or Levy, 34
Ohad Ben-Ami, 58
Eli Sharabi, 52
The three-phase deal’s later phases are to see 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.
Though talks for the second phase were supposed to commence last week, the negotiating team that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent to Doha on Saturday evening reportedly only has a mandate to discuss technical issues about the ongoing initial stage.
The prime minister’s spokesman has denied reports that the premier presented in Washington a plan to end the fighting in Gaza — a requirement for the second stage, but a red line for the right flank of Netanyahu’s coalition.
The families of male hostages who are not set to be released until after the first phase of the deal have expressed deep concern over the delay in talks on the second phase.
Demonstrators protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, outside the southern Israeli city of Sderot, February 8, 2025. (Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking 251 hostages, amid many acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Aside from hostages released under deals with the Palestinian terror group, eight have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding Mengistu and Al-Sayed — the two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015 — as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January.
Family of hostage Alon Ohel say freed hostages told them he is alive but injured
In a statement released via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Ohel’s family says that returning hostages have informed them that he is alive, but injured and not receiving medical care.
“We were informed today that since his abduction, Alon has been held in the tunnels in Gaza together with recently released hostages,” the family says. “We are happy and excited to know that Alon is alive, but devastated and shocked by the difficult physical and mental condition Alon is in, and the abuse he and the other hostages are still going through.”
Sharing what they have been told by the freed hostages, the family says Ohel “has been held in difficult conditions in Hamas’s underground tunnels, without daylight, and in inhuman conditions.”
“We were informed that Alon’s eyes were injured,” the family continues, adding that he is “being held in extremely harsh conditions, with a severe shortage of food.”
Calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with negotiating the second phase of the ceasefire deal without further delay, the family asks the public to join them tomorrow evening in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mark Alon’s 24th birthday.
Damage to the Nervous System, Kidneys, and Heart: The Harm That May Occur After Prolonged Starvation
Or, Ohad, and Eli returned pale and emaciated due to severe malnutrition in captivity. Prolonged starvation, dehydration, and lack of exposure to sunlight can cause damage to vital organs and lead to chronic health issues. A senior doctor explains the long-term risks: "The mental state is the most concerning."
Prolonged starvation can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys, heart, and liver, explains Professor Dror Mevorach, head of the Immunology-Rheumatology-Allergology Unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. He discusses the chronic damage that may occur in the long term to hostages who have been released from captivity.
Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eli Sharabi were freed yesterday in a state of extreme malnutrition, looking pale and emaciated. Hostages released as part of the deal reported receiving very little food—sometimes only a quarter of a pita per day. "From a physiological standpoint, these men have lost a significant amount of weight, most likely due to reduced feeding," notes Professor Mevorach. "Sometimes, weight loss occurs due to increased metabolism or a growth that interferes with weight maintenance. In their case, it is almost certain that the weight loss was due to malnutrition during captivity."
Professor Mevorach explains the differences between acute and chronic medical issues that returning hostages may face. He differentiates between immediate effects and long-term changes caused by prolonged starvation. "In the acute phase, malnourished individuals first break down their fat reserves. Hostages who have returned show no fat tissue," he says. "Some journalists have described them as 'skin and bones' because they lack sufficient glucose. They first break down fat, and later, muscle mass, which is why they appear so thin and frail."
He continues, "At this stage of starvation, metabolic changes can also occur. Their entire bodies learn to utilize food differently than before because they survive on minimal amounts—sometimes eating only once or twice a day. Their metabolism slows dramatically, and their ability to produce energy undergoes a drastic shift, which also affects their mental state. Physically, their bodies attempt to extract every calorie possible from what little they consume."
Professor Mevorach adds that "in this state, where they have lost both fat and muscle, additional complications can arise, such as dehydration. It is unclear how much water they were given or its quality. If they were only eating a quarter of a pita per day, who knows how much they drank? This can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney damage. Kidney damage can sometimes be permanent and irreversible. Additionally, other organs, such as the heart and liver, may also suffer. These vital organs can sustain significant damage under conditions of extreme malnutrition."
Another potential consequence of malnutrition is immune system impairment. "Metabolic disturbances and weight loss can severely weaken the immune system, reducing the body's ability to fight off viruses or bacteria," adds Professor Mevorach. "This sometimes occurs in elderly individuals who lose their appetite and experience weight loss. Their white blood cell count drops, and their immune response to infections and vaccines weakens significantly. Furthermore, the lack of sunlight exposure prevents vitamin D production, which has both physical and psychological effects."
These acute problems appear in the initial months following severe food deprivation. "Over time, prolonged malnutrition can also damage the nervous system, depending on the individual's baseline health. These are the systems that suffer immediate damage. Alongside this, the psychological impact of captivity is severe—facing cruelty, uncertainty about their fate, and worrying about their families all take a significant mental toll," Professor Mevorach explains.
"There are experiences they endured that may not only cause acute harm but could also lead to chronic conditions," he notes. "Many of their bodily systems have deteriorated, their bones have weakened due to a lack of vitamin D, and if they fall, they may suffer fractures because their bones are more fragile. Even the brain can shrink due to starvation."
