🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 523, 2023 - March 12, 2025 🎗️
🎗️Day 523 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
*
Hostage Updates
Trump likes big deals. Why is anyone talking about freeing 10 living hostages? Witkoff’s deal? Sounds to me like an Israeli spin. I think Witkoff is talking about the whole deal - 59 hostages living and dead in exchange of finishing the war. If what Khalil Al Haya said to Adam Boehler is true - that Hamas is ready to give up their weapons, Trump needs to grab it and pressure Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states to work with the PA to make it happen. Safe passage for Hamas Combattants to leave Gaza for Türkiye and pressure on Netanyahu to make the deal. (Gershon Baskin, March 12,2025)
"Negotiation Marathon: The Expected Breakthrough from Qatar Talks
Trump’s envoy is set to arrive in Doha tomorrow, aiming to secure gains for both sides • Meanwhile, mediators push for a 'bridging phase' until broader agreements are reached • Goal: A hostage release phase as early as the coming days • Behind the scenes: Mediators’ efforts, fears of collapsed talks, and the message relayed to Hamas
The Israeli delegation arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a rapid round of talks, and tomorrow (Wednesday), U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join in an effort to deliver news to the public. However, tonight, we first revealed on The Central Edition the behind-the-scenes attempts already underway by mediators.
Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. are working to extract a "gesture of seriousness" from Hamas toward Israel, possibly in the form of a limited hostage release phase—potentially within days. The mediators’ goal is to create momentum for releases, buying time until broader agreements are reached. The fear: Without progress, Israel may resume fighting.
Witkoff, for his part, will pressure both sides to reach a swift agreement that benefits both: securing additional hostage releases for Israel and, for Hamas, a long-term ceasefire, prisoner releases, renewed humanitarian aid, and even elements of Gaza’s reconstruction. The U.S. envoy will join the talks and demand rapid progress, not delays.
The Israeli delegation, without Ron Dermer, arrived in Doha yesterday. Yesterday, Channel 12 News published excerpts from a tense conversation between a source familiar with the negotiations and hostages’ families, alongside Israeli officials’ assessment: “The gaps remain wide.”
Protesters Demand a Hostage Deal (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni, Flash90)
During a meeting, a relative of a female hostage asked the source: “How long will they stay there? The deal is on the brink of collapse. We didn’t exit Philadelphia as planned. Is there even negotiation about our children left behind?” The source replied: “Even within the new negotiation team, there’s consensus on the urgency to release all hostages in a deal ASAP. Time is against us, and the political echelon is blocking attempts to advance a full agreement.”
Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State acknowledged that the Trump administration’s direct engagement with Hamas failed: “It was a one-off, and it bore no fruit.” Additionally, Witkoff sent a message to Hamas about the postwar reality: “They will face a reality where they cannot remain in Gaza, and they’ll have no choice,” he told Fox News.
On Phase Two of the deal, Witkoff stated that the U.S. administration must set a deadline: “What’s happening with the hostages cannot continue. They’re held in horrific conditions. They return sick, having not eaten or received medical care. We must set an end date for this crisis.” link
- Witkoff lands in Doha as talks resume with aim of extending fragile Gaza truceMediators said to be pushing Hamas to release 10 hostages in exchange for 60-day truce, providing time to reach wider deal
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff landed in Qatar on Tuesday to join indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at extending the current, fragile ceasefire in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Wiktoff will meet Wednesday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said. Witkoff on Monday praised Qatar for its “outstanding” mediation efforts, adding that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have also been helpful.
Israel is hoping that the US can advance a proposal for a roughly two-month extension of the ceasefire, during which Hamas would release about half of the living hostages up front, an Israeli official said Tuesday.
Hamas has thus far rejected the proposal, insisting that the sides stick to the framework that was agreed upon in January. The first phase of the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal ended on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that could secure a permanent end to the war, but both sides have since refrained from resuming full-scale fighting.
Channel 12 news reported Tuesday night that mediators Qatar, the US, and Egypt are pushing Hamas to demonstrate its seriousness by accepting the offer, thereby providing more time to reach wider agreements on the ongoing ceasefire.
The outlet has previously reported the framework would see Hamas release 10 living hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, in exchange for a further 60 days of ceasefire.
Steve Witkoff, White House special envoy for the Middle East, speaks with reporters at the White House, March 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)The report said that the mediators told Hamas, “This is your last chance to prevent the renewal of war on Israel’s part. Everyone needs time, even you.”
An Israeli source with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel that there is some “readiness” on the part of the terror group to agree to a long extension of the ceasefire without moving to the second phase of the deal.
Hamas would likely demand the release of senior terrorists being held by Israel in exchange for accepting the proposal, said the source.
The source said that there is a “gap” between the US and Israeli delegations’ expectations from the talks in Qatar and their decision-making abilities: While Trump has sent Witkoff, someone who can make decisions, the Israeli delegation — while relatively senior — is not empowered to make decisions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new point man on the talks, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, has not traveled to Qatar.
A senior Hamas official confirmed that the fresh round of ceasefire talks began on Tuesday in Doha, with the terror group approaching the negotiations “positively and responsibly.”
“We hope that the current round of negotiations leads to tangible progress toward beginning the second phase,” Abdul Rahman Shadid said.
He also expressed hope that Witkoff would help “initiate negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.”
“The US administration bears responsibility due to its unwavering support for the occupying [Israeli] government,” he said.
A Palestinian man ferries a gas cylinder on his bicycle at a displacement camp west of Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip on March 11, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel is still open to achieving its war aims in Gaza through negotiations.
“If we can achieve our goals in political means, okay, very good,” he said in an interview with ABC news. “But if we will not be able to do that, we will have to resume our military activity.”
Israel has said its goals include the return of the hostages held by terror groups in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas’s military and government in the Strip. These goals were echoed Monday by Witkoff, who told Fox News the terror group has “no alternative” to disarming and leaving Gaza.
Sa’ar also said Tuesday that Israel “conveyed our thoughts” to the Trump administration about US officials holding direct talks with Hamas last week.
Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler has been involved in separate, direct talks with Hamas that, while broadly aimed at ending the war without the terror group in power, are specifically focused on freeing Alexander, the living Israeli-American hostage, as well as securing the release of the bodies of four slain Americans still held by the group.
The talks sparked private but intense criticism from Israel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the direct dealings were a “one-off situation” that as of now “hasn’t borne fruit.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on a military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)Of the hostages remaining in Gaza, 24 are presumed to be alive, while 35 have been confirmed dead by Israeli officials, based on evidence and intelligence.
