🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 521, 2023 - March 10, 2025 🎗️
🎗️Day 521 that 59 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!אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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Hostage Updates
Hostages’ families distribute Purim parcels to MKs containing single pita and quote from Eli Sharabi
In a bid to raise attention to the plight of the hostages held in Gaza, lawmakers in the Knesset receive a package to mark the upcoming festival of Purim containing single pita bread and a fridge magnet with a quote by freed hostage Eli Sharabi.
At Purim, Jews traditionally exchange mishloach manot — baskets of treats — with friends and family.
The packages for the lawmakers to highlight the terrible conditions the hostages are being held in were an initiative by relatives of captives.
The parcels, tied with a yellow ribbon, contain the bread and a magnet with an image of Sharabi and his comment in a recent interview that “people should really think when they open a fridge at home, it’s everything. It’s everything to open a fridge.”
Sharabi, whose wife Lianne and two teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel were murdered at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, was released under the hostage-ceasefire deal last month.
He was released emaciated, having lost roughly 66 pounds during his captivity.
Sharabi has quickly joined the campaign for the release of the remaining hostages, giving a harrowing interview with Channel 12’s “Uvda” investigative program about his time in Hamas’s Gaza tunnels.
Eli Sharabi is interviewed on Channel 12’s “Uvda” program, in a segment aired on February 27, 2025. (Channel 12/screenshot)- Liri Albag recalls Gaza ‘hell,’ pain of knowing those against hostage deal would ‘sacrifice’ her - full article below in 'Personal Stories'
- Jerusalem surprised by White House hostage envoy saying US not acting on Israel’s behalf in talks
Senior Israeli officials were surprised to hear US hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s comments today that the US is not “an agent of Israel,” an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.
Boehler appeared on CNN defending his direct talks with Hamas terror group officials after the revelation of the US side channel sparked a tense conversation between him and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
“I understand the consternation and the concern. I wasn’t upset,” he said of the dialogue with Dermer. “At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
Deal with Hamas possible within weeks, US envoy Boehler says, but ‘it’s not like Hamas got the world because I thought they were a bunch of nice guys’
US hostage envoy Adam Boehler defends his direct talks with Hamas terror group officials, amid private but intense criticism from Jerusalem, saying, “We’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel.”
Boehler, who held several secret meetings with Hamas before Israel learned about it and the talks were leaked to the press, also claims that a deal to release all of the hostages could be reached within weeks. “It was a very helpful meeting,” he says.
Boehler is asked on CNN what it was like for him, as a Jewish American, to sit down with “antisemitic murderers.” In response, he says that his job requires him to have dialogue “with anybody, and that includes a lot of people that I would classify as not so good people, to help other Americans.”
Sitting with people like Hamas, he goes on, when “you know what they’ve done, it’s hard not to think of it.” However, that’s not “the most productive” approach, he says. “The most productive [approach] is to realize that every piece of a person is a human and to identify with the human elements of those people and then build from there. But it definitely feels a little odd knowing what they really are.”
He confirms that “of course” President Donald Trump signed off on his talks with Hamas ahead of time.
He says he understands why Israel might be upset over the talks, saying he has spoken to Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer about the contacts.
“I do understand” why the Israelis might be upset, he says. “I spoke with Ron, and I’m sympathetic. He has someone that he doesn’t know well, making direct contact with Hamas. Maybe I would see them and say, ‘Look, they don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us. They’re pretty nice guys’,” Boehler says, apparently referring to Hamas.
“He doesn’t know me, and there are big stakes,” Boehler says of Dermer. “He lives in a country where, if it sets certain precedents, then it will hurt or help a lot of other people.”
Therefore, “I understand the consternation and the concern. I wasn’t upset. At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play. We did communicate back and forth. We had very specific parameters which we [followed],” Boehler says.
What he wanted to do, he says, “is jumpstart some negotiations that were in a very fragile place.”
He adds that he “wanted to say to Hamas, What is the endgame that you want here? Not the dream endgame, but what do you think is realistic at this point.”
But he says Israel does not think that his interaction with Hamas will sway the talks against Israel.
“Israel knows walking out of that, that it’s not like Hamas got the world because I thought they were a bunch of nice guys,” he says.
Speaking of chances for a breakthrough following the meetings, Boehler says, “Something could come together within weeks. There is enough there to make a deal between what Hamas wants and what they’ve accepted, and what Israel wants and it’s accepted.”
“I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans,” he adds. Hamas says the talks with the US are centered on only those hostage holding American citizenship.
He takes a moment to recognize the American hostages, but mispronounces the name of Edan Alexander, the sole living American hostage, as Adi.
“With respect to the Hamas situation, I do think there’s hope. I think that Israel has done a wonderful, masterful job eliminating Hamas, Hezbollah, a number of other enemies that makes things possible that weren’t possible before,” Boehler adds.
“You could see something like a long-term truce where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree that they’re not part of the political party going forward. I think that’s a reality that’s real close,” he says.
Asked if he’ll meet Hamas again, Boehler responds, “You never know. Sometimes you’re in the area, and you drop by.”
Israel ‘held discussions’ with White House in wake of US hostage envoy’s TV interviews, source says
Israel “held discussions” last night with White House officials in the wake of US hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s interviews on US and Israeli TV yesterday, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.
Boehler yesterday defended his direct talks with officials in the Hamas terror group, pushing back against private but intense criticism from Jerusalem. Some of Boehler’s remarks further annoyed senior Israeli officials, who told The Times of Israel they were surprised to hear the envoy comment that the US is “not an agent of Israel.”
Some Israeli officials believe that Boehler went on television to send a pointed message to Israel.
After his evening interviews on Israel’s leading TV outlets and the Israeli conversations with Washington, Boehler issued a post on X clarifying some of his statements.
Among a number of missteps yesterday, Boehler sometimes appeared to refer to Palestinian security prisoners as hostages; called Israeli hostages “prisoners”; talked about the “human elements” of Hamas leaders; critiqued Israel for accepting the term of the ceasefire deal with Hamas; stressed that the US is “not an agent of Israel”; and intermittently contradicted himself. link The main issue and in fact the only real issue is that Netanyahu is not willing to give up his control over negotiations. He is fearful that the US will come up with a deal that includes ending the war and then force him to take the deal, something that he has fought since the beginning because it goes against his self interests. His self interests are always the first consideration for him and not the hostages' lives.
Hamas spokesman says conditions for second stage of deal haven’t changed
In an interview aired by al Jazeera early Sunday morning, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem says that the terror group is sticking to its conditions for a second phase to the ceasefire with Israel — a hostage-prisoner exchange, Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and a guarantee of no return to war, stressing that Hamas “rejects extending the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.”
Qassem says he does not “rule out the possibility of meeting with representatives of the US administration.”
“Hamas understands that Washington has the ability to pressure” Israel on these conditions, he adds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced late Saturday that he would send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an attempt to move negotiations forward; meanwhile there have been unprecedented direct talks between Hamas leaders and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler in recent weeks, apparently focused on hostages with US citizenship.
According to Qassem, Hamas “does not mind the release of Israeli prisoners with American citizenship,” but adds that it will be “within a comprehensive agreement.” link What everyone needs to understand is exactly this message from Hamas. My brother has been negotiating with Hamas for 18 years and he learned very early that Hamas' bottom line does not change. There may be interim issues that could be somewhat flexible, such as how many Palestinian prisoners per hostage or timing or types of prisoners or amount of hostages to be released, but the end remains the same. And Hamas' end, their bottom line is no deal without an end to the war. Netanyahu plays his game of saying that he has Hamas against the wall and can make a better deal such as extending Phase 1 but it's all bullshit, but Netanyahu doesn't care. He is fully willing to sacrifice the lives of all the living hostages left.
Our only hope for a hostage deal lies with Steve Witkoff who is going to Doha for the negotiations. I doubt that Witkoff would be going if he didn't think that he could close a deal. The most absurd thing is that Witkoff's participation in the talks is probably the only reason that Netanyahu gave the green light for our negotiating team to go to Doha. He is a disgrace!
‘We’re looking to White House’ after Israel left our sons in Gaza, mother of hostage says
Hundreds of protestors are continuing to hold a sit-in outside Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, after protesters camped out at the site overnight as part of a campaign to pressure the government to make a deal to free all the remaining hostages.
Protestors take shifts, some spending the night in tents on the street, others join in the morning and afternoon.
The protestors, who man the vigil in shifts, are joined by protesters from the female-led movement Shift 101, including Einav Zangauker, Anat Angrest and Viki Cohen, all of them mothers of hostage men who accuse the country of abandoning their sons.
“Today, we find ourselves with our eyes on the White House,” says Angrest, mother of hostage soldier Matan Angrest. “Here, across from the Defense Ministry, I ask what soldiers will go to war, what mothers — like us, will send their children if they know that if they will fall into captivity, the state will leave them there. Our children, Matan [Zangauker] and Nimrod [Cohen] were left behind and the state doesn’t even speak to us about a plan to bring them back. We will entrench ourselves in every kind of protest there is, until the prime minister will understand that there is no other path to a complete victory, only with the return of the hostages,” she says.
Viki Cohen, the mother of Nimrod Cohen, another soldier who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023 after battling on the Gaza border, asks, “how could it be that the state of Israel abandoned [Nimrod] when he was fighting in a broken tank and continues to abandon him until today. Our longing has grown and we’re exhausted from this journey, we’ve said everything, we’ve pleaded, we’ve met with everyone possible — and there’s no one to listen to us. The government doesn’t listen — you do listen. Remember that our soldiers are our children, and we the mothers don’t give up.”
Macabit Meir, aunt of hostage twins Ziv and Gali Berman, says that the family doesn’t know what to expect from the Israeli negotiating team leaving Monday for Doha, but fears that only some hostages may be included in whatever deal they hash out.
- Father of former hostage says US Jewish groups shrank from fight for their release
American Jewish organizations have failed the Israeli hostages by not sufficiently advocating on their behalf so as not to clash with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the father of released American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen maintains.
“History will also not look kindly on some, not all, of the leaderships of major Jewish organizations, in North America certainly,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen tells The Jerusalem Post in an interview, calling out the Jewish organizations’ “inability, unwillingness, or fear” to advocate for the hostages if it means crossing the Israeli government.
Without naming any specific organizations, Dekel-Chen says American Jewish groups should have “put the force, such as it is, of the Jewish organizational world behind prioritizing getting these hostages home above all else.”
Jewish organizations should have made clear that freeing hostages “is an irrefutable Jewish value.”
“The abandonment of that principle in favor of anything – turf wars, fear of anger from within their own communities, and their own positions in leadership, I think is an embarrassment,” he says.
“In a perfect world, the biggest single advocate for the hostages, in action and not just lip service, would be the government of Israel. That simply hasn’t happened,” he laments. “As a result, hostage families themselves have had to take it on.”
“Speaking as a historian of the Jewish people, history will not judge these leaders well for what they have already done and for what I fear they might continue to do,” Dekel-Chen says.
"There's a chance they will never be found": The murdered women still held captive
Inbar Hyman, Judy Weinstein Hagai, and Ofra Kedar, whom the state declared murdered, remain in captivity — and as time passes, fears grow that they may vanish forever. "She could end up like Ron Arad," says Ofra’s son, while Inbar’s father insists: "In another reality, she’d be standing at every protest until the hostages returned." Judy’s daughter can’t comprehend how her mother became a bargaining chip.
At the end of Phase 1 of the hostage deal, three women remain in captivity: Inbar Hyman, Judy Weinstein Hagai, and Ofra Kedar — a student and two grandmothers left behind. "Had things been different, Inbar would likely be standing at every protest junction, refusing to rest until the hostages came home. She was principled, opinionated, and full of love for people. Her life was filled with action and giving," explained her father, Haim Hyman.