Professor Mevorach stresses that "the dangers are not just about how they arrived but also about their recovery, weight gain, and muscle rebuilding. The mental state is the most concerning factor." However, he remains optimistic: "Based on what we have learned from Holocaust survivors, they can recover well—especially if they receive proper emotional and psychological support." link
‘I thought they were terrorizing me psychologically’: Arbel Yehud didn’t believe captors when they said hostages had become politicized
Released hostage Arbel Yehud condemns the politicization of the hostages and calls on the government to agree to a comprehensive one-time deal for the release of those still in captivity, in a message read aloud by her father to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
“I learned Arabic within a month, and I heard my captors express joy at the division in our nation over the issue of the hostages’ release,” Yehiel Yehud reads from his daughter’s statement. “I thought they were terrorizing me psychologically when the issue of the hostages became a political issue. I didn’t believe it until I returned to Israel and was exposed to this harsh reality.”
“I was held for 482 days without seeing or hearing a single Israeli, from the time that I was separated from my partner Ariel Cunio three hours after I was kidnapped until I met Gadi [Mozes]. You can imagine for yourselves some of the horrors I went through during my time in captivity, which all of you saw on the day of my release,” Yehud writes.
“Despite that, I returned with the goal of saving my beloved Ariel, his brother David, and all the rest of the hostages… alongside the long rehabilitation process that awaits me.”
She recalls how, hours after she returned to Israel, she turned to her father not to give up on the fight.
“‘I need Ariel in order to recover,'” Yehiel quotes his daughter’s words.
“Bring everyone back in one go — the living and the dead, and don’t scare the citizens with the price, but scare yourselves, and maybe that’s what will ensure that you protect the citizens of this country better in the future.”
Damage to the Nervous System, Kidneys, and Heart: The Harm That May Occur After Prolonged Starvation
Or, Ohad, and Eli returned pale and emaciated due to severe malnutrition in captivity. Prolonged starvation, dehydration, and lack of exposure to sunlight can cause damage to vital organs and lead to chronic health issues. A senior doctor explains the long-term risks: "The mental state is the most concerning."
Prolonged starvation can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys, heart, and liver, explains Professor Dror Mevorach, head of the Immunology-Rheumatology-Allergology Unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. He discusses the chronic damage that may occur in the long term to hostages who have been released from captivity.
Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, and Eli Sharabi were freed yesterday in a state of extreme malnutrition, looking pale and emaciated. Hostages released as part of the deal reported receiving very little food—sometimes only a quarter of a pita per day. "From a physiological standpoint, these men have lost a significant amount of weight, most likely due to reduced feeding," notes Professor Mevorach. "Sometimes, weight loss occurs due to increased metabolism or a growth that interferes with weight maintenance. In their case, it is almost certain that the weight loss was due to malnutrition during captivity."
Professor Mevorach explains the differences between acute and chronic medical issues that returning hostages may face. He differentiates between immediate effects and long-term changes caused by prolonged starvation. "In the acute phase, malnourished individuals first break down their fat reserves. Hostages who have returned show no fat tissue," he says. "Some journalists have described them as 'skin and bones' because they lack sufficient glucose. They first break down fat, and later, muscle mass, which is why they appear so thin and frail."
He continues, "At this stage of starvation, metabolic changes can also occur. Their entire bodies learn to utilize food differently than before because they survive on minimal amounts—sometimes eating only once or twice a day. Their metabolism slows dramatically, and their ability to produce energy undergoes a drastic shift, which also affects their mental state. Physically, their bodies attempt to extract every calorie possible from what little they consume."
Professor Mevorach adds that "in this state, where they have lost both fat and muscle, additional complications can arise, such as dehydration. It is unclear how much water they were given or its quality. If they were only eating a quarter of a pita per day, who knows how much they drank? This can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney damage. Kidney damage can sometimes be permanent and irreversible. Additionally, other organs, such as the heart and liver, may also suffer. These vital organs can sustain significant damage under conditions of extreme malnutrition."
Another potential consequence of malnutrition is immune system impairment. "Metabolic disturbances and weight loss can severely weaken the immune system, reducing the body's ability to fight off viruses or bacteria," adds Professor Mevorach. "This sometimes occurs in elderly individuals who lose their appetite and experience weight loss. Their white blood cell count drops, and their immune response to infections and vaccines weakens significantly. Furthermore, the lack of sunlight exposure prevents vitamin D production, which has both physical and psychological effects."
These acute problems appear in the initial months following severe food deprivation. "Over time, prolonged malnutrition can also damage the nervous system, depending on the individual's baseline health. These are the systems that suffer immediate damage. Alongside this, the psychological impact of captivity is severe—facing cruelty, uncertainty about their fate, and worrying about their families all take a significant mental toll," Professor Mevorach explains.
"There are experiences they endured that may not only cause acute harm but could also lead to chronic conditions," he notes. "Many of their bodily systems have deteriorated, their bones have weakened due to a lack of vitamin D, and if they fall, they may suffer fractures because their bones are more fragile. Even the brain can shrink due to starvation."