Hamas has repeatedly demanded a move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would include the release of the remaining presumed-living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.
Israel and the US have sought an alternative arrangement that would extend the first phase of the truce and see the release of further hostages without initiating a permanent end to the war against Hamas.
Hamas has so far released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war.
Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.
The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas and is counted among the 59 hostages. link There is no other way of putting this, the deal that Witkoff is pushing now is not just a bad deal, it's a horrible deal. It proposes a release of only 10 hostages (on the news I heard, both living and dead, but it is supposedly for 10 living hostages) over the course of 60 long days where every day is a life and death situation, as we have see too well. And what of the remaining 14 living hostages? What of them? They are left to wither and die with no assumed or presumed date that they will be released. The biggest problem is that Trump gave Witkoff and whole list of things he is now responsible for, including negotiating and ceasefire/end of war between Russia and Ukraine and that is taking a lot of his time. When his main thrust was our hostages, I don't believe he would be talking about this deal. He would have pushed a much stronger deal, one that would bring all the hostages home and end the war. But that would have taken more time and more energy and spending the necessary time with Netanyahu to force him to take this deal. He is juggling so much in the air, that he needs to make as quick a deal as possible, and as he said in an interview that he understood what each side wanted and neither side was willing to give in to the other, so he put together a deal that he believes each side can live with.
Maybe the sides can live with, but the hostages can't!!!!!
- This article is from last month but it is entirely relevant to our situation right now:
**"They Have No One to Rely On"** Consciously condemning hostages to their death is not a legitimate political or national decision—quite the opposite. It is a choice that violates Israel’s fundamental ethos as a nation that leaves no one behind. No one ever imagined we would reach a point where saving our own citizens is even a question. Netanyahu, time and again, proves that the hostages cannot depend on him. • Opinion 
Netanyahu knows very well their situation (Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami upon their release from captivity) | Photo: Reuters
Yesterday (last month), we witnessed one of the most appalling spectacles in Israel’s history: the release of Ofer Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eliyahu Sharabi after a year and five months of hell. They appeared emaciated, humiliated, barely able to stand. The entire nation shared their pain and wept as they reunited with their families. Meanwhile, their prime minister chose to spend the weekend at a luxury hotel in the United States, prioritizing his own comfort over his citizens. This reflects not only utter callousness but also Netanyahu’s incompetence in making sound leadership decisions—a leader utterly disconnected from reality.
Netanyahu has long known the hostages’ dire condition. He received this information not only from their families but also through intelligence reports, which he has repeatedly ignored. Since April, and again with the draft agreement of May 27, he has vacillated, caving to [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich’s pressure and backtracking on his own proposed deals. From then until Trump’s rise, Netanyahu has done everything to sabotage negotiations, prolonging a war that serves him personally and politically.
The prime minister is not only responsible for October 7 but also for deliberately failing to achieve the war’s declared goals: returning all hostages and toppling Hamas. The invented objective of “total victory” is a deceptive illusion designed to mislead the public, masking his sole aim: to indefinitely extend the war and block any deal that might end it.
A Betrayal of Israel’s Founding Principles Consigning hostages to their deaths is not merely a political failure—it is a conscious decision that violates both the war’s stated aims and the core spirit of Israel as defined in its Declaration of Independence. Our state was founded as a refuge, a last line of defense for its citizens and the Jewish people. Every national institution, including the Jewish Agency, was established to rescue Jews globally and bring them to safety. No one ever imagined we would debate whether to save our own citizens.
This decision also betrays the IDF as an army of defense, its commanders, and soldiers. They were raised on values of camaraderie and “leaving no one behind”—principles alien to ministers like Smotrich and [Settlement Minister Orit] Strock, whose sole creed is vengeance, not saving lives. What mother would send her son to the army knowing the government might abandon him? What soldier would fight if his life means nothing to a prime minister who sends him to battle as a pawn in his hollow political game?
A Global Stain on Israel’s HonorWhile restraint in the face of Hamas’s provocations is necessary to prioritize bringing our people home, it is doubtful Netanyahu possesses the moral courage to do what any past Israeli leader would have done without hesitation. How will the world view us? As a nation that abandons its citizens? Israel’s glory after Operation Entebbe rivaled the Six-Day War. The world watched a small, determined nation risk everything to rescue its people. Now, we risk becoming a cautionary tale of betrayal.
This deliberate abandonment is a national sin, driven by cold calculation. While no basic law explicitly defines such dereliction of duty—who could fathom it would ever be necessary?—a new law is urgently needed. One that clarifies: a prime minister who fails to exhaust every means to protect citizens and return them from captivity is unfit for office and must be removed immediately.
The state commission of inquiry, which will inevitably be established, must recommend indicting Smotrich and Netanyahu for gross dereliction of duty. This is not just about preserving national values but about the foundational contract between a state and its citizens. Today, no Israeli feels this government can protect them—not after October 7, and certainly not after this abandonment.
A Government of Lies, a People of Resolve Netanyahu’s pathetic stunt—sending a delegation to Qatar without a mandate—proves he continues to betray the hostages, believing his lies still hold sway. The Israeli public, in its grassroots struggle for their return, has shown greatness. The government, meanwhile, wallows in disgrace. The hostages rely solely on this popular movement, which refuses to let them be forsaken. This is a battle not only for their lives but for Israel’s very soul. link
Israel Ziv is a retired IDF major general. He served as Chief Infantry and Paratroopers Officer, Gaza Division Commander, and Head of the Operations Directorate.
- Half of Israelis think Trump more concerned about fate of the hostages than Netanyahu
Half of Israelis believe US President Donald Trump is more concerned about the fate of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Channel 13 news poll.
Asked which of the two they believe is more concerned, 50 percent of respondents say Trump, 29% Netanyahu and the rest are not sure. link Personally, I don't believe that Trump really cares anything about the hostages. He has his ulterior motives for pushing the hostage issue. Firstly, he has 2 billionaire backers who care very much for the hostages, Miriam Adelson and Steve Witkoff and they are pushing him. Secondly, he wants a Nobel Peace Prize, he is desperate for one just because Obama received one. He will do whatever he can to try to reach that hold grail: hostages, permanent ceasefire in our war, ending the Russia/Ukraine war, normalization of Saudi Arabia and therefore extension of the Abraham Accords. Any one of these would be sufficient for him. I go back to Adelson and Witkoff. If not for them, Trump would go along with his bestie Netanyahu and not make a stink for him but he has these 2 very strong backers as well as Witkoff being a long term friend and they are keeping the hostage situation in his face. Frankly, I don't care about his motives as long as we get them home.