Inbar Hyman**Inbar Hyman**
Inbar, who studied visual communication at WIZO Haifa, was supposed to graduate last year. "We were invited to a graduate exhibition. There were works by many alumni, including Inbar, but they left a blank wall for her. Art was her life. Inbar was a child of nature who hiked the Israel Trail. We need to bury her in the soil she loved so much."
Haim Hyman, Inbar's fatherThe families of Inbar, Judy, and Ofra received confirmation their loved ones were murdered on October 7, 2023, and were abducted as victims. "We’re in a kind of limbo," said Iris Weinstein Hagai, Judy’s daughter. "There’s no forensic evidence, and the psychological terror in our minds says, ‘Until she’s home, I can’t be sure.’ Maybe she’s still there, waiting for us to rescue her? We’re stuck between worlds, relying on intelligence, and envying those who’ve buried their loved ones."
Iris and Zohar, Judy Weinstein Hagai's daughters**Judy Weinstein Hagai**
Gadi z"l and Judy z"l
Judy was murdered after witnessing her husband, Gadi Hagai, being killed. "It’s hard to separate my mother from my father. She moved here from Canada, fell in love with kibbutz life. She was the gentlest, happiest person, my moral compass. She taught mindfulness in schools near Nir Oz to help children build resilience. She’d just retired and was about to start her dream job — teaching mindfulness through puppet theater. Every morning, she wrote a haiku and posted it on Facebook. Then she and my dad would walk the fields... that’s how they were abducted." **Ofra Kedar**
Ofra and her grandchildrenOfra, likely the first victim murdered from Kibbutz Be’eri during her morning walk, "was two kilometers from the kibbutz," her son Oren recounted. "The militants at 7 a.m., before even reaching Be’eri, killed her. They probably took her body on their way back. Part of me has accepted she may never be found. I imagine the moment when an officer calls and says, ‘Come to Abu Kabir, we found your mom.’ But I know there’s a chance she’ll never be recovered."
Oren believes his mother would tell him to stop dwelling on the past. "She was positive, never one to hold grudges." Ofra worked as a dairy farmer for 40 years, tending to calves. "She wasn’t a warm, hugging mom — she was practical. She always said she didn’t like kisses, but did everything for us. We have a sister, Yael, with special needs. Despite being told Yael would never communicate, my parents insisted, driving her weekly from Be’eri to Jerusalem. Now Yael writes, reads, and speaks — all because of Mom’s spirit."
Even during the massacre, Ofra stayed true to herself. "My brother recorded their last conversation. She thought the attackers were Bedouins here to loot. She yelled, ‘Stop it already!’ She was in her own world. We must prioritize bringing back the living before the dead, but I fear she’ll end up like Ron Arad, her grave unknown."
**"A failure that women remain captive"**
"The fact that women are still held in Gaza is a failure," declared Haim Hyman. "Hostages remaining after a year and a half is unconscionable. Phase 2 faces hurdles, and I have no solutions. Our real fear is Inbar disappearing forever. We can’t hug or heal her — we’d settle for burying her coffin to begin healing ourselves. This grief deepens with time. Losing a child is the worst pain, and not being able to bury them is inhuman."
"I’m filled with anger," Iris Weinstein Hagai added. "From Nir Oz, Shiri and Dana [neighbors killed] were my friends. Why weren’t all women on the list? What kind of monsters keep women’s bodies as bargaining chips? I want to visit my mother’s grave on Memorial Day — assuming she’s truly gone. My daughter recently asked, ‘How do you know they’re dead if there’s no grave?’ My mom was 70, weighed 45 kg — the smallest person — yet they keep her as leverage? The state doesn’t grasp the importance of returning victims. It’s easier to erase 35 souls." link
Hamas's proposal for a "hudna" (truce), and the words of Trump's envoy: "We need to understand their position to negotiate"
In a series of interviews, Adam Boehler revealed the proposal Hamas presented to the U.S., which includes a ceasefire for five to ten years. In response to Israeli anger over the contacts, he said: "Dermer is angry? I don’t really care." However, the direct negotiations might have been a tactic aimed at convincing Hamas to agree to the "Wittkoff framework" – the release of Edan Alexander and nine other hostages who are suffering from torture.
The U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, revealed today (Sunday) Hamas's proposals during the direct talks he held with its senior officials – hinting that the U.S. does not rule out a "hudna" between the terror organization and Israel for several years. From the interviews he conducted, it appears that the statement attributed to an Israeli source, claiming that his contacts with Hamas to release American hostages had failed, was true in a certain sense.
David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador during Trump's first term, sharply criticized Boehler's decision to speak directly with Hamas. In a tweet, he wrote: "Last week, President Trump brilliantly presented Hamas with a binary option – release all the hostages and surrender, or be destroyed. That is the only way to end the war."
"If I understood correctly what Adam Boehler said in his interviews today, he took an unprecedented step of meeting with Hamas to consider a third option – whether a deal can be reached where Hamas 'would be involved' in managing Gaza," Friedman added. "A deal with Hamas is a waste of time and will never be upheld. Attempting to reach one is beneath the dignity of the United States. Adam, I know you mean well – but listen to your boss. The choice must remain binary."
However, the meetings with Hamas might actually be an "American exercise" – aimed at convincing Hamas to agree to the "Wittkoff framework," which calls for the release of ten living hostages (including Edan Alexander and nine others) in exchange for 60 days of ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is why the Israeli delegation was called to Doha – to hold talks on the framework proposed by the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Wittkoff.
According to the framework, ten hostages who are suffering from torture will be released, based on testimonies. As part of the "exercise," Washington demanded the release of American hostages as a pretext, or cover, for the release of all hostages. In practice, Hamas made unreasonable demands for the release of Edan Alexander, which it was clear Israel would not agree to – hence the direct negotiations failed.
In an interview with "Kan," Envoy Boehler said that Hamas "proposed a deal that includes the release of all hostages and prisoners, as well as a five to ten-year ceasefire, during which Hamas would disarm, and the U.S. would assist with other countries to ensure there are no more tunnels, no more military activity, and that Hamas would no longer be involved in politics from now on." He did not rule out the possibility that all hostages could be released soon: "If I’m optimistic, I’d say weeks."
In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Boehler did not rule out holding additional meetings with Hamas, adding that "something could happen regarding Gaza and the hostages within weeks" – without elaborating. However, he also claimed: "I think all the hostages could be released, not just the Americans." His remarks come after an "Israeli official" claimed that "no progress" had been made in those talks.
Boehler, who has recently been leading direct contacts on behalf of the U.S. with the terror organization, also addressed in an interview the fact that Israel is unhappy with the White House engaging with Hamas. "I understand why the Israelis are angry, but we are the United States – we are not agents of Israel, and we have our own interests." He said that the meetings with Hamas representatives "were approved by President Donald Trump, and they were very helpful in advancing the release of the hostages."
In the direct contacts between Boehler and Hamas representatives, the U.S. asked the organization to release Edan Alexander as a "gesture," as Trump said his release is a top priority. Boehler said that "the meetings were very helpful," while senior Hamas official Taher al-Nono said on the organization's Al-Aqsa channel that he is "ready to release the hostage Edan Alexander as part of the talks to end the war." Additionally, Boehler said this evening about the talks with Hamas that "we need to understand their position to negotiate."
"Together with Israel, we can target Iran's nuclear capabilities"
In another interview with American television, this time with Fox News, Boehler expanded on the contacts with Hamas: "The talks were very productive. My goal is to release hostages, and I focused on our living hostage, Edan Alexander, and the four American casualties – to bring them home as soon as possible. This is very important to President Trump."
He added, "We also discussed what the end might look like, and I can say that Hamas is aiming for a long-term ceasefire, in their words. We talked about a ceasefire that includes Hamas disarming, a ceasefire where they would not be part of the political policy, a ceasefire where we would ensure they cannot harm Israel. Part of this includes rebuilding Gaza."
A few days ago, it was reported that following the direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas, Minister Ron Dermer "raged with anger" at Boehler during a tense phone call. In the U.S., they did not appreciate that Israel "went after" Boehler, and the envoy and the minister held a difficult conversation. Sources who spoke with Boehler in recent days heard his anger after that call.
Regarding the nature of relations with Israel, the envoy said that "Israel was updated" (on the talks): "I held discussions with Ron (Dermer), he raised concerns, and it’s fair for Israel to have concerns if the U.S. is holding direct talks with Hamas. I think I managed to reassure him." He was asked about the possibility that the U.S. would "lose interest" in the hostages if and when the American hostages are released, and said: "I spoke with the President about this, and he was clear that it’s about all the hostages. My role is to bring all the hostages home."
Boehler addressed the tension in relations this evening in an interview with network news, saying: "I don’t really care about that. I understand Dermer's concerns. This is an independent country, where large numbers of hostages are exchanged. We wouldn’t do this deal in the U.S. So I respect and understand his position. However, we also have our own interests. We believe and hope that some of these interactions could expedite matters. If it were a big deal every time Dermer got a little upset... we’ll work together again. I’m not offended because I think he did what he was supposed to do."
In conclusion of the Fox interview, Boehler was asked about the deadline and the threat from President Trump to Hamas, and replied: "He didn’t set a deadline. It might seem like the President is making empty threats – until he fulfills them, and then you’re dead. The President did the same thing with Iran – it’s not complicated for us to cooperate with Israel and target their nuclear capabilities, and that’s probably what needs to be done."
Rubi Chen, the father of soldier Itai Chen who was murdered and abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7, addressed Boehler's meetings with Hamas and criticized the government and its leader: "The Prime Minister explained that he replaced the negotiation team with Dermer, who 'understands Americans.' It’s possible that the Americans understand Israelis better than Dermer and Bibi understand the Americans." According to Chen, "The U.S. realized it needed to initiate a move to push for the release of the remaining 59 hostages. My family supports Boehler, who has the authority to meet with any party and bring about the release of hostages." link
Hostage Updates
Hostages’ families distribute Purim parcels to MKs containing single pita and quote from Eli Sharabi
In a bid to raise attention to the plight of the hostages held in Gaza, lawmakers in the Knesset receive a package to mark the upcoming festival of Purim containing single pita bread and a fridge magnet with a quote by freed hostage Eli Sharabi.
At Purim, Jews traditionally exchange mishloach manot — baskets of treats — with friends and family.
The packages for the lawmakers to highlight the terrible conditions the hostages are being held in were an initiative by relatives of captives.
The parcels, tied with a yellow ribbon, contain the bread and a magnet with an image of Sharabi and his comment in a recent interview that “people should really think when they open a fridge at home, it’s everything. It’s everything to open a fridge.”
Sharabi, whose wife Lianne and two teenage daughters Noiya and Yahel were murdered at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, was released under the hostage-ceasefire deal last month.
He was released emaciated, having lost roughly 66 pounds during his captivity.
Sharabi has quickly joined the campaign for the release of the remaining hostages, giving a harrowing interview with Channel 12’s “Uvda” investigative program about his time in Hamas’s Gaza tunnels.
Eli Sharabi is interviewed on Channel 12’s “Uvda” program, in a segment aired on February 27, 2025. (Channel 12/screenshot)- Liri Albag recalls Gaza ‘hell,’ pain of knowing those against hostage deal would ‘sacrifice’ her - full article below in 'Personal Stories'
- Jerusalem surprised by White House hostage envoy saying US not acting on Israel’s behalf in talks
Senior Israeli officials were surprised to hear US hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s comments today that the US is not “an agent of Israel,” an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.
Boehler appeared on CNN defending his direct talks with Hamas terror group officials after the revelation of the US side channel sparked a tense conversation between him and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
“I understand the consternation and the concern. I wasn’t upset,” he said of the dialogue with Dermer. “At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play.”
Deal with Hamas possible within weeks, US envoy Boehler says, but ‘it’s not like Hamas got the world because I thought they were a bunch of nice guys’
US hostage envoy Adam Boehler defends his direct talks with Hamas terror group officials, amid private but intense criticism from Jerusalem, saying, “We’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel.”