Professor Mevorach stresses that "the dangers are not just about how they arrived but also about their recovery, weight gain, and muscle rebuilding. The mental state is the most concerning factor." However, he remains optimistic: "Based on what we have learned from Holocaust survivors, they can recover well—especially if they receive proper emotional and psychological support." link
‘I thought they were terrorizing me psychologically’: Arbel Yehud didn’t believe captors when they said hostages had become politicized
Released hostage Arbel Yehud condemns the politicization of the hostages and calls on the government to agree to a comprehensive one-time deal for the release of those still in captivity, in a message read aloud by her father to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
“I learned Arabic within a month, and I heard my captors express joy at the division in our nation over the issue of the hostages’ release,” Yehiel Yehud reads from his daughter’s statement. “I thought they were terrorizing me psychologically when the issue of the hostages became a political issue. I didn’t believe it until I returned to Israel and was exposed to this harsh reality.”
“I was held for 482 days without seeing or hearing a single Israeli, from the time that I was separated from my partner Ariel Cunio three hours after I was kidnapped until I met Gadi [Mozes]. You can imagine for yourselves some of the horrors I went through during my time in captivity, which all of you saw on the day of my release,” Yehud writes.
“Despite that, I returned with the goal of saving my beloved Ariel, his brother David, and all the rest of the hostages… alongside the long rehabilitation process that awaits me.”
She recalls how, hours after she returned to Israel, she turned to her father not to give up on the fight.
“‘I need Ariel in order to recover,'” Yehiel quotes his daughter’s words.
“Bring everyone back in one go — the living and the dead, and don’t scare the citizens with the price, but scare yourselves, and maybe that’s what will ensure that you protect the citizens of this country better in the future.”
Gaza and the South
- Katz warns ‘zero tolerance’ for Gazans approaching border, after 3 killed by troops
Defense Minister Israel Katz says there will be zero tolerance for Gazans approaching the border with Israel after dozens of Palestinians were just a few hundred meters away from troops today in northern Gaza.
“Israel’s defense policy with Gaza is clear: Anyone who enters the buffer zone puts their life at risk,” Katz says in a statement.
“There will be zero tolerance for anyone who poses a threat to IDF troops or the [border] fence and communities. We will not return to the reality of October 7,” he adds
IDF says it thwarted attempt to transfer weapons from Egypt to Israel via drone
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt earlier today, using a drone.
The drone had been identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel, and troops dispatched to the scene chased after it.
The soldiers found that the drone was ferrying three rifles, according to the IDF. Video
Defense Minister Israel Katz says there will be zero tolerance for Gazans approaching the border with Israel after dozens of Palestinians were just a few hundred meters away from troops today in northern Gaza.
“Israel’s defense policy with Gaza is clear: Anyone who enters the buffer zone puts their life at risk,” Katz says in a statement.
“There will be zero tolerance for anyone who poses a threat to IDF troops or the [border] fence and communities. We will not return to the reality of October 7,” he adds
IDF says it thwarted attempt to transfer weapons from Egypt to Israel via drone
The IDF says it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt earlier today, using a drone.
The drone had been identified crossing the border from Egypt into Israel, and troops dispatched to the scene chased after it.
The soldiers found that the drone was ferrying three rifles, according to the IDF. Video
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- Israeli airstrike targets Syrian military air base, report says
IDF reportedly carries out airstrike on Khalkhalah military airport in Syria’s Sweida province, day after Israeli Air Force jets targeted Hamas weapons depot in Damasucs countryside
Israeli forces carried out an airstrike Sunday afternoon on the Khalkhalah Air Base in southern Syria’s Sweida province, according to Syrian media. The strike came just a day after the IDF struck a Hamas weapons depot in the country.
Local reports said explosions were heard at the airport, accompanied by the sound of fighter jets. The pro-Iranian Iraqi news agency Sabereen News also reported blasts at the site, attributing the attack to Israel.
On Saturday, the IDF confirmed it had struck a Hamas weapons warehouse in Syria, claiming that the arms stored there were intended “for use in terrorist operations against Israeli forces.” According to the military, the attack took place in the Deir Ali area of southern Syria, guided by intelligence from the IDF’s Northern Command.Meanwhile, Syrian sources reported additional Israeli strikes in the Tal al-Manea area on the outskirts of Damascus.
“Palestinian terrorist organizations, led by Hamas, are exploiting Syrian territory to establish terrorist operations under Iranian direction," the IDF said in a statement."The IDF will continue to target Hamas wherever it attempts to entrench itself and will act against any efforts by terrorist organizations to expand their capabilities, in order to eliminate threats to Israel’s security.” - Two Months into the IDF's Entry into Syria: The Many Achievements Gathered and the Threat Feared | A Situation ReportNine outposts have already been established in Syrian territory, and the military clarifies: We are prepared for a long stay • The scenario feared by the military is primarily the threat of raids • Meanwhile, the IDF continues to collect weapons from the villages – most of which are cooperating • The forces strive to avoid unnecessary interaction with the Syrians and aim to allow them to continue their daily routine.