Israeli official: Talks in Doha on Gaza are centered on ‘Witkoff proposal’
Israel is focused on the so-called “Witkoff proposal” during ongoing talks in Qatar on the future of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The outline — said to have been created in talks between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff — envisions a roughly two-month extension of the ceasefire, during which Hamas would release about half of the living hostages up front, and the rest at the end along with an end to the war.
The Israeli negotiating team is scheduled to return home tonight, says the official, but could remain in Doha if there is a breakthrough.
“Witkoff landed last night,” says the official. “Let’s see if there are any developments, and we’ll see if there is a reason to stay there. If there is, they’ll stay.”
50 relatives of hostages petition High Court to reverse cut of electricity to Gaza
Some 50 relatives of hostages being held in Gaza have filed a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding the reversal of Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to a water desalination plant in the Gaza Strip on the grounds that it endangers their loved ones.
“This is a decision that directly and immediately endangers the lives of the hostages, Israeli citizens, who cannot protect themselves,” the families argue in a statement announcing the petition.
They argue in the petition that the decision to cut electricity to Gaza was made by Energy Minister Eli Cohen without the necessary authority.
Moreover, they maintain that immediate action needs to be taken by the court to oblige the government to reverse decision through an interim order. link Unfortunately, there is very little chance that the Supreme Court will even look at this case. They are expected to state that this is a political and/or military issue and not a legal issue.
Hostage Updates
Trump likes big deals. Why is anyone talking about freeing 10 living hostages? Witkoff’s deal? Sounds to me like an Israeli spin. I think Witkoff is talking about the whole deal - 59 hostages living and dead in exchange of finishing the war. If what Khalil Al Haya said to Adam Boehler is true - that Hamas is ready to give up their weapons, Trump needs to grab it and pressure Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states to work with the PA to make it happen. Safe passage for Hamas Combattants to leave Gaza for Türkiye and pressure on Netanyahu to make the deal. (Gershon Baskin, March 12,2025)
"Negotiation Marathon: The Expected Breakthrough from Qatar Talks
Trump’s envoy is set to arrive in Doha tomorrow, aiming to secure gains for both sides • Meanwhile, mediators push for a 'bridging phase' until broader agreements are reached • Goal: A hostage release phase as early as the coming days • Behind the scenes: Mediators’ efforts, fears of collapsed talks, and the message relayed to HamasThe Israeli delegation arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a rapid round of talks, and tomorrow (Wednesday), U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join in an effort to deliver news to the public. However, tonight, we first revealed on The Central Edition the behind-the-scenes attempts already underway by mediators.
Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. are working to extract a "gesture of seriousness" from Hamas toward Israel, possibly in the form of a limited hostage release phase—potentially within days. The mediators’ goal is to create momentum for releases, buying time until broader agreements are reached. The fear: Without progress, Israel may resume fighting.
Witkoff, for his part, will pressure both sides to reach a swift agreement that benefits both: securing additional hostage releases for Israel and, for Hamas, a long-term ceasefire, prisoner releases, renewed humanitarian aid, and even elements of Gaza’s reconstruction. The U.S. envoy will join the talks and demand rapid progress, not delays.
The Israeli delegation, without Ron Dermer, arrived in Doha yesterday. Yesterday, Channel 12 News published excerpts from a tense conversation between a source familiar with the negotiations and hostages’ families, alongside Israeli officials’ assessment: “The gaps remain wide.”
Protesters Demand a Hostage Deal (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni, Flash90)During a meeting, a relative of a female hostage asked the source: “How long will they stay there? The deal is on the brink of collapse. We didn’t exit Philadelphia as planned. Is there even negotiation about our children left behind?” The source replied: “Even within the new negotiation team, there’s consensus on the urgency to release all hostages in a deal ASAP. Time is against us, and the political echelon is blocking attempts to advance a full agreement.”
Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State acknowledged that the Trump administration’s direct engagement with Hamas failed: “It was a one-off, and it bore no fruit.” Additionally, Witkoff sent a message to Hamas about the postwar reality: “They will face a reality where they cannot remain in Gaza, and they’ll have no choice,” he told Fox News.
On Phase Two of the deal, Witkoff stated that the U.S. administration must set a deadline: “What’s happening with the hostages cannot continue. They’re held in horrific conditions. They return sick, having not eaten or received medical care. We must set an end date for this crisis.” link
- Witkoff lands in Doha as talks resume with aim of extending fragile Gaza truceMediators said to be pushing Hamas to release 10 hostages in exchange for 60-day truce, providing time to reach wider deal
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff landed in Qatar on Tuesday to join indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at extending the current, fragile ceasefire in Gaza, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Wiktoff will meet Wednesday with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said. Witkoff on Monday praised Qatar for its “outstanding” mediation efforts, adding that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have also been helpful.
Israel is hoping that the US can advance a proposal for a roughly two-month extension of the ceasefire, during which Hamas would release about half of the living hostages up front, an Israeli official said Tuesday.
Hamas has thus far rejected the proposal, insisting that the sides stick to the framework that was agreed upon in January. The first phase of the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal ended on March 1 with no agreement on subsequent stages that could secure a permanent end to the war, but both sides have since refrained from resuming full-scale fighting.
Channel 12 news reported Tuesday night that mediators Qatar, the US, and Egypt are pushing Hamas to demonstrate its seriousness by accepting the offer, thereby providing more time to reach wider agreements on the ongoing ceasefire.
The outlet has previously reported the framework would see Hamas release 10 living hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, in exchange for a further 60 days of ceasefire.
Steve Witkoff, White House special envoy for the Middle East, speaks with reporters at the White House, March 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)The report said that the mediators told Hamas, “This is your last chance to prevent the renewal of war on Israel’s part. Everyone needs time, even you.”
An Israeli source with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel that there is some “readiness” on the part of the terror group to agree to a long extension of the ceasefire without moving to the second phase of the deal.
Hamas would likely demand the release of senior terrorists being held by Israel in exchange for accepting the proposal, said the source.
The source said that there is a “gap” between the US and Israeli delegations’ expectations from the talks in Qatar and their decision-making abilities: While Trump has sent Witkoff, someone who can make decisions, the Israeli delegation — while relatively senior — is not empowered to make decisions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new point man on the talks, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, has not traveled to Qatar.