Boehler, who held several secret meetings with Hamas before Israel learned about it and the talks were leaked to the press, also claims that a deal to release all of the hostages could be reached within weeks. “It was a very helpful meeting,” he says.
Boehler is asked on CNN what it was like for him, as a Jewish American, to sit down with “antisemitic murderers.” In response, he says that his job requires him to have dialogue “with anybody, and that includes a lot of people that I would classify as not so good people, to help other Americans.”
Sitting with people like Hamas, he goes on, when “you know what they’ve done, it’s hard not to think of it.” However, that’s not “the most productive” approach, he says. “The most productive [approach] is to realize that every piece of a person is a human and to identify with the human elements of those people and then build from there. But it definitely feels a little odd knowing what they really are.”
He confirms that “of course” President Donald Trump signed off on his talks with Hamas ahead of time.
He says he understands why Israel might be upset over the talks, saying he has spoken to Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer about the contacts.
“I do understand” why the Israelis might be upset, he says. “I spoke with Ron, and I’m sympathetic. He has someone that he doesn’t know well, making direct contact with Hamas. Maybe I would see them and say, ‘Look, they don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us. They’re pretty nice guys’,” Boehler says, apparently referring to Hamas.
“He doesn’t know me, and there are big stakes,” Boehler says of Dermer. “He lives in a country where, if it sets certain precedents, then it will hurt or help a lot of other people.”
Therefore, “I understand the consternation and the concern. I wasn’t upset. At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play. We did communicate back and forth. We had very specific parameters which we [followed],” Boehler says.
What he wanted to do, he says, “is jumpstart some negotiations that were in a very fragile place.”
He adds that he “wanted to say to Hamas, What is the endgame that you want here? Not the dream endgame, but what do you think is realistic at this point.”
But he says Israel does not think that his interaction with Hamas will sway the talks against Israel.
“Israel knows walking out of that, that it’s not like Hamas got the world because I thought they were a bunch of nice guys,” he says.
Speaking of chances for a breakthrough following the meetings, Boehler says, “Something could come together within weeks. There is enough there to make a deal between what Hamas wants and what they’ve accepted, and what Israel wants and it’s accepted.”
“I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans,” he adds. Hamas says the talks with the US are centered on only those hostage holding American citizenship.
He takes a moment to recognize the American hostages, but mispronounces the name of Edan Alexander, the sole living American hostage, as Adi.
“With respect to the Hamas situation, I do think there’s hope. I think that Israel has done a wonderful, masterful job eliminating Hamas, Hezbollah, a number of other enemies that makes things possible that weren’t possible before,” Boehler adds.
“You could see something like a long-term truce where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree that they’re not part of the political party going forward. I think that’s a reality that’s real close,” he says.
Asked if he’ll meet Hamas again, Boehler responds, “You never know. Sometimes you’re in the area, and you drop by.”
Israel ‘held discussions’ with White House in wake of US hostage envoy’s TV interviews, source says
Israel “held discussions” last night with White House officials in the wake of US hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s interviews on US and Israeli TV yesterday, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.
Boehler yesterday defended his direct talks with officials in the Hamas terror group, pushing back against private but intense criticism from Jerusalem. Some of Boehler’s remarks further annoyed senior Israeli officials, who told The Times of Israel they were surprised to hear the envoy comment that the US is “not an agent of Israel.”
Some Israeli officials believe that Boehler went on television to send a pointed message to Israel.
After his evening interviews on Israel’s leading TV outlets and the Israeli conversations with Washington, Boehler issued a post on X clarifying some of his statements.
Among a number of missteps yesterday, Boehler sometimes appeared to refer to Palestinian security prisoners as hostages; called Israeli hostages “prisoners”; talked about the “human elements” of Hamas leaders; critiqued Israel for accepting the term of the ceasefire deal with Hamas; stressed that the US is “not an agent of Israel”; and intermittently contradicted himself. link The main issue and in fact the only real issue is that Netanyahu is not willing to give up his control over negotiations. He is fearful that the US will come up with a deal that includes ending the war and then force him to take the deal, something that he has fought since the beginning because it goes against his self interests. His self interests are always the first consideration for him and not the hostages' lives.
Hamas spokesman says conditions for second stage of deal haven’t changed
In an interview aired by al Jazeera early Sunday morning, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem says that the terror group is sticking to its conditions for a second phase to the ceasefire with Israel — a hostage-prisoner exchange, Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and a guarantee of no return to war, stressing that Hamas “rejects extending the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.”
Qassem says he does not “rule out the possibility of meeting with representatives of the US administration.”
“Hamas understands that Washington has the ability to pressure” Israel on these conditions, he adds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced late Saturday that he would send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an attempt to move negotiations forward; meanwhile there have been unprecedented direct talks between Hamas leaders and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler in recent weeks, apparently focused on hostages with US citizenship.
According to Qassem, Hamas “does not mind the release of Israeli prisoners with American citizenship,” but adds that it will be “within a comprehensive agreement.” link What everyone needs to understand is exactly this message from Hamas. My brother has been negotiating with Hamas for 18 years and he learned very early that Hamas' bottom line does not change. There may be interim issues that could be somewhat flexible, such as how many Palestinian prisoners per hostage or timing or types of prisoners or amount of hostages to be released, but the end remains the same. And Hamas' end, their bottom line is no deal without an end to the war. Netanyahu plays his game of saying that he has Hamas against the wall and can make a better deal such as extending Phase 1 but it's all bullshit, but Netanyahu doesn't care. He is fully willing to sacrifice the lives of all the living hostages left.
Our only hope for a hostage deal lies with Steve Witkoff who is going to Doha for the negotiations. I doubt that Witkoff would be going if he didn't think that he could close a deal. The most absurd thing is that Witkoff's participation in the talks is probably the only reason that Netanyahu gave the green light for our negotiating team to go to Doha. He is a disgrace!‘We’re looking to White House’ after Israel left our sons in Gaza, mother of hostage says
Hundreds of protestors are continuing to hold a sit-in outside Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, after protesters camped out at the site overnight as part of a campaign to pressure the government to make a deal to free all the remaining hostages.
Protestors take shifts, some spending the night in tents on the street, others join in the morning and afternoon.
The protestors, who man the vigil in shifts, are joined by protesters from the female-led movement Shift 101, including Einav Zangauker, Anat Angrest and Viki Cohen, all of them mothers of hostage men who accuse the country of abandoning their sons.
“Today, we find ourselves with our eyes on the White House,” says Angrest, mother of hostage soldier Matan Angrest. “Here, across from the Defense Ministry, I ask what soldiers will go to war, what mothers — like us, will send their children if they know that if they will fall into captivity, the state will leave them there. Our children, Matan [Zangauker] and Nimrod [Cohen] were left behind and the state doesn’t even speak to us about a plan to bring them back. We will entrench ourselves in every kind of protest there is, until the prime minister will understand that there is no other path to a complete victory, only with the return of the hostages,” she says.
Viki Cohen, the mother of Nimrod Cohen, another soldier who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023 after battling on the Gaza border, asks, “how could it be that the state of Israel abandoned [Nimrod] when he was fighting in a broken tank and continues to abandon him until today. Our longing has grown and we’re exhausted from this journey, we’ve said everything, we’ve pleaded, we’ve met with everyone possible — and there’s no one to listen to us. The government doesn’t listen — you do listen. Remember that our soldiers are our children, and we the mothers don’t give up.”
Macabit Meir, aunt of hostage twins Ziv and Gali Berman, says that the family doesn’t know what to expect from the Israeli negotiating team leaving Monday for Doha, but fears that only some hostages may be included in whatever deal they hash out.
- Father of former hostage says US Jewish groups shrank from fight for their release
American Jewish organizations have failed the Israeli hostages by not sufficiently advocating on their behalf so as not to clash with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, the father of released American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen maintains.
“History will also not look kindly on some, not all, of the leaderships of major Jewish organizations, in North America certainly,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen tells The Jerusalem Post in an interview, calling out the Jewish organizations’ “inability, unwillingness, or fear” to advocate for the hostages if it means crossing the Israeli government.
Without naming any specific organizations, Dekel-Chen says American Jewish groups should have “put the force, such as it is, of the Jewish organizational world behind prioritizing getting these hostages home above all else.”
Jewish organizations should have made clear that freeing hostages “is an irrefutable Jewish value.”
“The abandonment of that principle in favor of anything – turf wars, fear of anger from within their own communities, and their own positions in leadership, I think is an embarrassment,” he says.
“In a perfect world, the biggest single advocate for the hostages, in action and not just lip service, would be the government of Israel. That simply hasn’t happened,” he laments. “As a result, hostage families themselves have had to take it on.”
“Speaking as a historian of the Jewish people, history will not judge these leaders well for what they have already done and for what I fear they might continue to do,” Dekel-Chen says.
"There's a chance they will never be found": The murdered women still held captive
Inbar Hyman, Judy Weinstein Hagai, and Ofra Kedar, whom the state declared murdered, remain in captivity — and as time passes, fears grow that they may vanish forever. "She could end up like Ron Arad," says Ofra’s son, while Inbar’s father insists: "In another reality, she’d be standing at every protest until the hostages returned." Judy’s daughter can’t comprehend how her mother became a bargaining chip.
At the end of Phase 1 of the hostage deal, three women remain in captivity: Inbar Hyman, Judy Weinstein Hagai, and Ofra Kedar — a student and two grandmothers left behind. "Had things been different, Inbar would likely be standing at every protest junction, refusing to rest until the hostages came home. She was principled, opinionated, and full of love for people. Her life was filled with action and giving," explained her father, Haim Hyman.
Inbar Hyman**Inbar Hyman**
Inbar, who studied visual communication at WIZO Haifa, was supposed to graduate last year. "We were invited to a graduate exhibition. There were works by many alumni, including Inbar, but they left a blank wall for her. Art was her life. Inbar was a child of nature who hiked the Israel Trail. We need to bury her in the soil she loved so much."
Haim Hyman, Inbar's fatherThe families of Inbar, Judy, and Ofra received confirmation their loved ones were murdered on October 7, 2023, and were abducted as victims. "We’re in a kind of limbo," said Iris Weinstein Hagai, Judy’s daughter. "There’s no forensic evidence, and the psychological terror in our minds says, ‘Until she’s home, I can’t be sure.’ Maybe she’s still there, waiting for us to rescue her? We’re stuck between worlds, relying on intelligence, and envying those who’ve buried their loved ones."
Iris and Zohar, Judy Weinstein Hagai's daughters**Judy Weinstein Hagai**
Gadi z"l and Judy z"l
Judy was murdered after witnessing her husband, Gadi Hagai, being killed. "It’s hard to separate my mother from my father. She moved here from Canada, fell in love with kibbutz life. She was the gentlest, happiest person, my moral compass. She taught mindfulness in schools near Nir Oz to help children build resilience. She’d just retired and was about to start her dream job — teaching mindfulness through puppet theater. Every morning, she wrote a haiku and posted it on Facebook. Then she and my dad would walk the fields... that’s how they were abducted."**Ofra Kedar**
Ofra and her grandchildrenOfra, likely the first victim murdered from Kibbutz Be’eri during her morning walk, "was two kilometers from the kibbutz," her son Oren recounted. "The militants at 7 a.m., before even reaching Be’eri, killed her. They probably took her body on their way back. Part of me has accepted she may never be found. I imagine the moment when an officer calls and says, ‘Come to Abu Kabir, we found your mom.’ But I know there’s a chance she’ll never be recovered."
Oren believes his mother would tell him to stop dwelling on the past. "She was positive, never one to hold grudges." Ofra worked as a dairy farmer for 40 years, tending to calves. "She wasn’t a warm, hugging mom — she was practical. She always said she didn’t like kisses, but did everything for us. We have a sister, Yael, with special needs. Despite being told Yael would never communicate, my parents insisted, driving her weekly from Be’eri to Jerusalem. Now Yael writes, reads, and speaks — all because of Mom’s spirit."