IDF operations in the buffer zone
Two months ago, the IDF launched Operation "Arrow of the Bashan," which altered the strategic balance of power in the north. Within a few days, Israeli Air Force jets destroyed hundreds of targets, eliminating approximately 80% of the capabilities of Assad's army. Among the targets destroyed were numerous aircraft, the naval fleet, air defense systems, and missiles. Simultaneously, ground forces secured the buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights. The military realized that after October 7th, risks could no longer be taken. Given Assad's sudden collapse and the unclear nature of the enemy they now face, the decision was made to "preemptively strike."Since then, there has been a constant military presence within Syria, spanning from the Syrian Hermon to the border triangle in the southern Golan. The IDF has already established nine outposts in the area: two in the Hermon and the rest in the Syrian Golan. The military is prepared for a long-term stay, and the outposts are well-equipped with everything needed for soldiers enduring an exceptionally cold winter. While the IDF cannot predict how long they will remain, they emphasize that they will stay as long as necessary. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Syrian Hermon a month and a half ago, stating that the IDF would remain in the area at least until the end of 2025.### The New Security Buffer in the Northern BorderIDF forces are building relationships with residents of Syrian villages and preparing for potential raids by hostile elements. Currently, there is no concrete intelligence indicating an imminent raid, but the IDF is ready for such a scenario, maintaining a visible presence in the buffer zone, which has effectively become a security belt protecting the northeastern region of the country.The daily tasks of the forces primarily involve raids on what were once Syrian military outposts—conducting searches, collecting weapons, and carrying out nighttime operations. In some villages where IDF soldiers entered to gather weapons, residents handed them over in an orderly manner. Residents of the Syrian Golan fear that Israel might turn their homes into ruins, similar to Gaza and Lebanon.
### Syrian Rebels Transfer Weapons to the IDF (Photo: Channel 12 News)### Relations with Village Residents: Avoiding a "Second West Bank"In the first month, a significant amount of weaponry was collected from the villages. After two months, weapons are still being seized, but in smaller quantities. The IDF is now making an effort to minimize movement within Syrian villages to avoid creating a sense that this is becoming a "second West Bank."The IDF will remain in the buffer zone until there is a clearer understanding of who the enemy is and what their intentions are. It is known that Syrian leader Ahmed al-Shara and his men are not "Zionist sympathizers." These individuals were part of ISIS not long ago, raising concerns about the potential threat. Despite al-Shara's conciliatory messages to Western countries, the IDF remains vigilant, keeping "their finger on the trigger."The forces interact with the Syrian population but strive to minimize contact as much as possible, avoiding disruption to their daily routines. They are primarily stationed on the outskirts of villages. In some areas, outposts are close to residents' homes, but efforts are made to reduce friction and allow Syrian residents to live normally—shopping, working, and moving freely without curfews.Before Assad's fall, the area was filled with Hezbollah and Iranian operatives. The collapse of Assad's regime pushed them out, and the IDF will not allow any threat or terrorist entity to reestablish itself in the region.link
IDF reportedly carries out airstrike on Khalkhalah military airport in Syria’s Sweida province, day after Israeli Air Force jets targeted Hamas weapons depot in Damasucs countryside
Israeli forces carried out an airstrike Sunday afternoon on the Khalkhalah Air Base in southern Syria’s Sweida province, according to Syrian media. The strike came just a day after the IDF struck a Hamas weapons depot in the country.
Local reports said explosions were heard at the airport, accompanied by the sound of fighter jets. The pro-Iranian Iraqi news agency Sabereen News also reported blasts at the site, attributing the attack to Israel.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Politics and the War (general news)
- Gafni: A state commission of inquiry would mean Netanyahu’s prime ministership is over
Moshe Gafni, head of the Knesset Finance Committee, has told bereaved families urging a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7 invasion and slaughter that such a commission would mean the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime ministership. A state commission is the most powerful investigative commission, and the only such body empowered to subpoena witnesses.
In remarks broadcast tonight by Channel 12 news from a meeting on Wednesday held by Gafni, of the ultra-Orthodox coalition party United Torah Judaism, he was asked by the families about his stance on the establishment of such a commission — which would be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice appointed by the current Supreme Court president — and which has been steadfastly opposed by Netanyahu.
Gafni is heard saying that those who oppose the establishment of a state inquiry imply that Israel’s top court bears responsibility for October 7 because they issued rulings “not to shoot and not to hit” — ostensibly hindering the fight against terrorism.
“That’s not true. The Supreme Court did not…,” says one of the participants.
Gafni stresses: “I’m not saying that it’s true.”
He goes on to say that in Netanyahu’s Likud party, they claim that since a judge would head a state inquiry, its result would be a foregone conclusion: “What a state commission of inquiry would mean is that Netanyahu goes home.”
Again, a participant responds, “Why would you say that? It’s not true?”
Gafni insists: “Because that’s the truth.”
A participant says: “Everyone has to tell the truth” before such a panel.
Says Gafni: “Let them.”
Says a participant: “Maybe that explains why they’re torpedoing a state commission of inquiry here. Because of the fear that he’ll [be required to] go home. Evidently, that’s the agenda.”
Says Gafni: “It’s good that you said that.”
He also tells the families that he doesn’t like the current coalition, but has “no alternative.” link Finally, we have a politician, a committee head and member of Netanyahu's coalition speak the truth out loud and it was recorded. Netanyahu and his cronies and everyone in the coalition can lie and lie about the reasons they don't want a state commission of inquiry but behind all those lies is the truth - NETANYAHU IS RESPONSIBLE AND WILL GO HOME! Many of them have varying degrees of responsibility as well and will need to go home, both in the coalition and the opposition. And that is a very good thing. We will get rid of those responsible for October 7, make sure it can never happen again and wipe off a layer of politicians who have forgotten (if they ever remembered) that they serve the public and are there for the public, not for themselves. We are deserving of better leadership and most of them are not deserving of us. NONE OF US CAN STOP DEMANDING AN OFFICIAL, INDEPENDENT STATE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. AFTER GETTING THE HOSTAGES HOME, THIS IS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT THING TO BE DONE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STATE. THIS WILL DETERMINE NOT JUST WHO WERE ARE BUT WHO WE WANT TO BE!