A senior Hamas official confirmed that the fresh round of ceasefire talks began on Tuesday in Doha, with the terror group approaching the negotiations “positively and responsibly.”
“We hope that the current round of negotiations leads to tangible progress toward beginning the second phase,” Abdul Rahman Shadid said.
He also expressed hope that Witkoff would help “initiate negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.”
“The US administration bears responsibility due to its unwavering support for the occupying [Israeli] government,” he said.
A Palestinian man ferries a gas cylinder on his bicycle at a displacement camp west of Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip on March 11, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel is still open to achieving its war aims in Gaza through negotiations.
“If we can achieve our goals in political means, okay, very good,” he said in an interview with ABC news. “But if we will not be able to do that, we will have to resume our military activity.”
Israel has said its goals include the return of the hostages held by terror groups in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas’s military and government in the Strip. These goals were echoed Monday by Witkoff, who told Fox News the terror group has “no alternative” to disarming and leaving Gaza.
Sa’ar also said Tuesday that Israel “conveyed our thoughts” to the Trump administration about US officials holding direct talks with Hamas last week.
Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler has been involved in separate, direct talks with Hamas that, while broadly aimed at ending the war without the terror group in power, are specifically focused on freeing Alexander, the living Israeli-American hostage, as well as securing the release of the bodies of four slain Americans still held by the group.
The talks sparked private but intense criticism from Israel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the direct dealings were a “one-off situation” that as of now “hasn’t borne fruit.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on a military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)Of the hostages remaining in Gaza, 24 are presumed to be alive, while 35 have been confirmed dead by Israeli officials, based on evidence and intelligence.
Hamas has repeatedly demanded a move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would include the release of the remaining presumed-living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war.
Israel and the US have sought an alternative arrangement that would extend the first phase of the truce and see the release of further hostages without initiating a permanent end to the war against Hamas.
Hamas has so far released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire that began in January. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war.
Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.
The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas and is counted among the 59 hostages. link There is no other way of putting this, the deal that Witkoff is pushing now is not just a bad deal, it's a horrible deal. It proposes a release of only 10 hostages (on the news I heard, both living and dead, but it is supposedly for 10 living hostages) over the course of 60 long days where every day is a life and death situation, as we have see too well. And what of the remaining 14 living hostages? What of them? They are left to wither and die with no assumed or presumed date that they will be released. The biggest problem is that Trump gave Witkoff and whole list of things he is now responsible for, including negotiating and ceasefire/end of war between Russia and Ukraine and that is taking a lot of his time. When his main thrust was our hostages, I don't believe he would be talking about this deal. He would have pushed a much stronger deal, one that would bring all the hostages home and end the war. But that would have taken more time and more energy and spending the necessary time with Netanyahu to force him to take this deal. He is juggling so much in the air, that he needs to make as quick a deal as possible, and as he said in an interview that he understood what each side wanted and neither side was willing to give in to the other, so he put together a deal that he believes each side can live with.
Maybe the sides can live with, but the hostages can't!!!!!
- This article is from last month but it is entirely relevant to our situation right now:**"They Have No One to Rely On"**Consciously condemning hostages to their death is not a legitimate political or national decision—quite the opposite. It is a choice that violates Israel’s fundamental ethos as a nation that leaves no one behind. No one ever imagined we would reach a point where saving our own citizens is even a question. Netanyahu, time and again, proves that the hostages cannot depend on him. • OpinionNetanyahu knows very well their situation (Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami upon their release from captivity) | Photo: ReutersYesterday (last month), we witnessed one of the most appalling spectacles in Israel’s history: the release of Ofer Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eliyahu Sharabi after a year and five months of hell. They appeared emaciated, humiliated, barely able to stand. The entire nation shared their pain and wept as they reunited with their families. Meanwhile, their prime minister chose to spend the weekend at a luxury hotel in the United States, prioritizing his own comfort over his citizens. This reflects not only utter callousness but also Netanyahu’s incompetence in making sound leadership decisions—a leader utterly disconnected from reality.Netanyahu has long known the hostages’ dire condition. He received this information not only from their families but also through intelligence reports, which he has repeatedly ignored. Since April, and again with the draft agreement of May 27, he has vacillated, caving to [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich’s pressure and backtracking on his own proposed deals. From then until Trump’s rise, Netanyahu has done everything to sabotage negotiations, prolonging a war that serves him personally and politically.The prime minister is not only responsible for October 7 but also for deliberately failing to achieve the war’s declared goals: returning all hostages and toppling Hamas. The invented objective of “total victory” is a deceptive illusion designed to mislead the public, masking his sole aim: to indefinitely extend the war and block any deal that might end it.A Betrayal of Israel’s Founding PrinciplesConsigning hostages to their deaths is not merely a political failure—it is a conscious decision that violates both the war’s stated aims and the core spirit of Israel as defined in its Declaration of Independence. Our state was founded as a refuge, a last line of defense for its citizens and the Jewish people. Every national institution, including the Jewish Agency, was established to rescue Jews globally and bring them to safety. No one ever imagined we would debate whether to save our own citizens.This decision also betrays the IDF as an army of defense, its commanders, and soldiers. They were raised on values of camaraderie and “leaving no one behind”—principles alien to ministers like Smotrich and [Settlement Minister Orit] Strock, whose sole creed is vengeance, not saving lives. What mother would send her son to the army knowing the government might abandon him? What soldier would fight if his life means nothing to a prime minister who sends him to battle as a pawn in his hollow political game?A Global Stain on Israel’s HonorWhile restraint in the face of Hamas’s provocations is necessary to prioritize bringing our people home, it is doubtful Netanyahu possesses the moral courage to do what any past Israeli leader would have done without hesitation. How will the world view us? As a nation that abandons its citizens? Israel’s glory after Operation Entebbe rivaled the Six-Day War. The world watched a small, determined nation risk everything to rescue its people. Now, we risk becoming a cautionary tale of betrayal.This deliberate abandonment is a national sin, driven by cold calculation. While no basic law explicitly defines such dereliction of duty—who could fathom it would ever be necessary?—a new law is urgently needed. One that clarifies: a prime minister who fails to exhaust every means to protect citizens and return them from captivity is unfit for office and must be removed immediately.The state commission of inquiry, which will inevitably be established, must recommend indicting Smotrich and Netanyahu for gross dereliction of duty. This is not just about preserving national values but about the foundational contract between a state and its citizens. Today, no Israeli feels this government can protect them—not after October 7, and certainly not after this abandonment.A Government of Lies, a People of ResolveNetanyahu’s pathetic stunt—sending a delegation to Qatar without a mandate—proves he continues to betray the hostages, believing his lies still hold sway. The Israeli public, in its grassroots struggle for their return, has shown greatness. The government, meanwhile, wallows in disgrace. The hostages rely solely on this popular movement, which refuses to let them be forsaken. This is a battle not only for their lives but for Israel’s very soul. linkIsrael Ziv is a retired IDF major general. He served as Chief Infantry and Paratroopers Officer, Gaza Division Commander, and Head of the Operations Directorate.