Even during the massacre, Ofra stayed true to herself. "My brother recorded their last conversation. She thought the attackers were Bedouins here to loot. She yelled, ‘Stop it already!’ She was in her own world. We must prioritize bringing back the living before the dead, but I fear she’ll end up like Ron Arad, her grave unknown."
**"A failure that women remain captive"**
"The fact that women are still held in Gaza is a failure," declared Haim Hyman. "Hostages remaining after a year and a half is unconscionable. Phase 2 faces hurdles, and I have no solutions. Our real fear is Inbar disappearing forever. We can’t hug or heal her — we’d settle for burying her coffin to begin healing ourselves. This grief deepens with time. Losing a child is the worst pain, and not being able to bury them is inhuman."
"I’m filled with anger," Iris Weinstein Hagai added. "From Nir Oz, Shiri and Dana [neighbors killed] were my friends. Why weren’t all women on the list? What kind of monsters keep women’s bodies as bargaining chips? I want to visit my mother’s grave on Memorial Day — assuming she’s truly gone. My daughter recently asked, ‘How do you know they’re dead if there’s no grave?’ My mom was 70, weighed 45 kg — the smallest person — yet they keep her as leverage? The state doesn’t grasp the importance of returning victims. It’s easier to erase 35 souls." link
Hamas's proposal for a "hudna" (truce), and the words of Trump's envoy: "We need to understand their position to negotiate"
In a series of interviews, Adam Boehler revealed the proposal Hamas presented to the U.S., which includes a ceasefire for five to ten years. In response to Israeli anger over the contacts, he said: "Dermer is angry? I don’t really care." However, the direct negotiations might have been a tactic aimed at convincing Hamas to agree to the "Wittkoff framework" – the release of Edan Alexander and nine other hostages who are suffering from torture.
The U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, revealed today (Sunday) Hamas's proposals during the direct talks he held with its senior officials – hinting that the U.S. does not rule out a "hudna" between the terror organization and Israel for several years. From the interviews he conducted, it appears that the statement attributed to an Israeli source, claiming that his contacts with Hamas to release American hostages had failed, was true in a certain sense.
David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador during Trump's first term, sharply criticized Boehler's decision to speak directly with Hamas. In a tweet, he wrote: "Last week, President Trump brilliantly presented Hamas with a binary option – release all the hostages and surrender, or be destroyed. That is the only way to end the war."
"If I understood correctly what Adam Boehler said in his interviews today, he took an unprecedented step of meeting with Hamas to consider a third option – whether a deal can be reached where Hamas 'would be involved' in managing Gaza," Friedman added. "A deal with Hamas is a waste of time and will never be upheld. Attempting to reach one is beneath the dignity of the United States. Adam, I know you mean well – but listen to your boss. The choice must remain binary."
However, the meetings with Hamas might actually be an "American exercise" – aimed at convincing Hamas to agree to the "Wittkoff framework," which calls for the release of ten living hostages (including Edan Alexander and nine others) in exchange for 60 days of ceasefire and the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is why the Israeli delegation was called to Doha – to hold talks on the framework proposed by the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Wittkoff.
According to the framework, ten hostages who are suffering from torture will be released, based on testimonies. As part of the "exercise," Washington demanded the release of American hostages as a pretext, or cover, for the release of all hostages. In practice, Hamas made unreasonable demands for the release of Edan Alexander, which it was clear Israel would not agree to – hence the direct negotiations failed.
In an interview with "Kan," Envoy Boehler said that Hamas "proposed a deal that includes the release of all hostages and prisoners, as well as a five to ten-year ceasefire, during which Hamas would disarm, and the U.S. would assist with other countries to ensure there are no more tunnels, no more military activity, and that Hamas would no longer be involved in politics from now on." He did not rule out the possibility that all hostages could be released soon: "If I’m optimistic, I’d say weeks."
In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Boehler did not rule out holding additional meetings with Hamas, adding that "something could happen regarding Gaza and the hostages within weeks" – without elaborating. However, he also claimed: "I think all the hostages could be released, not just the Americans." His remarks come after an "Israeli official" claimed that "no progress" had been made in those talks.
Boehler, who has recently been leading direct contacts on behalf of the U.S. with the terror organization, also addressed in an interview the fact that Israel is unhappy with the White House engaging with Hamas. "I understand why the Israelis are angry, but we are the United States – we are not agents of Israel, and we have our own interests." He said that the meetings with Hamas representatives "were approved by President Donald Trump, and they were very helpful in advancing the release of the hostages."
In the direct contacts between Boehler and Hamas representatives, the U.S. asked the organization to release Edan Alexander as a "gesture," as Trump said his release is a top priority. Boehler said that "the meetings were very helpful," while senior Hamas official Taher al-Nono said on the organization's Al-Aqsa channel that he is "ready to release the hostage Edan Alexander as part of the talks to end the war." Additionally, Boehler said this evening about the talks with Hamas that "we need to understand their position to negotiate."
"Together with Israel, we can target Iran's nuclear capabilities"
In another interview with American television, this time with Fox News, Boehler expanded on the contacts with Hamas: "The talks were very productive. My goal is to release hostages, and I focused on our living hostage, Edan Alexander, and the four American casualties – to bring them home as soon as possible. This is very important to President Trump."
He added, "We also discussed what the end might look like, and I can say that Hamas is aiming for a long-term ceasefire, in their words. We talked about a ceasefire that includes Hamas disarming, a ceasefire where they would not be part of the political policy, a ceasefire where we would ensure they cannot harm Israel. Part of this includes rebuilding Gaza."
A few days ago, it was reported that following the direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas, Minister Ron Dermer "raged with anger" at Boehler during a tense phone call. In the U.S., they did not appreciate that Israel "went after" Boehler, and the envoy and the minister held a difficult conversation. Sources who spoke with Boehler in recent days heard his anger after that call.
Regarding the nature of relations with Israel, the envoy said that "Israel was updated" (on the talks): "I held discussions with Ron (Dermer), he raised concerns, and it’s fair for Israel to have concerns if the U.S. is holding direct talks with Hamas. I think I managed to reassure him." He was asked about the possibility that the U.S. would "lose interest" in the hostages if and when the American hostages are released, and said: "I spoke with the President about this, and he was clear that it’s about all the hostages. My role is to bring all the hostages home."
Boehler addressed the tension in relations this evening in an interview with network news, saying: "I don’t really care about that. I understand Dermer's concerns. This is an independent country, where large numbers of hostages are exchanged. We wouldn’t do this deal in the U.S. So I respect and understand his position. However, we also have our own interests. We believe and hope that some of these interactions could expedite matters. If it were a big deal every time Dermer got a little upset... we’ll work together again. I’m not offended because I think he did what he was supposed to do."
In conclusion of the Fox interview, Boehler was asked about the deadline and the threat from President Trump to Hamas, and replied: "He didn’t set a deadline. It might seem like the President is making empty threats – until he fulfills them, and then you’re dead. The President did the same thing with Iran – it’s not complicated for us to cooperate with Israel and target their nuclear capabilities, and that’s probably what needs to be done."
Rubi Chen, the father of soldier Itai Chen who was murdered and abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7, addressed Boehler's meetings with Hamas and criticized the government and its leader: "The Prime Minister explained that he replaced the negotiation team with Dermer, who 'understands Americans.' It’s possible that the Americans understand Israelis better than Dermer and Bibi understand the Americans." According to Chen, "The U.S. realized it needed to initiate a move to push for the release of the remaining 59 hostages. My family supports Boehler, who has the authority to meet with any party and bring about the release of hostages." link
Gaza and the South
- Gaza electricity cut will only affect lone desalination plant powered by Israel — official
An Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that Energy Minister Eli Cohen’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza, while appearing dramatic, will only affect a single facility.
The official says electricity will no longer flow to a desalination plant near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Electricity from Israel to Gaza was cut off after October 7, but in November Israel announced it was renewing supply to the installation.
Gazans mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.
The affected plant serves more than 600,000 Gaza residents through tankers or the networks of Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis governorates in central and southern Gaza, respectively.
There are also fears that the power supply halt could affect water pumps and sanitation.
IDF launches probe into at least 6 cases of troops using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza
The IDF Military Police has launched investigations into at least six cases where troops operating in the Gaza Strip used Palestinians as human shields, Haaretz reports.
There have been several reports amid the war of soldiers sending detained Palestinians to search buildings and tunnels before troops did, endangering their lives.
The IDF confirms the Haaretz report, saying: “The IDF acts in accordance with international law and military values. The IDF’s instructions clearly prohibit the use of human shields or forcing people to participate in military missions. The protocols and guidelines on the subject were routinely clarified for soldiers on the ground during the war. Claims of conduct that do not meet the guidelines and protocols are examined.”
The military says that “in several cases, investigations by the Military Police Investigatory Unit were opened after suspicion arose of [troops] using Palestinians for military missions during the fighting. Investigations in these cases are ongoing, and naturally, they cannot be elaborated upon.” link During this war, the most photographed and videoed war in history, the amount of illegal actions by troops such as using Palestinians as human shields was enormous, yet very few are investigated and even fewer brought to trial. While it is true that the IDF has instructed troops throughout the war not to use illegal methods or actions, a blind eye was pretty much the norm.
An Israeli official tells The Times of Israel that Energy Minister Eli Cohen’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza, while appearing dramatic, will only affect a single facility.
The official says electricity will no longer flow to a desalination plant near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Electricity from Israel to Gaza was cut off after October 7, but in November Israel announced it was renewing supply to the installation.
Gazans mainly rely on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.
The affected plant serves more than 600,000 Gaza residents through tankers or the networks of Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis governorates in central and southern Gaza, respectively.
There are also fears that the power supply halt could affect water pumps and sanitation.
IDF launches probe into at least 6 cases of troops using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza
The IDF Military Police has launched investigations into at least six cases where troops operating in the Gaza Strip used Palestinians as human shields, Haaretz reports.
There have been several reports amid the war of soldiers sending detained Palestinians to search buildings and tunnels before troops did, endangering their lives.
The IDF confirms the Haaretz report, saying: “The IDF acts in accordance with international law and military values. The IDF’s instructions clearly prohibit the use of human shields or forcing people to participate in military missions. The protocols and guidelines on the subject were routinely clarified for soldiers on the ground during the war. Claims of conduct that do not meet the guidelines and protocols are examined.”
The military says that “in several cases, investigations by the Military Police Investigatory Unit were opened after suspicion arose of [troops] using Palestinians for military missions during the fighting. Investigations in these cases are ongoing, and naturally, they cannot be elaborated upon.” link During this war, the most photographed and videoed war in history, the amount of illegal actions by troops such as using Palestinians as human shields was enormous, yet very few are investigated and even fewer brought to trial. While it is true that the IDF has instructed troops throughout the war not to use illegal methods or actions, a blind eye was pretty much the norm.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- ‘Great to be back home’: Israelis returning to north describe joy, trepidationSome communities are seeing quick resurgence of residents, while others are still largely empty amid destruction caused by lengthy war
Carmela Keren Yakuti poses for a picture outside her house as residents return to their homes in Dovev, a moshav or cooperative agricultural community in northern Israel close to the border with Lebanon on March 3, 2025 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
On a lush green hilltop on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Carmela Keren Yakuti proudly shows off her home in Dovev, which she fled more than 16 months ago over fears of a Hezbollah attack.
“Now that everyone is back, it’s an amazing feeling,” said Yakuti, 40, standing on her freshly washed patio and breathing in the crisp country air.
“It’s great here. We have a beautiful moshav, a beautiful view,” she added. “It’s simply great to be back home.”
On October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel triggered war in Gaza, Lebanon’s Hezbollah declared its support for the Palestinian terror group and began firing rockets into northern Israel.