- Cabinet meeting ends; decision on forming state commission of inquiry delayed by 3 months
A cabinet meeting ends after some four hours of discussions on potentially forming a state commission of inquiry into the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, Hebrew media reports.
The ministers decide to hold another meeting on the subject in 90 days.
The meeting was convened only due to a December 2024 ruling from the High Court of Justice, which ordered the government to hold a hearing on the establishment of a state commission of inquiry within 60 days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of establishing any inquiry before the end of the war, and critics have alleged he seeks to establish a panel with fewer powers than a state commission, fearing it would implicate him in the disaster.
Moshe Gafni, head of the Knesset Finance Committee, has told bereaved families urging a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7 invasion and slaughter that such a commission would mean the end of Benjamin Netanyahu’s prime ministership. A state commission is the most powerful investigative commission, and the only such body empowered to subpoena witnesses.
In remarks broadcast tonight by Channel 12 news from a meeting on Wednesday held by Gafni, of the ultra-Orthodox coalition party United Torah Judaism, he was asked by the families about his stance on the establishment of such a commission — which would be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice appointed by the current Supreme Court president — and which has been steadfastly opposed by Netanyahu.
Gafni is heard saying that those who oppose the establishment of a state inquiry imply that Israel’s top court bears responsibility for October 7 because they issued rulings “not to shoot and not to hit” — ostensibly hindering the fight against terrorism.
“That’s not true. The Supreme Court did not…,” says one of the participants.
Gafni stresses: “I’m not saying that it’s true.”
He goes on to say that in Netanyahu’s Likud party, they claim that since a judge would head a state inquiry, its result would be a foregone conclusion: “What a state commission of inquiry would mean is that Netanyahu goes home.”
Again, a participant responds, “Why would you say that? It’s not true?”
Gafni insists: “Because that’s the truth.”
A participant says: “Everyone has to tell the truth” before such a panel.
Says Gafni: “Let them.”
Says a participant: “Maybe that explains why they’re torpedoing a state commission of inquiry here. Because of the fear that he’ll [be required to] go home. Evidently, that’s the agenda.”
Says Gafni: “It’s good that you said that.”
He also tells the families that he doesn’t like the current coalition, but has “no alternative.” link Finally, we have a politician, a committee head and member of Netanyahu's coalition speak the truth out loud and it was recorded. Netanyahu and his cronies and everyone in the coalition can lie and lie about the reasons they don't want a state commission of inquiry but behind all those lies is the truth - NETANYAHU IS RESPONSIBLE AND WILL GO HOME! Many of them have varying degrees of responsibility as well and will need to go home, both in the coalition and the opposition. And that is a very good thing. We will get rid of those responsible for October 7, make sure it can never happen again and wipe off a layer of politicians who have forgotten (if they ever remembered) that they serve the public and are there for the public, not for themselves. We are deserving of better leadership and most of them are not deserving of us. NONE OF US CAN STOP DEMANDING AN OFFICIAL, INDEPENDENT STATE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. AFTER GETTING THE HOSTAGES HOME, THIS IS THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT THING TO BE DONE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STATE. THIS WILL DETERMINE NOT JUST WHO WERE ARE BUT WHO WE WANT TO BE!
A cabinet meeting ends after some four hours of discussions on potentially forming a state commission of inquiry into the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, Hebrew media reports.
The ministers decide to hold another meeting on the subject in 90 days.
The meeting was convened only due to a December 2024 ruling from the High Court of Justice, which ordered the government to hold a hearing on the establishment of a state commission of inquiry within 60 days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of establishing any inquiry before the end of the war, and critics have alleged he seeks to establish a panel with fewer powers than a state commission, fearing it would implicate him in the disaster.
The Region and the World
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Personal Stories **"I promise you I'll come home": The last conversation with hostage Elkana Bohbot and the 4-year-old boy who asks about him every day**
After more than a year in Hamas captivity, the family of Elkana Bohbot, who stayed behind to rescue partygoers at the Re'im music festival, shares the morning their lives turned into a nightmare. They also reveal information received from a hostage released during Operation "Arnon" and the horrifying video in which Elkana was documented alongside others. After choosing to remain out of the spotlight, they’ve decided to speak out, expressing anger that Elkana was not included in the first phase of the hostage deal: "I can’t stay silent anymore. Elkana is alive, and he won’t be left behind."
"Where’s Dad?" asks 4-and-a-half-year-old Ram, as he does almost every day, for 489 days now. "Is Dad in heaven?" he tries to understand. The question twists his mother Rebecca’s stomach, but she answers with a choked breath: "Your dad is kidnapped in Gaza." She never wanted to be in a position where she had to explain to a child not yet 5 years old what "kidnapped" means, but this has been her reality since October 7. Her husband Elkana was abducted from the party at Re'im after choosing to stay and help evacuate partygoers to safety.