- Half of Israelis think Trump more concerned about fate of the hostages than Netanyahu
Half of Israelis believe US President Donald Trump is more concerned about the fate of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Channel 13 news poll.
Asked which of the two they believe is more concerned, 50 percent of respondents say Trump, 29% Netanyahu and the rest are not sure. link Personally, I don't believe that Trump really cares anything about the hostages. He has his ulterior motives for pushing the hostage issue. Firstly, he has 2 billionaire backers who care very much for the hostages, Miriam Adelson and Steve Witkoff and they are pushing him. Secondly, he wants a Nobel Peace Prize, he is desperate for one just because Obama received one. He will do whatever he can to try to reach that hold grail: hostages, permanent ceasefire in our war, ending the Russia/Ukraine war, normalization of Saudi Arabia and therefore extension of the Abraham Accords. Any one of these would be sufficient for him. I go back to Adelson and Witkoff. If not for them, Trump would go along with his bestie Netanyahu and not make a stink for him but he has these 2 very strong backers as well as Witkoff being a long term friend and they are keeping the hostage situation in his face. Frankly, I don't care about his motives as long as we get them home.
Israeli official: Talks in Doha on Gaza are centered on ‘Witkoff proposal’
Israel is focused on the so-called “Witkoff proposal” during ongoing talks in Qatar on the future of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The outline — said to have been created in talks between Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff — envisions a roughly two-month extension of the ceasefire, during which Hamas would release about half of the living hostages up front, and the rest at the end along with an end to the war.
The Israeli negotiating team is scheduled to return home tonight, says the official, but could remain in Doha if there is a breakthrough.
“Witkoff landed last night,” says the official. “Let’s see if there are any developments, and we’ll see if there is a reason to stay there. If there is, they’ll stay.”
50 relatives of hostages petition High Court to reverse cut of electricity to Gaza
Some 50 relatives of hostages being held in Gaza have filed a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding the reversal of Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to a water desalination plant in the Gaza Strip on the grounds that it endangers their loved ones.
“This is a decision that directly and immediately endangers the lives of the hostages, Israeli citizens, who cannot protect themselves,” the families argue in a statement announcing the petition.
They argue in the petition that the decision to cut electricity to Gaza was made by Energy Minister Eli Cohen without the necessary authority.
Moreover, they maintain that immediate action needs to be taken by the court to oblige the government to reverse decision through an interim order. link Unfortunately, there is very little chance that the Supreme Court will even look at this case. They are expected to state that this is a political and/or military issue and not a legal issue.
Gaza and the South
- IDF says Hamas ‘cynically’ sent 4-year-old boy to IDF post in Gaza, troops returned him
Hamas sent a 4-year-old boy yesterday toward an IDF post in the Gaza Strip, the military says, adding that forces returned the child in coordination with international organizations.
In a tweet, the army says that after troops spotted the kid nearing them in a Gaza security zone, “the child said that he was sent to the post by the Hamas terrorist organization.
“Hamas does not hesitate to use any means to cynically use and exploit civilians and children to advance its terrorism.”
Doctors Without Borders chastises Israel, accuses it of using aid as ‘bargaining chip’
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) medical charity claims Israel has “instrumentalized humanitarian needs” in Gaza, with its decision to halt aid and cut electricity into the Strip.
“Israeli authorities are yet again normalizing the use of aid as a negotiation tool,” MSF emergency coordinator Myriam Laaroussi says in a statement. “This is outrageous. Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip in war.”
The group’s statement makes no mention of the Hamas terror group’s use throughout the war and before it of civilian hostages as bargaining chips.
Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza to pressure Hamas to agree to release more of the 59 hostages it is still holding amid fragile ceasefire, which since January 19 has reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of fighting since the Palestinian terror group’s murderous onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Ahead of a current round of talks in Doha, Israel ramped up the pressure, halting the supply of electricity to a desalination plant in the Strip.
Describing the move as “collective punishment,” MSF demands Israel “end this inhumane blockade of the Strip.”
It warns that with the suspension of electricity supply, the water desalination plant in Khan Younis in the south of the territory has already run out of fuel.
“The plant has dropped its production from 17 million to 2.5 million liters per day,” its statement says. “This decision to cut electricity will gradually severely impact the public water supply” to Gaza’s some 2.4 million people, who are already caught in a dire humanitarian crisis, it adds.
“The blockade on all supplies is inevitably hurting hundreds of thousands of people and is having deadly consequences,” Laaroussi claims.
MSF says its last delivery into Gaza took place on February 27, when it sent in three trucks carrying mostly medical supplies. It asserts that even before the blockade, people on the ground were facing critical shortages.
“Although more trucks have entered during the ceasefire, the Israel authorities’ goods entry system, systematically used to obstruct humanitarian aid, has made it impossible for us to scale up properly, even before this blockade,” Laaroussi says.
The system has consistently obstructed and restricted “the entry of lifesaving supplies including scalpels, scissors, oxygen concentrators, desalination units and generators,” MSF says. “Even when approved, the process takes a long time and continues to be a complex bureaucratic impediment.”
The United States has informed Egypt of its decision to reduce military aid to the country, according to the Qatari newspaper *Al-Araby Al-Jadeed*.
The decision by the Trump administration is expected to take effect in the coming year, though the exact scale of the reduction has not been precisely defined. Egyptian sources claim that the Pentagon has been exerting pressure in an attempt to convince Egypt to cooperate with the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. According to these sources, the U.S. has hinted to Egyptian commanders that it might disrupt military aid if Egypt continues to reject the plan.
*Al-Araby Al-Jadeed* reported, citing Egyptian diplomatic sources, that the U.S. has notified Cairo of its decision to cut military aid to Egypt, a decision expected to be implemented in the coming year. An Egyptian diplomat in Washington stated that the Trump administration recently informed Cairo of its decision but did not specify the exact size of the cut, which is expected to be determined later following consultations within U.S. government agencies.