For their own protection, the Israeli military ordered Yakuti, her family, friends and neighbors to leave Dovev, and they were sent to live in a hotel in the city of Tiberias, further south.
In total, the hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah displaced around 60,000 residents of northern towns and villages, according to official data.
Half are yet to return home.
Builders renovate a house in Israel’s northern kibbutz of Hanita near the border with Lebanon on March 3, 2025 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
On the Lebanese side, more than one million people fled the south of the country, around 100,000 of whom are still displaced, according to the United Nations.
On November 27, 2024, after more than a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war during which Israel sent ground troops into southern Lebanon, a truce agreement came into force.
Israeli authorities have said residents of northern border communities could return home from March 1.
Yakuti, who retrained as a beautician during the time she was displaced, said she immediately packed up her belongings, bid farewell to the “kind” hotel staff, and moved back into her two-story home.
From her living room and patio, she has a clear view of a Lebanese village that was emptied of its residents following evacuation calls issued by the Israeli army in September ahead of its ground offensive.
“I’m not afraid and not shaking. The army did its job and carried out its work,” the mother of three said, adding: “I’m at peace with my decision to return here, and I wouldn’t give up my home and my moshav even if the war continued.”
While many of Dovev’s residents were returning this week, the scene was not so joyous in other communities along Israel’s northern border.
Residents walk in the northern Israeli kibbutz of Hanita near the border with Lebanon on March 3, 2025, after Israel asked residents of the northern areas to start returning to their towns following a November 27 ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
In the kibbutz community of Hanita, Or Ben Barak estimated that only about 20 or 30 families out of around 300 had come back.
“At first, there was this kind of euphoria when they announced that we could return,” said Ben Barak, who counts his grandparents among the founders of the 97-year-old kibbutz.
“But now people are also seeing that the place isn’t quite ready for living yet.”
Ben Barak, 49, pointed out the multiple places where rockets and mortars had fallen, as well as the damage done by the heavy Israeli military vehicles, such as tanks, that passed through on their way into Lebanon.
Asked if he was concerned about security now that the war was seemingly over, Ben Barak said that what worried him more was “what will happen with the community. Who will come back, how they will come back, and how many will come back?”
“I believe that in Lebanon, the army fought very hard and did everything it needed to do, but the real question is how to maintain this quiet,” he said.
“That’s the challenge — how to guarantee a peaceful life for the next 20 to 30 years. That’s the challenge for the state, and that will also determine whether people stay here.”
Just down the hill from the still-abandoned streets of Hanita, the town of Shlomi appeared to be returning to life.
At Baleli Falafel, Yonatan Baleli stuffed pita with salad and tahini as a long line of hungry customers waited to blaring trance music.
“I feel much safer than before, but do I feel 100 percent safe? No,” said Ronit Fire, 54.
Yonatan Baleli, a vendor at a sandwich stand, prepares an order for clients in the northern town of Shlomi near the border with Lebanon on March 3, 2025 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
“It’s not pleasant to say this, but it feels like it’s just a matter of time,” she said, adding that she believed there would be another war in the future.
“The next time will come again at some point,” said Fire. link - Syria forming independent commission to probe Alawite killings, leadership says
Syria has formed an independent committee to investigate the clashes that occurred in the coastal region, the Syrian presidency says.
The clashes, which a war monitoring group says have already killed 1,000 people, mostly civilians, have continued for a fourth day in deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s coastal heartland.
Syrian leader tells Assad loyalists to surrender, as violence said to claim over 1,300
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says the country is confronting attempts to drag it into a civil war, as violent clashes continue to rock parts of the country.
In a video speech, Sharaa says “remnants of the former regime” have no choice but to surrender immediately.
An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad Thursday has escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days, amid claims of mass executions and a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Sharaa says those who attacked civilians will be held responsible, following intense international outcry.
In its latest toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says 830 Alawite civilians were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
The fighting, which is ongoing, has also killed 231 members of the security forces and 250 pro-Assad fighters, according to the Observatory, taking the overall death toll to 1,311.
The tolls have not been independently confirmed.
Katz says Israel will soon allow Syrian Druze to enter Israel for work in the Golan Heights
Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will soon allow Syrian Druze to enter Israel for work in the Golan Heights.
Katz in a statement says he “salutes” members of the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel for “their loyalty and bravery and their contribution to Israel’s security in difficult and crucial times.”
“We will continue to strengthen them and also protect their brothers in Syria against any threat,” he says.
The remarks come as the government approves an aid plan for the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel.
“We will soon also allow Druze laborers from Syria to come to work in the Golan Heights communities in Israel,” Katz adds.
After days of mass killings, Syrian defense ministry says operation against Assad loyalists is over
Syria’s defense ministry announces the end of a major security operation in coastal provinces, after days of violence and mass killings that sparked international concern.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said nearly 1,500 people have died in the violence since Thursday, the majority of them civilians killed by security forces and allied groups in the heartland of the Alawite minority to which deposed president Bashar al-Assad belongs.
In a statement on official news agency SANA, defense ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani says security forces have neutralized security threats and “regime remnants” in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast.
“Having achieved this, we announce the end of the military operation,” Abdul Ghani says.
He hails “the success of our forces… in achieving all the objectives set” for the operation.
“We were able… to absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers” and push them from “vital” locations, Abdul Ghani says.
Clashes broke out last week between the security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad, with the Observatory reporting 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed.
Including at least 973 civilians, many of them Alawites, killed by the security forces and allied forces, the overall death toll according to the Observatory reached 1,454.
Abdul Ghani says that “the security apparatuses will work in the upcoming phase to consolidate our work to ensure stability and preserve residents’ safety and security.”
He also points to “new plans to continue fighting the remnants of the toppled regime and work on eliminating any future threats”.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the offensive that toppled Assad in December, has vowed to “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians.”
“There will be no one above the law and anyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner or later,” he said.
Hezbollah chief rejects laying down weapons, admits taking heavy blows
In comments tonight, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem insisted his organization is alive and well, but admitted taking heavy blows during its fight with Israel, while claiming that the group is choosing to lay low for the time being to let Lebanon’s armed forces confront Israel instead.
Qassem, speaking to Hezbollah mouthpiece al-Manar for the first time since taking over the group in the wake of leader Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination by Israel, said: “The resistance is fine and continuing, but it has been wounded and has made sacrifices. Does anyone expect the resistance to continue without sacrifices? Great sacrifices, yes, but we realize that these sacrifices must be made.”
He said Hezbollah was committed to “resistance to liberate the land and confront expansionist Israel that wants to usurp the region, not just Palestine.”
He also rejected the notion of Hezbollah disarming after new President Joseph Aoun said the Lebanese state must have control over “the decisions of war and peace,” and to do this, it must “monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”
Qassem said: “We have nothing to do with this matter. We are a resistance that considers Israel a threat to Lebanon, and there is no objection to the army and the state defending Lebanon. The resistance has the right to continue to protect Lebanon. Therefore, we do not consider the president’s words about the exclusivity of weapons to be directed at us.”
He also praised Lebanese who have “offered martyrs” to fighting Israel.
“The resistance is not a phase, but rather it is ongoing, and it is an idea that is adopted by the young and old, women and men,” he said. “We feel proud when we hear the stances of these people… There is a woman who says: ‘I have offered three martyrs, two of my sons-in-law, and two of my grandchildren, and the rest I am ready to offer, and I am ready to offer myself.’
“Or the one who says: ‘I have offered my only son and I am ready to offer more,’” he added. “This is a great example. Who can defeat these people?”
Syria has formed an independent committee to investigate the clashes that occurred in the coastal region, the Syrian presidency says.
The clashes, which a war monitoring group says have already killed 1,000 people, mostly civilians, have continued for a fourth day in deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s coastal heartland.
Syrian leader tells Assad loyalists to surrender, as violence said to claim over 1,300
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says the country is confronting attempts to drag it into a civil war, as violent clashes continue to rock parts of the country.
In a video speech, Sharaa says “remnants of the former regime” have no choice but to surrender immediately.
An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad Thursday has escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days, amid claims of mass executions and a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Sharaa says those who attacked civilians will be held responsible, following intense international outcry.
In its latest toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says 830 Alawite civilians were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
The fighting, which is ongoing, has also killed 231 members of the security forces and 250 pro-Assad fighters, according to the Observatory, taking the overall death toll to 1,311.
The tolls have not been independently confirmed.
Katz says Israel will soon allow Syrian Druze to enter Israel for work in the Golan Heights
Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will soon allow Syrian Druze to enter Israel for work in the Golan Heights.
Katz in a statement says he “salutes” members of the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel for “their loyalty and bravery and their contribution to Israel’s security in difficult and crucial times.”
“We will continue to strengthen them and also protect their brothers in Syria against any threat,” he says.
The remarks come as the government approves an aid plan for the Druze and Circassian communities in Israel.
“We will soon also allow Druze laborers from Syria to come to work in the Golan Heights communities in Israel,” Katz adds.
After days of mass killings, Syrian defense ministry says operation against Assad loyalists is over
Syria’s defense ministry announces the end of a major security operation in coastal provinces, after days of violence and mass killings that sparked international concern.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said nearly 1,500 people have died in the violence since Thursday, the majority of them civilians killed by security forces and allied groups in the heartland of the Alawite minority to which deposed president Bashar al-Assad belongs.
In a statement on official news agency SANA, defense ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani says security forces have neutralized security threats and “regime remnants” in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast.
“Having achieved this, we announce the end of the military operation,” Abdul Ghani says.
He hails “the success of our forces… in achieving all the objectives set” for the operation.
“We were able… to absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers” and push them from “vital” locations, Abdul Ghani says.
Clashes broke out last week between the security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad, with the Observatory reporting 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed.
Including at least 973 civilians, many of them Alawites, killed by the security forces and allied forces, the overall death toll according to the Observatory reached 1,454.
Abdul Ghani says that “the security apparatuses will work in the upcoming phase to consolidate our work to ensure stability and preserve residents’ safety and security.”
He also points to “new plans to continue fighting the remnants of the toppled regime and work on eliminating any future threats”.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the offensive that toppled Assad in December, has vowed to “hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians.”
“There will be no one above the law and anyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner or later,” he said.
Hezbollah chief rejects laying down weapons, admits taking heavy blows
In comments tonight, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem insisted his organization is alive and well, but admitted taking heavy blows during its fight with Israel, while claiming that the group is choosing to lay low for the time being to let Lebanon’s armed forces confront Israel instead.
Qassem, speaking to Hezbollah mouthpiece al-Manar for the first time since taking over the group in the wake of leader Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination by Israel, said: “The resistance is fine and continuing, but it has been wounded and has made sacrifices. Does anyone expect the resistance to continue without sacrifices? Great sacrifices, yes, but we realize that these sacrifices must be made.”
He said Hezbollah was committed to “resistance to liberate the land and confront expansionist Israel that wants to usurp the region, not just Palestine.”
He also rejected the notion of Hezbollah disarming after new President Joseph Aoun said the Lebanese state must have control over “the decisions of war and peace,” and to do this, it must “monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”
Qassem said: “We have nothing to do with this matter. We are a resistance that considers Israel a threat to Lebanon, and there is no objection to the army and the state defending Lebanon. The resistance has the right to continue to protect Lebanon. Therefore, we do not consider the president’s words about the exclusivity of weapons to be directed at us.”
He also praised Lebanese who have “offered martyrs” to fighting Israel.
“The resistance is not a phase, but rather it is ongoing, and it is an idea that is adopted by the young and old, women and men,” he said. “We feel proud when we hear the stances of these people… There is a woman who says: ‘I have offered three martyrs, two of my sons-in-law, and two of my grandchildren, and the rest I am ready to offer, and I am ready to offer myself.’
“Or the one who says: ‘I have offered my only son and I am ready to offer more,’” he added. “This is a great example. Who can defeat these people?”