**The last conversation with his wife was at 8:05 AM on October 7.**
Their last conversation was at 8:05 that morning. "There’s a bit of chaos here, I’m helping evacuate people," he told her. She warned him that this was bigger than just rockets, that there were white pickup trucks with terrorists, some dressed in IDF uniforms. "I promise you I’ll come home," he replied. It’s a promise he has yet to fulfill. An hour later, his phone was off, and by 10:00 AM, Hamas released a video showing Elkana in Gaza, injured in the face, bound, beaten, and terrified. The haunting look in his eyes as he stared into the camera is hard to forget. "Elkana is the biggest fighter I know, but when I saw that video and his terrified face, I understood he was in hell."
"When Ram asks when Dad will come back, I tell him I don’t know, but I want it to happen now," Rebecca shares. "I promise him that when Dad comes back, he’ll run to him first and hug him tight." In the meantime, Ram talks about the gift he wants to buy his father when he returns, and when he loses an eyelash, he makes just one wish—that Dad will come home. "Instead of getting excited about toys like a normal child," Rebecca says, "my son just wants his dad back."
**"If this isn’t humanitarian, what is?"**
Until now, the Bohbot family chose to keep a low profile. "There were various factors here who advised us not to go to the media to protect Elkana, so he wouldn’t become a celebrity," says his mother, Ruchama. "At first, we were in shock, and then we saw everything happening in the media, with all the families speaking out and crying out. Everyone chooses their own path. I respect that, but as a family, we decided together, after consulting, to stay quiet and protect Elkana."
After months of silence, the Bohbot family has decided to raise their voices, especially in light of the hostage deal that does not include Elkana in this phase. "I heard that the hostages who returned said they sometimes watched TV and listened to the radio," says Ruchama. "I thought to myself—wow, my son doesn’t hear us or see us. I don’t want him to think for a moment that we’re not working, and working very hard, to bring him back to us."
In recent weeks, after the list of 33 hostages to be released in the first phase was published, the family fought to include Elkana in the humanitarian deal. "The day they published the list," Ruchama recalls, "I just got up from the couch, stood in front of the TV, thought I wasn’t seeing clearly, and looked again. I searched for my son’s name and couldn’t find it."
The anger over Elkana’s exclusion from the list of released hostages is evident in her voice. "Elkana meets all the humanitarian criteria," his mother explains. "He’s almost 36, he’s a father to a young child, he’s asthmatic, and they broke his nose in captivity—you can see it in the video, and doctors confirmed it. If this isn’t humanitarian, what is?"
"I can’t stay silent anymore," Rebecca adds. "Not when I have a 4-and-a-half-year-old son who asks every day where his dad is. There’s international law that obligates the return of a father to his child. The State of Israel is also obligated to return this child’s father. It’s not just mothers who are humanitarian—fathers are too. Elkana is alive, and we won’t let him be left behind. I want my life back. I want my husband with me. I’m tired of taking sedatives."
He felt responsibility. He was a part of the party organization. Elkana and his wife, Rebecca
**The morning that changed everything**
Elkana Bohbot, who grew up in Mevaseret Zion, worked in the party and event production industry for many years. Together with his close friends, the Vaknin brothers, Oshri and Michael, he founded a production company in 2012. "After five years, he decided to leave," Rebecca recalls. "He wanted a more serious job, he met me, wanted to get married and settle down. I didn’t want to marry a party guy."
But the connection with Oshri and Michael remained, and ahead of the Nova festival, they reunited. "Four months before October 7, the production came up," Rebecca remembers. "They said it was going to be a huge party. Elkana was in meetings at night, juggling between this and his new business in Tel Aviv. They brought DJs from Japan, DJs from India, invested so much time. They couldn’t stop talking about how this party was going to open doors for them."
"Elkana is a lion, he is very strong", Rebecca Buhbut
On October 6, while Rebecca and Ram were staying at Elkana’s parents’ home in Mevaseret Zion, Elkana had already arrived at the party site for preparations. "On Friday afternoon, everything was still normal," Rebecca recounts. "He got to the party and started working. We managed to talk, wish each other a happy holiday, and everything was fine."
At 6:29 AM, the last track at the festival was cut off, and the music was replaced by red alert sirens. Ruchama, who was at home with Rebecca and Ram, quickly turned on the TV. "At first, I was worried about my grandson and daughter-in-law, closing the safe room, getting organized," she recalls. "Only later did I think—wait, Elkana is in the south, I didn’t know exactly where."
At 8:00 AM, she called him. "He told me, 'Mom, there’s a bit of chaos here. They need help. I’m just helping to evacuate people and then I’ll come home.' When my husband came back from synagogue, I told him, 'There’s chaos, it looks like war, but don’t worry—Elkana is on his way.'" A few minutes later, at 8:05 AM, his wife Rebecca spoke to him for the last time: "It was a 40-second conversation, a minute at most," she recalls. "It was quiet in the background, I don’t remember any noise. I explained to him what was happening, and he told me he’d come home. I remember he wanted to hang up and said, 'Let me go, I’m helping here.'"
Uriel, Elkana’s younger brother who lives in the U.S., was on the phone with their mother. "I told him, 'Uriel, go to sleep, it’s nighttime for you, everything’s fine, Elkana is on his way,'" Ruchama recalls. "He said, 'If he’s on his way, then get him on the phone for me.'" Moments later, as he began seeing reports of the attack on Telegram, he sent his brother message after message—"Where are you? What’s going on, answer me." He received no response and started calling all their mutual friends until one of them told him his brother had been kidnapped. "I said, 'What do you mean?' I didn’t understand."