It is estimated that the U.S. provides Egypt with annual aid amounting to $2.1 billion, of which $1.3 billion is allocated for military assistance, with the remainder directed toward economic aid, including support for the Egyptian government and non-governmental organizations. The U.S. administration conditions part of this aid, estimated at around $300 million, on Cairo's compliance with human rights commitments, an issue that has been a source of contention between the two sides in recent years.
According to diplomatic sources, an unofficial Egyptian delegation recently visited Washington to discuss the implications of the U.S. decision and to clarify the position of the Egyptian military establishment. The delegation included the former Secretary-General of the Arab League, a former Egyptian Foreign Minister, a former Egyptian Minister of Industry, and other officials. During the meetings, the Egyptian officials emphasized that their military vision is primarily based on maintaining regional stability. "They warned of the dangers and consequences of any plans aimed at relocating Palestinians to Egypt or Jordan, as this would threaten the stability of both regimes," the sources reported.
Another Egyptian source described the U.S. move to reduce aid as a violation of the Egyptian-American Memorandum of Understanding signed by Presidents Anwar Sadat and Jimmy Carter in 1980. The memorandum serves as the legal basis for U.S. aid and is effectively part of the understandings that followed the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt the previous year. According to the source, recent discussions have taken place between Egyptian and American officials regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian sources told the Qatari newspaper that the Pentagon has increased pressure on Egypt in an attempt to persuade it to change its position regarding its refusal to cooperate with the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. The sources claimed that the Pentagon's pressure on the Egyptian establishment is intensifying.
According to the Egyptian sources, senior U.S. officials recently hinted to Egyptian military commanders that they might disrupt military aid to Egypt, including the supply of spare parts for various weapons systems, and could also halt maintenance procedures if Egypt continues to reject the U.S. plan. link This move by Trump was expected as he sees everything as transactional. He expected that he would get his Trump Gaza from Egypt if he kept the money coming and used the threat of cutting off the money if they wouldn't agree with him. This action was/is expected to happen to Jordan as well as they, too are not giving Trump the green light for Trump Gaza. Trump doesn't care of the implications to both countries of cutting of this very necessary money to their coffers and their military strength. Both al-Sisi and King Abdullah are between a rock and hard place. If they agree to Trump's Gaza plan and take in huge number of Palestinians, their regimes become in danger of collapse and if they don't agree, Trump kills their economy and puts their regimes in danger.
Hamas sent a 4-year-old boy yesterday toward an IDF post in the Gaza Strip, the military says, adding that forces returned the child in coordination with international organizations.
In a tweet, the army says that after troops spotted the kid nearing them in a Gaza security zone, “the child said that he was sent to the post by the Hamas terrorist organization.
“Hamas does not hesitate to use any means to cynically use and exploit civilians and children to advance its terrorism.”
Doctors Without Borders chastises Israel, accuses it of using aid as ‘bargaining chip’
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) medical charity claims Israel has “instrumentalized humanitarian needs” in Gaza, with its decision to halt aid and cut electricity into the Strip.
“Israeli authorities are yet again normalizing the use of aid as a negotiation tool,” MSF emergency coordinator Myriam Laaroussi says in a statement. “This is outrageous. Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip in war.”
The group’s statement makes no mention of the Hamas terror group’s use throughout the war and before it of civilian hostages as bargaining chips.
Israel has halted aid deliveries to Gaza to pressure Hamas to agree to release more of the 59 hostages it is still holding amid fragile ceasefire, which since January 19 has reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of fighting since the Palestinian terror group’s murderous onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Ahead of a current round of talks in Doha, Israel ramped up the pressure, halting the supply of electricity to a desalination plant in the Strip.
Describing the move as “collective punishment,” MSF demands Israel “end this inhumane blockade of the Strip.”
It warns that with the suspension of electricity supply, the water desalination plant in Khan Younis in the south of the territory has already run out of fuel.
“The plant has dropped its production from 17 million to 2.5 million liters per day,” its statement says. “This decision to cut electricity will gradually severely impact the public water supply” to Gaza’s some 2.4 million people, who are already caught in a dire humanitarian crisis, it adds.
“The blockade on all supplies is inevitably hurting hundreds of thousands of people and is having deadly consequences,” Laaroussi claims.
MSF says its last delivery into Gaza took place on February 27, when it sent in three trucks carrying mostly medical supplies. It asserts that even before the blockade, people on the ground were facing critical shortages.
“Although more trucks have entered during the ceasefire, the Israel authorities’ goods entry system, systematically used to obstruct humanitarian aid, has made it impossible for us to scale up properly, even before this blockade,” Laaroussi says.
The system has consistently obstructed and restricted “the entry of lifesaving supplies including scalpels, scissors, oxygen concentrators, desalination units and generators,” MSF says. “Even when approved, the process takes a long time and continues to be a complex bureaucratic impediment.”
The United States has informed Egypt of its decision to reduce military aid to the country, according to the Qatari newspaper *Al-Araby Al-Jadeed*.
The decision by the Trump administration is expected to take effect in the coming year, though the exact scale of the reduction has not been precisely defined. Egyptian sources claim that the Pentagon has been exerting pressure in an attempt to convince Egypt to cooperate with the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. According to these sources, the U.S. has hinted to Egyptian commanders that it might disrupt military aid if Egypt continues to reject the plan.
*Al-Araby Al-Jadeed* reported, citing Egyptian diplomatic sources, that the U.S. has notified Cairo of its decision to cut military aid to Egypt, a decision expected to be implemented in the coming year. An Egyptian diplomat in Washington stated that the Trump administration recently informed Cairo of its decision but did not specify the exact size of the cut, which is expected to be determined later following consultations within U.S. government agencies.
It is estimated that the U.S. provides Egypt with annual aid amounting to $2.1 billion, of which $1.3 billion is allocated for military assistance, with the remainder directed toward economic aid, including support for the Egyptian government and non-governmental organizations. The U.S. administration conditions part of this aid, estimated at around $300 million, on Cairo's compliance with human rights commitments, an issue that has been a source of contention between the two sides in recent years.
According to diplomatic sources, an unofficial Egyptian delegation recently visited Washington to discuss the implications of the U.S. decision and to clarify the position of the Egyptian military establishment. The delegation included the former Secretary-General of the Arab League, a former Egyptian Foreign Minister, a former Egyptian Minister of Industry, and other officials. During the meetings, the Egyptian officials emphasized that their military vision is primarily based on maintaining regional stability. "They warned of the dangers and consequences of any plans aimed at relocating Palestinians to Egypt or Jordan, as this would threaten the stability of both regimes," the sources reported.