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
Politics and the War (general news)
- 72.5% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should take responsibility for Oct. 7 and resign
Israel Democracy Institute poll also finds similar percentage favors advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas
Almost three-quarters of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should take responsibility for the events of October 7, 2023, and resign from his position, according to a survey released on Sunday.
The Israel Democracy Institute’s February Israeli Voice Index, a monthly survey of public opinion, found that 48 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign immediately, while 24.5% believe he should step down following the end of the war in Gaza.
Fourteen point five percent of respondents believe that he should take responsibility without resigning and only 10% believe he should neither take responsibility nor resign.
Overall, 72.5% believe Netanyahu should take responsibility and resign now or after the war, while 87% believe he should take responsibility for October 7 regardless of his subsequent resignation, the poll found.
Only 45% of Jewish respondents indicated that they believed Netanyahu should resign immediately, significantly lower than the 59% of Arabs who hold the same view. Eighty-three point five percent of those on the left and 69% of those in the center support Netanyahu’s immediate resignation, as opposed to only 25.5% on the right.
The IDI survey — which polled 759 people in Hebrew and Arabic between February 25 and 28 — also found only 33% of Israelis expressing optimism over the county’s economic future and 30% expressing optimism about the future of its social cohesion.
Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed that Israel should advance to the second phase of the ceasefire/hostage-return deal with Hamas, including “a complete cessation of hostilities, withdrawal from Gaza, and release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of all the hostages.”
This included 61.5% of voters for Netanyahu’s own Likud party, although supporters of continuing the deal were outnumbered by opponents among voters of other coalition parties.
Only 41.5% indicated that they believed Netanyahu had “contributed to the implementation of the deal,” as opposed to 85.5% for US President Donald Trump.
The first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas officially drew to a close a week ago. Talks regarding the terms of a potential second phase were supposed to have begun on February 3, but Israel has effectively refused to engage in them, as phase two would require Israel to withdraw fully from Gaza and agree to a permanent end to the war in exchange for the remaining living hostages.
Israel has sought to extend the first phase to enable further hostage releases without committing to an end to the war, but Hamas has so far rejected this.
On Saturday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Israel will send a negotiating team to Qatar on Monday to continue efforts to extend the ceasefire-hostage deal.
Asked about Trump’s plan to relocate the residents of the Gaza Strip, 64% of respondents said that they believed that his proposal, “regardless of its practicability,” had “started a more relevant discussion of possible solutions for ending the war.”
Seventy-three percent of Jews agreed with this assessment, versus only 23% of Arab respondents. Among Jewish respondents, 69% of those on the left, 70% of those on the center and 77% of those on the right said that Trump’s plan had “reinvigorated” the debate about solutions to the conflict.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told lawmakers that the government, under the leadership of Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, is working to establish a “migration administration” that will oversee the exodus of Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip.
Asked about “the likelihood that President Trump will turn away from Israel, if he thinks that its policies are not aligned with the interests of the United States,” 34.5% said that it was fairly low and 17% said very low. Twenty-seven point five percent said it was fairly high and 11% said it was very high.
The IDI’s findings were released shortly after a Channel 12 poll found that the pro-Netanyahu bloc would be at just 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset if elections were held today.
That poll also found that 60% of the public thinks Netanyahu should resign as prime minister, compared to 31% who think he should stay in his post and 9% who are unsure. Among coalition voters, 24% think he should resign; among opposition voters, 94% think he should resign.
Despite this, in head-to-head matchups between Netanyahu and his political rivals, only former prime minister Naftali Bennett was considered better suited to be prime minister by the public, the Channel 12 poll found. link
- **Demonstrator Who Recited Hostages' Names Near Ohana's Home Investigated by Police**
Itzik Levi, a resident of Givatayim who protests each morning outside the home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, was questioned under caution by Tel Aviv police on suspicion of harassing a public official and violating a legal order, as first reported by N12 on Monday. The investigation followed Levi’s daily recitation of the names of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza near Ohana’s residence. 
“I recite hostages’ names for four minutes a day—is this what frightens the government? Is this how they truly try to silence protesters?” Levi said after his interrogation, prompted by a complaint filed by Ohana and his partner, Alon Hadad, who accused Levi of harassment. The police probe comes after Hadad was filmed flipping off protesters during a recent demonstration.
In recent weeks, Levi has arrived daily around 7:10 a.m. near Ohana’s Tel Aviv home to read aloud the names of hostages still in captivity. According to Levi, his “ceremony” lasts four to six minutes, conducted without amplification. 
Alon Hadad, Amir Ohana's partner, waves a triangular finger at protesters Photo: Avner Shaf
During one protest, Hadad was recorded raising his middle finger at demonstrators and waving a Likud party flag from his balcony. The footage sparked public outrage and political backlash. Ohana’s office later claimed the gesture was directed at a specific protester from the “Brothers in Arms” movement who “intentionally wakes the Knesset speaker’s children and insults his partner.”
A day after the incident, Levi received a police summons. “They didn’t explain why—just told me to come,” he said. At the station, he faced two allegations: harassing a public official and violating a legal order. “They claimed I cursed Ohana and Hadad, though I’ve never met them,” Levi stated. Regarding the legal violation, police cited a temporary order banning protests within 300 meters of public officials’ homes. Levi argued the order was context-specific, not a blanket prohibition.
After questioning, Levi was released under restrictive conditions: a 15-day ban from entering within 500 meters of Ohana’s home and a 30-day no-contact order with the speaker and his partner. Levi called the measures a deliberate attempt to stifle anti-government dissent.
“They invested effort, bringing footage of me from the boulevard, tracking my every step,” Levi said. “The officer in charge admitted they’d received orders ‘to create quiet’ for Ohana. Now they’re threatening protesters to stop reminding him of the hostages.”
This is not Levi’s first arrest. “Last time, they illegally detained me outside Ohana’s house and forcibly removed us,” he said. Levi warned of broader implications: “I’m not afraid of the police, but I fear this will deter others. Today it’s me—tomorrow, they’ll bar anyone else. Such silencing endangers democracy.”
Attorney Gaby Lasky, who advised Levi, criticized the investigation: “Israel Police overstepped by summoning a citizen for questioning over reciting hostages’ names during work hours. Reminding a member of the ‘coalition of lawlessness’ that 59 hostages remain in Gaza is not a crime. When the Knesset speaker humiliates bereaved families in parliament, ordinary citizens become ‘criminals,’ and those enabling chaos demand protection from citizens confronting them with truth.”
**Police Response**“The suspect was investigated following a harassment complaint and for violating protest conditions set by the Supreme Court near private residences. Israel Police is apolitical and operates professionally within legal bounds. Any attempt to politicize its decisions is baseless and misrepresents the truth.” link This follows Amir Ohana's treatment of hostage families and bereaved families being brutalized 2 weeks ago in the Knesset by the Knesset guards who come under the direct authority of the Speaker of the Knesset, Ohana. This is clearly abuse of power and further and continued politicizing of the police against demonstrations both for the hostages and against the government. It is very common for the police to fabricate information and 'enforce' laws that they distort. I have witnessed them many times at demonstrations citing laws that do not exist to prevent demonstrations, actions at demonstrations or using megaphones, all of which have specific laws about what hours they can be used, distance from public officials homes, etc. but the police change them on the spot as they choose in order to prevent these actions. I anticipate seeing this particular case being thrown out in court and the police reprimanded for these phony charges as we have seen so many times in the past.
- Netanyahu aides reportedly suspected of recently receiving six-figure sums from Qatar
Investigators said taken aback by size of payouts, allegedly amounting to hundreds of thousands paid via outside firms; Tel Aviv protesters seize on latest ‘#Qatargate report
- 72.5% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should take responsibility for Oct. 7 and resign Israel Democracy Institute poll also finds similar percentage favors advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire-hostage release deal with Hamas
- **Demonstrator Who Recited Hostages' Names Near Ohana's Home Investigated by Police**Itzik Levi, a resident of Givatayim who protests each morning outside the home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, was questioned under caution by Tel Aviv police on suspicion of harassing a public official and violating a legal order, as first reported by N12 on Monday. The investigation followed Levi’s daily recitation of the names of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza near Ohana’s residence.“I recite hostages’ names for four minutes a day—is this what frightens the government? Is this how they truly try to silence protesters?” Levi said after his interrogation, prompted by a complaint filed by Ohana and his partner, Alon Hadad, who accused Levi of harassment. The police probe comes after Hadad was filmed flipping off protesters during a recent demonstration.In recent weeks, Levi has arrived daily around 7:10 a.m. near Ohana’s Tel Aviv home to read aloud the names of hostages still in captivity. According to Levi, his “ceremony” lasts four to six minutes, conducted without amplification.Alon Hadad, Amir Ohana's partner, waves a triangular finger at protesters Photo: Avner ShafDuring one protest, Hadad was recorded raising his middle finger at demonstrators and waving a Likud party flag from his balcony. The footage sparked public outrage and political backlash. Ohana’s office later claimed the gesture was directed at a specific protester from the “Brothers in Arms” movement who “intentionally wakes the Knesset speaker’s children and insults his partner.”A day after the incident, Levi received a police summons. “They didn’t explain why—just told me to come,” he said. At the station, he faced two allegations: harassing a public official and violating a legal order. “They claimed I cursed Ohana and Hadad, though I’ve never met them,” Levi stated. Regarding the legal violation, police cited a temporary order banning protests within 300 meters of public officials’ homes. Levi argued the order was context-specific, not a blanket prohibition.After questioning, Levi was released under restrictive conditions: a 15-day ban from entering within 500 meters of Ohana’s home and a 30-day no-contact order with the speaker and his partner. Levi called the measures a deliberate attempt to stifle anti-government dissent.“They invested effort, bringing footage of me from the boulevard, tracking my every step,” Levi said. “The officer in charge admitted they’d received orders ‘to create quiet’ for Ohana. Now they’re threatening protesters to stop reminding him of the hostages.”This is not Levi’s first arrest. “Last time, they illegally detained me outside Ohana’s house and forcibly removed us,” he said. Levi warned of broader implications: “I’m not afraid of the police, but I fear this will deter others. Today it’s me—tomorrow, they’ll bar anyone else. Such silencing endangers democracy.”Attorney Gaby Lasky, who advised Levi, criticized the investigation: “Israel Police overstepped by summoning a citizen for questioning over reciting hostages’ names during work hours. Reminding a member of the ‘coalition of lawlessness’ that 59 hostages remain in Gaza is not a crime. When the Knesset speaker humiliates bereaved families in parliament, ordinary citizens become ‘criminals,’ and those enabling chaos demand protection from citizens confronting them with truth.”**Police Response**“The suspect was investigated following a harassment complaint and for violating protest conditions set by the Supreme Court near private residences. Israel Police is apolitical and operates professionally within legal bounds. Any attempt to politicize its decisions is baseless and misrepresents the truth.” link This follows Amir Ohana's treatment of hostage families and bereaved families being brutalized 2 weeks ago in the Knesset by the Knesset guards who come under the direct authority of the Speaker of the Knesset, Ohana. This is clearly abuse of power and further and continued politicizing of the police against demonstrations both for the hostages and against the government. It is very common for the police to fabricate information and 'enforce' laws that they distort. I have witnessed them many times at demonstrations citing laws that do not exist to prevent demonstrations, actions at demonstrations or using megaphones, all of which have specific laws about what hours they can be used, distance from public officials homes, etc. but the police change them on the spot as they choose in order to prevent these actions. I anticipate seeing this particular case being thrown out in court and the police reprimanded for these phony charges as we have seen so many times in the past.
- Netanyahu aides reportedly suspected of recently receiving six-figure sums from Qatar
Investigators said taken aback by size of payouts, allegedly amounting to hundreds of thousands paid via outside firms; Tel Aviv protesters seize on latest ‘#Qatargate report
Almost three-quarters of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should take responsibility for the events of October 7, 2023, and resign from his position, according to a survey released on Sunday.