"I begged for a single deal" - Elkana, Rebecca and their son Ram
**"We didn’t know what 'kidnapped' meant."**
It wasn’t until 12:00 PM that the horrific video reached the family. One of Elkana’s friends, who managed to escape the party with his wife, was the first to inform the family of the kidnapping. "Later, we realized that many friends had seen the video as early as 10:00 AM," Rebecca says, "but no one could bring themselves to tell us."
Another friend of Elkana’s said he tried to convince him to evacuate with him and the DJs to Kibbutz Sa’ad, but Elkana refused. "He wouldn’t leave Oshri and Michael," Rebecca says. "They’re his best friends." Together, they stayed at the site to help with the evacuation and guide people out. "He felt responsible, he was part of the production, he knew the area. He could have escaped, but he stayed—and now he’s in hell."
The twin brothers Oshri and Michael Vaknin were murdered by the terrorists that morning. Michael was found in an open area, and Oshri was found in a burned car. "They were like family to us, and he was like family to them," Ruchama says in a choked voice. "I don’t know if he knows they were killed. We don’t know what he knows."
In the kidnapping video, Elkana is seen bound in a dark room with four other young men who were abducted with him: Almog Meir Jan, Bar Kuperstein, Avitar David, and Guy Gelboim-Dalal. "We didn’t understand what the term 'kidnapped' meant in those moments," Ruchama recalls. Rebecca and David watched the video, but the mother refused: "I wouldn’t watch it. I just wanted to know he was okay, that he was standing on his feet. That was our sign of life from him—that he was walking, even though his face was smashed."
They smashed up his face
**Months later, when Almog Meir Jan was rescued from captivity during Operation "Arnon," he shared with the family the details of those horrifying moments. "He was sitting in the pickup truck on the way to Gaza, and Elkana was put in the trunk," Ruchama recounts. "They were taken into a room for just a few seconds for the video, and then they were separated. He didn’t even exchange a word with him." Almog noted that Elkana was healthy and intact, but he hasn’t seen him since.**
**"They advised us to keep a low profile."**
In the Bohbot family home, photos of Elkana are present in every corner. Ruchama talks to him every evening and morning through the photo by her bed. "But it’s not enough," she says. "I want to see the photo of him hugging his son and wife." The TV in the living room is always on, and the mother doesn’t miss any updates: "I can’t disconnect. Every report is important to me."
"I want to see the picture of him hugging his son"
Unlike other hostage families, the Bohbot family chose not to participate in large protests. "Once, I stood near the Prime Minister’s residence," Ruchama shares. "I went with my son because he was worried about me. A woman stopped me and said, 'Because of you, my son is fighting in Gaza.' It really hurt me." Instead, she found solace in the quiet protest of mothers: "It’s a bit more calming for me, no heart palpitations. Only people in my situation can understand me, and I can understand them. When we laugh, it’s okay because we’re allowed to, and when we cry—that’s okay too because we’re allowed to."
The choice to remain silent also stemmed from advice they received. "Everyone who sat and talked with us advised us to keep a low profile," Ruchama says, though she asks not to elaborate: "I don’t think that just because a family made more noise, their son or daughter is on the list or in this phase." Rebecca agrees: "Every family has its own way. There’s no place to judge anyone. No family has given up on their loved one. Each has its own strategy."
David, Elkana’s father, speaks with pain about the partial deals and phased releases: "From the beginning, I begged everyone—please, make one deal. It’s for everyone’s benefit." He has met with senior officials several times, always in groups with other hostage families. "I’ve been in meetings with Herzog, Netanyahu, Gantz, Eisenkot, and Gallant. They all answered in generalities and said the same thing: We’ll make an effort, we’ll release everyone."
Ram says "Aba (dad) lives inside of me" - Rebecca and her son with the hostage sign of Elkana
**"The child needs answers."**
Rebecca’s daily reality is flooded with pain, worry, and Ram’s endless questions. At first, she tried to avoid explaining the word "kidnapped," but his questions didn’t stop. "If I don’t give him answers, he says, 'Dad lives inside me,'" she shares. "A child needs answers. With all the difficulty and pain, I had to tell him the truth—that his dad is kidnapped in Gaza. It’s very sad that I’ve reached a point where I have to explain to a 4-and-a-half-year-old what that means, but that’s our reality. Lately, I can tell you that every day my son asks about his dad and says things he remembers about him."
"Everyday, my son asks about his father"
In recent weeks, as hostages begin to return home after about 15 months in Hamas captivity, the Bohbot family holds its breath. "First of all, I was very happy that the girls are home," Ruchama shares. "From the beginning, I said—listen, this is my son, it hurts me, but I ask that you first release the children, the girls, the mothers, and the soldiers."
"Every person who comes out is a world unto themselves," says David. "Everyone cares about their son, grandfather, and sister, and I have no complaints against anyone. But we want our son too. I also want to hug my son. Every time people are released, it gets closer." But the joy of each release is accompanied by fear: "I just pray there won’t be some explosion and we’ll have to start this movie all over again. The deal must not stop until the last hostage is brought home. Too much time has passed, and everyone is suffering."