Another Egyptian source described the U.S. move to reduce aid as a violation of the Egyptian-American Memorandum of Understanding signed by Presidents Anwar Sadat and Jimmy Carter in 1980. The memorandum serves as the legal basis for U.S. aid and is effectively part of the understandings that followed the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt the previous year. According to the source, recent discussions have taken place between Egyptian and American officials regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian sources told the Qatari newspaper that the Pentagon has increased pressure on Egypt in an attempt to persuade it to change its position regarding its refusal to cooperate with the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. The sources claimed that the Pentagon's pressure on the Egyptian establishment is intensifying.
According to the Egyptian sources, senior U.S. officials recently hinted to Egyptian military commanders that they might disrupt military aid to Egypt, including the supply of spare parts for various weapons systems, and could also halt maintenance procedures if Egypt continues to reject the U.S. plan. link This move by Trump was expected as he sees everything as transactional. He expected that he would get his Trump Gaza from Egypt if he kept the money coming and used the threat of cutting off the money if they wouldn't agree with him. This action was/is expected to happen to Jordan as well as they, too are not giving Trump the green light for Trump Gaza. Trump doesn't care of the implications to both countries of cutting of this very necessary money to their coffers and their military strength. Both al-Sisi and King Abdullah are between a rock and hard place. If they agree to Trump's Gaza plan and take in huge number of Palestinians, their regimes become in danger of collapse and if they don't agree, Trump kills their economy and puts their regimes in danger.
Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria
- US looking to ‘resolve outstanding issues’ between Israel and Lebanon, says deputy Mideast envoy
After Israel announces it is opening negotiations with Lebanon on demarcating a border between the countries, US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus says the White House looks forward to convening talks quickly “to resolve outstanding issues.”
Her announcement comes after military-to-military talks in southern Lebanon between Israel, the US, France, and Lebanon, in which the parties agreed to open working groups on the border, the IDF deployment in Lebanon, and Lebanese detainees held in Israel, according to Israel and the US.
The US has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon — two countries officially at war — for “several weeks,” Axios reports.
A US official tells the outlet that talks on the three issues could begin next month.
In 2022, Israel and Lebanon negotiated a maritime demarcation line through US mediation.
The decision to hold the talks was made during a four-way meeting held in southern Lebanon between the IDF, the United States, France, and Lebanon, the PMO says.
At the meeting in Naqoura, the sides agree to establish three joint working groups to focus on various issues. The first will look at the five points that Israel still occupies inside of Lebanon; the second will examine the Blue Line that marks the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon and the areas still under dispute; and the third will focus on Lebanese citizens held by Israel.
At the same time, Israel has agreed to release five Lebanese detainees as a “gesture to the new Lebanese president,” Joseph Aoun, says the PMO, adding that the release has been coordinated with the US.
- IDF confirms second strike in southern Lebanon, says it targeted group of Hezbollah operatives
The IDF confirms carrying out a second airstrike in southern Lebanon earlier today, saying it targeted a group of Hezbollah operatives who were identified at a facility belonging to the terror group.
- "Israel Attacks Dozens of Targets of the New Regime in Syria: 'We Control Firepower and Surveillance Up to Damascus'" Forces conducted dozens of raids on Syrian outposts in the buffer zone—and are operating in the broader area, approximately 65 kilometers from the border • Around 40,000 Syrian civilians under Israeli control: Alongside combat, the IDF is repairing pipelines for Syrian residents and allowing agricultural work • The IDF’s swift operation on the morning of the coup—and the lessons from the October 7th massacre
Israel Attacks Dozens of Targets of the New Regime in Syria | Photo: Amit Argaman, Israeli Air Force
After a turbulent night in which Israel struck dozens of targets belonging to Assad’s regime in Syria, the situation is becoming clearer. Alongside exchanges and friction between Israel and the new government, it appears that security forces are establishing facts on the ground. What is the extent of Israel’s deployment in the area—and how is the layout in the three main zones? *N12* with all the details.
The IDF’s Achievements The forces continue to solidify their position: Soldiers have gained control over firepower and surveillance in the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon) and Damascus. **Maximum Readiness**: Forces are repeatedly conducting dozens of raids, at short intervals, on Syrian outposts in the buffer zone. **Denying Enemy Capabilities**: So far, dozens of trucks and weapons systems have been destroyed, and dozens of tanks, artillery pieces, and launchers have been disabled. 
**Map of IDF Operational Zones in Syria**
**40 targets of the new regime were attacked, including radars and other technological assets. **In the hours following the fall of Assad’s regime, forces from the 210th Division carried out dozens of raids, which continue to this day, on all outposts in the area.
**Treatment of Civilians** *Amid the fighting, Israel is providing assistance to the civilian population by repairing pipelines, supplying medical aid—and even allowing periods of continued agricultural work. *For now, there are approximately 40,000 Syrian civilians under Israeli control: around 25,000 in the Golan and another 15,000 at the foothills of Mount Hermon. *The IDF has allocated three brigades to operate in the area: It is evident that the military also believes in holding the territory and defending against threats. *However, the defense establishment assumes that local militias are numerous: Almost every Syrian civilian has weapons at home—and the army is prepared for sporadic terror incidents. *The defense establishment clarifies: The IDF operates alongside the population and understands the importance of keeping the population aligned with the military. 
**Weapons Located in Southern Syria** (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
**IDF Operations in Syrian Territory** | Photo: IDF Spokesperson
**Division of the Area** The IDF has divided southern Syria into three zones: 1. **Buffer Zone**: Between 1 to 5 kilometers, containing strategic control points. 2. **Security Zone**: Extending up to 15 kilometers from the border. 3. **Influence Zone**: Extending an additional 65 kilometers from the border, reaching as far as the Damascus highway. 4.**The goal of dividing the area into zones is to prevent the new regime from establishing itself and to allow control over various layers—from the border to Damascus. 
**IDF Soldiers in the Syrian Hermon** | Photo: Amit Argaman, Israeli Air Force
**The IDF’s Mission in Syria: What Happened Behind the Scenes?** The division’s forces were prepared in advance for rapid deployment, positioned in complex terrain conditions—and within 12 hours of the fall of Assad’s regime, they doubled their forces and entered enemy territory. The defense establishment views the operation in Syria as an example of the lessons from October 7th—preempting threats before they materialize. In the Syrian Hermon, considered the deepest point where the IDF operates in the area (approximately 14.5 kilometers), forces are operating under complex conditions against the new regime, including the emerging new Syrian army.