The Israel Democracy Institute’s February Israeli Voice Index, a monthly survey of public opinion, found that 48 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign immediately, while 24.5% believe he should step down following the end of the war in Gaza.
Fourteen point five percent of respondents believe that he should take responsibility without resigning and only 10% believe he should neither take responsibility nor resign.
Overall, 72.5% believe Netanyahu should take responsibility and resign now or after the war, while 87% believe he should take responsibility for October 7 regardless of his subsequent resignation, the poll found.
Only 45% of Jewish respondents indicated that they believed Netanyahu should resign immediately, significantly lower than the 59% of Arabs who hold the same view. Eighty-three point five percent of those on the left and 69% of those in the center support Netanyahu’s immediate resignation, as opposed to only 25.5% on the right.
The IDI survey — which polled 759 people in Hebrew and Arabic between February 25 and 28 — also found only 33% of Israelis expressing optimism over the county’s economic future and 30% expressing optimism about the future of its social cohesion.
Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed that Israel should advance to the second phase of the ceasefire/hostage-return deal with Hamas, including “a complete cessation of hostilities, withdrawal from Gaza, and release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of all the hostages.”
This included 61.5% of voters for Netanyahu’s own Likud party, although supporters of continuing the deal were outnumbered by opponents among voters of other coalition parties.
Only 41.5% indicated that they believed Netanyahu had “contributed to the implementation of the deal,” as opposed to 85.5% for US President Donald Trump.
The first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas officially drew to a close a week ago. Talks regarding the terms of a potential second phase were supposed to have begun on February 3, but Israel has effectively refused to engage in them, as phase two would require Israel to withdraw fully from Gaza and agree to a permanent end to the war in exchange for the remaining living hostages.
Israel has sought to extend the first phase to enable further hostage releases without committing to an end to the war, but Hamas has so far rejected this.
On Saturday evening, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Israel will send a negotiating team to Qatar on Monday to continue efforts to extend the ceasefire-hostage deal.
Asked about Trump’s plan to relocate the residents of the Gaza Strip, 64% of respondents said that they believed that his proposal, “regardless of its practicability,” had “started a more relevant discussion of possible solutions for ending the war.”
Seventy-three percent of Jews agreed with this assessment, versus only 23% of Arab respondents. Among Jewish respondents, 69% of those on the left, 70% of those on the center and 77% of those on the right said that Trump’s plan had “reinvigorated” the debate about solutions to the conflict.
On Sunday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told lawmakers that the government, under the leadership of Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, is working to establish a “migration administration” that will oversee the exodus of Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip.
Asked about “the likelihood that President Trump will turn away from Israel, if he thinks that its policies are not aligned with the interests of the United States,” 34.5% said that it was fairly low and 17% said very low. Twenty-seven point five percent said it was fairly high and 11% said it was very high.
The IDI’s findings were released shortly after a Channel 12 poll found that the pro-Netanyahu bloc would be at just 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset if elections were held today.
That poll also found that 60% of the public thinks Netanyahu should resign as prime minister, compared to 31% who think he should stay in his post and 9% who are unsure. Among coalition voters, 24% think he should resign; among opposition voters, 94% think he should resign.
Despite this, in head-to-head matchups between Netanyahu and his political rivals, only former prime minister Naftali Bennett was considered better suited to be prime minister by the public, the Channel 12 poll found. link
An installation attacking alleged ties between Qatar and top aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen during an anti-government protest at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on March 8, 2025. (Noam Lehmann/The Times of Israel)
Investigators are looking into whether hundreds of thousands of dollars were funneled from Qatar to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides in recent months, according to a Friday report.
The suspicion, reported by Channel 13, appeared to mark the latest of a series of allegations that figures in the premier’s circle were paid by Doha to improve its image. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara ordered an investigation into the alleged ties late last month, which is now being carried out by the Shin Bet and police.
According to the channel, six-figure sums were transferred to the aides indirectly via various intermediaries, including one owned by Jonatan Urich, a senior adviser to Netanyahu who has served as spokesman for the ruling Likud party.
Urich denied being employed by Qatar, Channel 13 reported.
Investigators were reportedly surprised by how much money had been transferred.
Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Qatar, but the two countries established trade relations in 1996, which lasted until 2009, when Doha severed them due to a previous round of fighting between Israel and Gaza.
Scrutiny of ties between Netanyahu’s office and Qatar has ramped up in recent weeks after reported allegations that Netanyahu’s former spokesman Eli Feldstein worked for Qatar via an international firm contracted by Doha to feed top Israeli journalists pro-Qatar stories.
From left to right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser Jonatan Urich (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90); Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90); and former Netanyahu aide Yisrael Einhorn. (Youtube screenshot used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law).
The suspicions emerged after Feldstein was charged late last year with harming national security in a case involving the theft and leaking of classified IDF documents to a foreign media outlet.
Urich and Yisrael Einhorn, another Netanyahu advisor, were reported last year to be involved in a campaign to improve Qatar’s image surrounding hosting the 2022 World Cup.
The three are said to be the central suspects in the case. All deny wrongdoing, as has Netanyahu’s office.
Protesters against the government in Tel Aviv on Saturday night seized on the brewing Qatar scandal as the latest instance of government malfeasance, amid fears that the ties may have influenced negotiations to free hostages held in Gaza since October 7, 2023
Yisrael Einhorn (l) seen with Jonatan Urich (c) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2019. (Courtesy)
Speakers at the rally stood in front of a sign reading #Qatargate, on a stage that had been earlier decorated with open suitcases filled with fake $100 bills, along with three blow-up dolls dressed up as Netanyahu and what appear to be a hostage and a Qatari sheikh.
“The Prime Minister’s Office is bursting at the seams with Qatari money and there are suspicions that he acted to advance foreign interests,” Yotam Cohen, whose brother Nimrod is one of 59 remaining hostages in Gaza, told the crowd.
According to a report on Channel 12 news last month, during his tenure in the Prime Minister’s Office, Feldstein was also employed by a Qatar-funded company to improve public perception of Doha around the Gulf country’s role in hostage deal mediation between Israel and Hamas. The company was not named in the report, which also did not offer a source for the allegations against Feldstein.
According to Channel 12, Feldstein held conversations with several journalists in which he presented Qatar as having a “positive role” in negotiations. It also said the Qatar-funded firm that employed Feldstein was working to promote contacts between families of the hostages and authorities in Doha.
Channel 13 reported this week that police suspect Feldstein was paid by an American intermediary working for Qatar, who funneled money to an outside firm using a mechanism devised by Urich, who is reportedly suspected of being more heavily involved in working with Qatar than the other two suspects.
Feldstein, a former spokesman for Netanyahu, also stands accused of helping leak pilfered military documents to the press with the intent of swaying public opinion against a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza at a time when the proposal was opposed by the government.
He was arrested in November as part of a major investigation into the leaks. Urich and Einhorn have also been implicated in that case. link
Protesters outside the Tel Aviv District Court, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attending a hearing in his corruption trial, draw attention to allegations of ties between the premier's senior aides and Qatar, and in turn, Hamas, March 10, 2025 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The Region and the World
- Poll: Americans’ support for Israel at record low, backing for Palestinians at all-time high
Only 46 percent of respondents to Gallup poll say they sympathize with Israelis more than Palestinians; among Democrats, support falls to 21 percent
Fewer than half of Americans sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians, according to a new Gallup poll, the lowest figure for Israelis since at least 2001.
The poll, published Thursday, found that 46 percent of respondents sympathize more with Israelis while 33% sympathize more with Palestinians.
The 13-point gap is also the smallest since at least 2001. That year, 51% of respondents sympathized more with Israelis, but only 16% sympathized more with Palestinians.
Sympathy for Israelis has dropped in the past few years, as a hardline right-wing government has led Israel and, since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, fought a war against the terror group in Gaza with high numbers of casualties.
The war broke out when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 48,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Thursday’s poll was taken in February, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington DC, and US President Donald Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip, which Netanyahu endorsed.
A decade ago, 62% of respondents sympathized more with Israelis, compared to 16% with the Palestinians. In 2022, the gap was 55% to 26%.
Among Democrats, the drop this year was even starker, with the Palestinians receiving more sympathy by a wide margin: Just 21% say they sympathize more with Israelis, while 59% sympathize more with Palestinians.
That’s a considerable shift from 2022, when Democrats’ sympathies were about even at 40% for Israelis vs. 38% for Palestinians. Last year, it was 43% for Palestinians vs. 38% for Israelis. Polls taken more than a decade ago show Democratic sympathies lying more with Israelis by wide margins.
Thursday’s number dovetails with a Gallup poll released in late February that found just 33% of Democrats have a favorable view of Israel, compared with 83% of Republicans.
Police patrol as workers clean up anti-Israel graffiti at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus after police evicted pro-Palestinian protesters, May 2, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP)This week’s poll found that Republican sympathies with Israelis have remained relatively steady, at 75% vs. 10% for Palestinians. Among independents, the Israeli-Palestinian split was 42% to 34%.
The poll found that 55% of Americans, and majorities of Democrats and independents, support the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Among Republicans, support for a Palestinian state was at 41%.
The poll also found that just 40% of respondents approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. link
Personal Stories Liri Albag recalls Gaza ‘hell,’ pain of knowing those against hostage deal would ‘sacrifice’ herFreed hostage, kidnapped on October 7 while serving as a surveillance soldier, says she set boundaries between her and her captors; modestly dismisses accounts of her bravery
Former hostage Liri Albag gave her first interview since being released from Gaza in January, recounting her capture at the hands of Hamas terrorists alongside other female surveillance soldiers, the “hell” of Gaza and the hurt she felt by those in Israel willing to “sacrifice” her by opposing a deal.
“The truth is that October 7 feels like one long nightmare, and I’ve been waiting for someone to wake me up, for someone to tell me I was dreaming. But that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, this has all been real,” she told Channel 12 in an hour-long interview broadcast on Friday.
Albag, along with Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Agam Berger, was kidnapped from the IDF’s Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023, and released by the terror group last month in the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
Hamas terrorists killed another 15 surveillance soldiers during their attack on the base. They also took two additional hostages: Ori Megidish, who was rescued, and Noa Marciano, who was murdered in captivity, and her body was recovered.
Albag had finished her training as a surveillance soldier only two days before her kidnapping and had just arrived at the Nahal Oz base. She said she was not provided a weapon and had no way of defending herself against the incoming terrorists.
Recalling when she first saw her captors, Albag said, “You see evil and hatred in their eyes.”
Former hostage Liri Albag (center) is interviewed on Channel 12, with her parents Shira (left) and Eli Albag, on March 5, 2025. (Screen capture/Channel 12)“I was sure that the moment we stood there tied up, they were going to slaughter us — shoot us one by one,” Albag said. “I went into survival mode, I said: ‘OK, what can I do to make it out alive?'”
She described Gaza as “really hell,” and said her captors forced her and the hostages with her to watch videos of the October 7 massacre, including an infamous clip in which the surveillance soldiers, including Liri, are seen soon after their capture while still on their base.
Hostages Liri Albag (2nd left), Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy wave on a stage before Hamas operatives hand them over to a team from the Red Cross in Gaza City on January 25, 2025. (AFP)“They told us, ‘If you listen to us, we won’t kill you. You’re coming with us to Gaza.’ And we told them, ‘Yes, take us to Gaza’ because we were simply afraid,” she said. “I think it was totally instinctual.”
A still from footage showing the capture and abduction of Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy at the Nahal Oz base on October 7, 2023. (The Hostages Families Forum)Albag said she understood she was being taken into Gaza upon seeing the car she was in pass by the gate on the border between Israel and the coastal enclave. “[We saw] the Gazan masses surrounding us, standing on the sides, clapping, whistling, dancing… [The Gazans] ran after us, happy, firing in the air. Children, women, old people.”