**"He has a reason to stay strong."**
Elkana, the family says, is a person with inner strength who always manages to connect with people. They have hope that this is how he’s surviving in captivity. "He has a reason to stay strong," says his father, David. "He loves life, his family. He still has so much to give." Ruchama adds: "I know my son. If someone needs help, he’ll help even at a personal cost. That’s his character."
"I had to tell him the truth that Abba is a hostage in Gaza"
Elkana and his brother Uriel, despite a three-and-a-half-year age gap, are especially close. "He’s like my twin," Uriel says. "We have the same friends, the same hobbies, the same mindset. We’d talk four or five times a day, we could stay on the line for an hour without talking." These days, as Uriel himself has become a father, the pain of Elkana’s absence intensifies: "I had a child, and Elkana has no idea. We always laughed, and he’d say to me, 'Wait until you have a kid.' I miss him teasing me now that I have a baby."
"We know he’s alive, I feel him," Uriel says. "Elkana is a lion, he’s a very strong person mentally. It’s easy for me to say because he’s my brother, but really, all his friends would testify that he’s very strong mentally. And he’s very beloved by people. I want to believe he’s the most loved hostage there. He’s a people person." But the worry doesn’t let up: "When I brush my teeth, shower, eat—every second he crosses my mind: What’s happening to him? There are days of lows, you imagine crazy things and don’t want to believe it’s true. I want to believe he’s playing backgammon with the guards, maybe talking to them, trying to pass the time as best he can."
Rebecca already imagines the moment Elkana returns to her: "I’ll tell him I got Ram a dog, he really wanted one, and I always opposed it," she smiles. "But mostly, we’ll give him the space and time he needs. I don’t want to ask questions, just tell him he’s in a safe place, and we’re starting over. To tell him I’ve understood the true meaning of my life—my husband, my child, and the family that will grow with more brothers and sisters."
Uriel also runs through the scenario of his brother’s return in his head. "He’ll probably want to know what really happened because they’ve probably created some kind of narrative for them there, and the way I know my brother—he doesn’t believe anything, he only believes what he sees with his own eyes, not what they tell him." Until then, his message to Elkana is clear: "He should know we’re doing everything to get him out of there as quickly as possible. This nightmare will end, and it will be like being born again. I’m waiting for that new birth. It will be a rebirth for me too."
For now, in the Bohbot family home, Ram continues to wait for his father. Every fallen eyelash is a wish, every memory is a treasure, and every day begins and ends with the same hope—that Dad will come home. "I want to tell Elkana that we’re waiting," Ruchama says in a trembling voice, "to stay patient, to stay strong for the whole family. Everyone here is working hard for him, waiting for him, and loving him. It’s going to happen soon. Stay strong." link
Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages
We Are All HostagesOrna BanaiActress.
On the 7th of October we were humiliated. We were humiliated by Hamas who dealt us a strong blow, a blow that killed and murdered thousands of us and injured thousands more, both physically and psychologically.There are those responsible for this horrific failure; responsible on the military level and on the political level.The military leadership took responsibility. Benjamin Netanyahu and his horrific government did not.When I realized, on October 7th, the dimensions of the disaster that had befallen us, a disaster of biblical proportions, I said to myself: What a terrible price, what an unimaginable price we have paid because of a government headed by a man who is responsible for the gravest dereliction of duty in Israel's history.And that's it, I thought naively, it's over. Now he will go, leave our lives, there is no other option. I never imagined that he would stay, that he would continue to run the battered and bloody country we have turned into. A man without an ounce of shame or remorse, is he the one who will be responsible for the restoration of our shattered nation? Will he be responsible for bringing home over two hundred hostages from Gaza? Will he lead? Will he manage the war with our heroic soldiers? The man who made it his goal to save only himself and his family, and as far as he is concerned, the country can go up in flames?So, yes. Unfathomable and improbable as it may seem, he has not gone; he is still here and my beloved country is on fire.For over nine months we have been living in a horrendous reality. We are being abused by a cruel and unscrupulous government. We weep, we hurt, we have trouble sleeping, we have trouble breathing. Wonderful and good soldiers die and are wounded in body and soul, and over a hundred and twenty hostages are still rotting in captivity!Today it is common knowledge that Netanyahu sabotages negotiations for the return of the hostages, the result of despicable political motives.On the morning of June 8th, when four hostages were rescued from captivity in a heroic operation by the Israel Defense Forces, Netanyahu hastened to take pictures with them in the hospitals. What a coward and a cynic is the man who until now has not bothered, or does not dare, to visit the families of those murdered and taken hostage, rotting in Hamas captivity.That morning, when news of the return of our brothers and sister from captivity was announced, people burst into tears of relief and happiness. Most of the people in our country want a deal, want the hostages alive! At home! And there are also those who don't, and their names are Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strook; people whose worldview is not much different from the worldview of Hamas. They too, like Hamas, sanctify death, revenge and land - not life, humanity and peace.And there is Benjamin Netanyahu. He doesn't want a deal for one simple reason: His continued rule is more important to him than anything else.The Emperor has no clothes. The Emperor is a criminal. We have no choice but to depose him. We are fighting for our lives.We are all hostages!Our brothers and sisters, some of whom are no longer alive, were abducted to Gaza, and we, the citizens, are being held hostage by a dangerous dictator.But we can be saved. We have a chance. We have no choice but to continue protesting and demonstrating with all our might. Until he goes. Until he goes, and sanity is restored.
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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