The experience led Albag to conclude that there are no ‘innocent bystanders’ in Gaza, she said.
Only 46 percent of respondents to Gallup poll say they sympathize with Israelis more than Palestinians; among Democrats, support falls to 21 percent
Fewer than half of Americans sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians, according to a new Gallup poll, the lowest figure for Israelis since at least 2001.
The poll, published Thursday, found that 46 percent of respondents sympathize more with Israelis while 33% sympathize more with Palestinians.
The 13-point gap is also the smallest since at least 2001. That year, 51% of respondents sympathized more with Israelis, but only 16% sympathized more with Palestinians.
Sympathy for Israelis has dropped in the past few years, as a hardline right-wing government has led Israel and, since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, fought a war against the terror group in Gaza with high numbers of casualties.
The war broke out when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 48,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Thursday’s poll was taken in February, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington DC, and US President Donald Trump proposed a US takeover of the Gaza Strip, which Netanyahu endorsed.
A decade ago, 62% of respondents sympathized more with Israelis, compared to 16% with the Palestinians. In 2022, the gap was 55% to 26%.
Among Democrats, the drop this year was even starker, with the Palestinians receiving more sympathy by a wide margin: Just 21% say they sympathize more with Israelis, while 59% sympathize more with Palestinians.
That’s a considerable shift from 2022, when Democrats’ sympathies were about even at 40% for Israelis vs. 38% for Palestinians. Last year, it was 43% for Palestinians vs. 38% for Israelis. Polls taken more than a decade ago show Democratic sympathies lying more with Israelis by wide margins.
Thursday’s number dovetails with a Gallup poll released in late February that found just 33% of Democrats have a favorable view of Israel, compared with 83% of Republicans.
This week’s poll found that Republican sympathies with Israelis have remained relatively steady, at 75% vs. 10% for Palestinians. Among independents, the Israeli-Palestinian split was 42% to 34%.
The poll found that 55% of Americans, and majorities of Democrats and independents, support the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Among Republicans, support for a Palestinian state was at 41%.
The poll also found that just 40% of respondents approve of the way President Donald Trump is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. link
Former hostage Liri Albag gave her first interview since being released from Gaza in January, recounting her capture at the hands of Hamas terrorists alongside other female surveillance soldiers, the “hell” of Gaza and the hurt she felt by those in Israel willing to “sacrifice” her by opposing a deal.
“The truth is that October 7 feels like one long nightmare, and I’ve been waiting for someone to wake me up, for someone to tell me I was dreaming. But that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, this has all been real,” she told Channel 12 in an hour-long interview broadcast on Friday.
Albag, along with Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Agam Berger, was kidnapped from the IDF’s Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023, and released by the terror group last month in the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
Hamas terrorists killed another 15 surveillance soldiers during their attack on the base. They also took two additional hostages: Ori Megidish, who was rescued, and Noa Marciano, who was murdered in captivity, and her body was recovered.
Albag had finished her training as a surveillance soldier only two days before her kidnapping and had just arrived at the Nahal Oz base. She said she was not provided a weapon and had no way of defending herself against the incoming terrorists.
Recalling when she first saw her captors, Albag said, “You see evil and hatred in their eyes.”
“I was sure that the moment we stood there tied up, they were going to slaughter us — shoot us one by one,” Albag said. “I went into survival mode, I said: ‘OK, what can I do to make it out alive?'”
She described Gaza as “really hell,” and said her captors forced her and the hostages with her to watch videos of the October 7 massacre, including an infamous clip in which the surveillance soldiers, including Liri, are seen soon after their capture while still on their base.
“They told us, ‘If you listen to us, we won’t kill you. You’re coming with us to Gaza.’ And we told them, ‘Yes, take us to Gaza’ because we were simply afraid,” she said. “I think it was totally instinctual.”
Albag said she understood she was being taken into Gaza upon seeing the car she was in pass by the gate on the border between Israel and the coastal enclave. “[We saw] the Gazan masses surrounding us, standing on the sides, clapping, whistling, dancing… [The Gazans] ran after us, happy, firing in the air. Children, women, old people.”
The experience led Albag to conclude that there are no ‘innocent bystanders’ in Gaza, she said.
Conditions in captivity
“Sometimes they only let us use the restroom twice a day, in the morning and evening. There is no hygiene there… I still haven’t been able to remove from myself the ‘filth’ of Gaza.”
In terms of diet, Albag said she ate mainly pita bread, rice, and, when available, pasta, adding that hunger was felt at different times.
“When humanitarian aid wasn’t let in, it was felt. It was really felt because you suddenly go down to days of a single pita, there were days of a quarter [pita]… There were days we would talk about food to overcome the hunger… There were days… that we would drink salt water because there was no water. I lost 10 kilograms there.”
On her relationship with her captors, Albag said she pretended to get along with them because they were in control.
“There were a lot of things there that crossed our boundaries. There were a lot of things that we would impose a boundary over,” she said, specifying that she refused to let her captors enter her room while she was sleeping.
“At the end of the day, [the captor] needs me to tell those above him that he’s okay. So, we would play on that. ‘You’re acting like this toward me? Okay, bring over your superior. I want to speak to him.'”
Albag explained her behavior, “From the beginning, I knew that they needed us more than we thought.”
Albag said there was “verbal violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse. [They would tell us] ‘You’re not going home.'”
Albag also said the captors tried to impose their way of life on the women. “They tried to tame us into their culture, where women can’t laugh out loud, can’t sit [with legs crossed].”
Albag’s interactions with Gazan women were not much better than those with men.
The hardest thing for Albag in her interactions with her captors was the hate, she said. “They look at us like we’re a terrorist organization, like how we look at them. That’s how they see us: terrorists, murderers, thieves, liars. We had conversations with them about the Holocaust. They deny the Holocaust. They think Hitler was a genius… that Hitler didn’t do that, that Hitler was alright.”
Albag said there were also political discussions with the captors, but she would not participate. “That’s [Agam Berger’s] thing… I would tell them, ‘I don’t understand politics, leave me alone, I don’t have answers to give you.'” Their captors called Arab Israelis “‘traitors,'” she said.
Other hostages
Albag also discussed her relationship with the other hostages she spent time with. She said Keith and Aviva Siegel, who were also released — Aviva in November 2023 and Keith last month — were like parents to her.
After she was separated from them, she spent time with young children held hostage, who were set free during the first truce, a period she said was the most enjoyable during her captivity.
When asked about a story that she convinced her captors that fellow hostage Amit Soussana was not a soldier, which Soussana has said saved her life, Albag was modest, saying: “I did what I did to save those around me… I felt that once they hurt one of the Israelis, one of the hostages, they were hurting me. And I couldn’t watch that.”
Released hostage Amit Soussana speaks during a rally calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza, in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, January 18, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)Albag spent almost the entirety of her captivity with Berger, from whom she was separated a day before her release. Albag tried to scuttle her planned release because Berger was not being let go with her, insisting that she stay in Gaza with her friend. Eventually, Albag’s captors tricked her into getting into the vehicle that took her to be freed, and Berger was released several days later.
Albag had not seen the other three surveillance soldiers for over a year until the day they were set free.
Albag recalled being told she would be released during the first hostage deal in 2023 but understood she was staying in captivity when she heard an explosion one morning.
“That explained to us that that’s it. There are no negotiations, no deal, we aren’t going home.” She said she understood she would be in captivity for an especially long time because she was a soldier.
Released hostage soldier Agam Berger meets her four comrades, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, at Rabin Medical Center, January 30, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)Albag told hostages, who were released during the first deal, to tell her sister not to touch her shoes: “That way she knows that I stayed myself.”
Albag divulged that her captors provided her with a siddur prayer book left behind by Israeli soldiers and that the hostages would read from it and try to observe Jewish holidays.
To keep their spirits up, Albag said the hostages would sing, celebrate birthdays, and keep diaries, which the captors did not let them take back with them. “We tried to remain sane there.”
On the political strife in Israel surrounding a hostage deal, Albag said the hostages had a radio and were aware of the debate on whether to release them in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of terrorists.
“It was very difficult for us to think that there are people who are really ready to sacrifice us,” she said. “Why? What did I do? I’m responsible for getting kidnapped?” link
Albag also discussed her relationship with the other hostages she spent time with. She said Keith and Aviva Siegel, who were also released — Aviva in November 2023 and Keith last month — were like parents to her.
After she was separated from them, she spent time with young children held hostage, who were set free during the first truce, a period she said was the most enjoyable during her captivity.
When asked about a story that she convinced her captors that fellow hostage Amit Soussana was not a soldier, which Soussana has said saved her life, Albag was modest, saying: “I did what I did to save those around me… I felt that once they hurt one of the Israelis, one of the hostages, they were hurting me. And I couldn’t watch that.”
Albag spent almost the entirety of her captivity with Berger, from whom she was separated a day before her release. Albag tried to scuttle her planned release because Berger was not being let go with her, insisting that she stay in Gaza with her friend. Eventually, Albag’s captors tricked her into getting into the vehicle that took her to be freed, and Berger was released several days later.
Albag had not seen the other three surveillance soldiers for over a year until the day they were set free.
Albag recalled being told she would be released during the first hostage deal in 2023 but understood she was staying in captivity when she heard an explosion one morning.
“That explained to us that that’s it. There are no negotiations, no deal, we aren’t going home.” She said she understood she would be in captivity for an especially long time because she was a soldier.
Albag told hostages, who were released during the first deal, to tell her sister not to touch her shoes: “That way she knows that I stayed myself.”
Albag divulged that her captors provided her with a siddur prayer book left behind by Israeli soldiers and that the hostages would read from it and try to observe Jewish holidays.
To keep their spirits up, Albag said the hostages would sing, celebrate birthdays, and keep diaries, which the captors did not let them take back with them. “We tried to remain sane there.”
On the political strife in Israel surrounding a hostage deal, Albag said the hostages had a radio and were aware of the debate on whether to release them in exchange for a ceasefire and the release of terrorists.
“It was very difficult for us to think that there are people who are really ready to sacrifice us,” she said. “Why? What did I do? I’m responsible for getting kidnapped?” link
Testimonies from Captivity by Returned Hostages
Yair HornAge 46
Abducted with His Brother from Their Home in Nir Oz. Released After 497 Days in Hamas Captivity "As long as my brother Eitan and the other hostages are still in captivity, I remain a hostage too. As I write these words, four hostages from our kibbutz are being returned to Israel in coffins. While their families accompany them to their final rest, one thought echoes in my mind: Will my brother Eitan be next?"
Omer Shem Tov 
"I was alone in captivity from day 50. After Itai was released, I was left alone. I was constantly in tunnels. Occasionally, I was exposed to the media, I watched Al Jazeera, and it strengthened me."
Testimony of a Hostage Released After More Than 490 Days in Hamas Captivity 
Hamas tunnel in Gaza"For over a year and three months, the terrorists kept me chained in the tunnel where I was held... I was bound in a dark tunnel, without air, without light... I couldn’t walk or stand. Only towards the release did the terrorists remove the chains, and I had to relearn how to walk." Ohad Ben AmiAge 56
Abducted from His Home in Be’eri. Released After 491 Days in Hamas Captivity "There were six of us guys there, living in unimaginable conditions, in six square meters (*18 feet by 18 feet). I got out, and they stayed there—you can’t rest even for a minute. People there count the seconds, the minutes, not the days. The conditions are not easy, but the moment we knew they were fighting for us and wanted us back, it gave us strength and kept us going."
**Conclusion:** The testimonies of Omer Shem Tov and other released hostages highlight the unimaginable suffering endured during their captivity. Their words underscore the urgent need to bring home all remaining hostages and the moral obligation to ensure that no one is left behind. The resilience and strength of these individuals, even in the face of such horrors, serve as a powerful reminder of the human spirit’s capacity to endure and hope for a better future.
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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