**Hezbollah and Iran**: After the revolution, all forces withdrew from the buffer zone—understanding that the new enemy is also their enemy and that the entire Shiite axis in Syria is at risk.
*“Every morning, when al-Jolani opens his eyes in the presidential palace in Damascus, he’ll see the IDF watching him from the heights of Mount Hermon and remember that we are here, across all security zones in southern Syria, to protect the residents of the Golan and Galilee from any threat posed by him and his jihadist allies,”* Defense Minister Katz stated. He added, *“The IDF is prepared for an indefinite stay in Syria. We will hold the security zone and Mount Hermon and ensure that the entire security zone in southern Syria is demilitarized and free of weapons and threats, while also safeguarding the well-being of the Druze in the area.”*
**Abu Mohammad al-Jolani** (Photo: Reuters)
Last night, as a reminder, the IDF attacked dozens of targets belonging to Assad’s regime in Syria, including air detection systems, radars, command centers, weapons depots, and other military assets. On this, Defense Minister Katz said: *“Last night, we acted forcefully against military targets and struck over 40 sites in southern Syria to implement the policy we announced and warned about, and to thwart threats against the State of Israel.”*
Syrian media reported last night on Israeli strikes targeting former military bases of Assad’s army near the towns of Jbab and Izra in the Daraa region. This morning, the IDF confirmed the strikes were carried out by fighter jets. link
- Israel aims for ‘normalization’ with Lebanon in new talks, senior Israeli official tells ToI
Israel’s aim in the new talks with Lebanon is “to reach normalization,” a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Jerusalem and US President Donald Trump’s administration announced yesterday that Israel, Lebanon, France and the US would create working groups to discuss the Israel-Lebanon border, the presence of IDF troops in southern Lebanon, and Lebanese detainees held by Israel.
The two countries do not recognize each other.
The next meeting will be between the political echelons of Israel and Lebanon, says the official. “This means official Israeli diplomacy within Lebanon.”
Yesterday’s meeting was military-to-military.
Israel released five Lebanese prisoners yesterday, says the official, so that Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun can show the public that he is able to bring results for the country without military conflict that destroys Lebanon.
“I am coming and trying the diplomatic way and I am bringing achievements,” says the Israeli official, paraphrasing what Israel hopes Aoun is presenting to the Lebanese public.
After Israel announces it is opening negotiations with Lebanon on demarcating a border between the countries, US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus says the White House looks forward to convening talks quickly “to resolve outstanding issues.”
Her announcement comes after military-to-military talks in southern Lebanon between Israel, the US, France, and Lebanon, in which the parties agreed to open working groups on the border, the IDF deployment in Lebanon, and Lebanese detainees held in Israel, according to Israel and the US.
The US has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon — two countries officially at war — for “several weeks,” Axios reports.
A US official tells the outlet that talks on the three issues could begin next month.
In 2022, Israel and Lebanon negotiated a maritime demarcation line through US mediation.
The decision to hold the talks was made during a four-way meeting held in southern Lebanon between the IDF, the United States, France, and Lebanon, the PMO says.
At the meeting in Naqoura, the sides agree to establish three joint working groups to focus on various issues. The first will look at the five points that Israel still occupies inside of Lebanon; the second will examine the Blue Line that marks the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon and the areas still under dispute; and the third will focus on Lebanese citizens held by Israel.
At the same time, Israel has agreed to release five Lebanese detainees as a “gesture to the new Lebanese president,” Joseph Aoun, says the PMO, adding that the release has been coordinated with the US.
The IDF confirms carrying out a second airstrike in southern Lebanon earlier today, saying it targeted a group of Hezbollah operatives who were identified at a facility belonging to the terror group.
Israel’s aim in the new talks with Lebanon is “to reach normalization,” a senior Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Jerusalem and US President Donald Trump’s administration announced yesterday that Israel, Lebanon, France and the US would create working groups to discuss the Israel-Lebanon border, the presence of IDF troops in southern Lebanon, and Lebanese detainees held by Israel.
The two countries do not recognize each other.
The next meeting will be between the political echelons of Israel and Lebanon, says the official. “This means official Israeli diplomacy within Lebanon.”
Yesterday’s meeting was military-to-military.
Israel released five Lebanese prisoners yesterday, says the official, so that Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun can show the public that he is able to bring results for the country without military conflict that destroys Lebanon.
“I am coming and trying the diplomatic way and I am bringing achievements,” says the Israeli official, paraphrasing what Israel hopes Aoun is presenting to the Lebanese public.
West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel
- Against the backdrop of the ongoing operation in Samaria: Hundreds of attacks thwarted - just in the past month
In February, the Shin Bet thwarted at least 195 attacks, including shootings and stabbings, following hot intelligence alerts, amid the ongoing operation in Samaria. Last night: Additional activity took place in Jenin, terrorists were eliminated, and a senior operative was arrested. The data reveals: The impact of keeping forces in Judea and Samaria on thwarting significant attacks is substantial.
The operation by security forces in Judea and Samaria continues, and today (Wednesday) we are publishing data that reveals how the presence of forces in the area contributes to preventing attacks against Israelis.
Following the operation, there has been an increase in thwarted attacks. In February alone, the Shin Bet thwarted 195 significant attacks involving shootings, explosives, stabbings, and vehicular assaults. Over the past year (2024), the Shin Bet has thwarted 1,040 attacks, and if the upward trend continues, it is expected that by the end of 2025, more than 1,000 significant attacks will have been prevented. The data highlights the level of threat emanating from Judea and Samaria and the intensive efforts of the Shin Bet and security forces in the region.
At the end of January, the IDF launched an operation in northern Samaria, starting in Jenin and later expanding to Tulkarm and other locations. Yesterday, Yamam and Duvdevan units, guided by the Shin Bet, eliminated several armed terrorists in the Jenin area and arrested Liwaa Ja'ez, a senior operative in the terrorist infrastructure in Jenin. Additionally, two vehicles rigged with weapons for carrying out attacks were destroyed.
Earlier this week, IDF forces demolished the home of terrorist Nidal Amar in Jenin, who killed Captain Alon Skagio, may he rest in peace, during an operational activity in the refugee camp.
In recent weeks, the security establishment has succeeded in thwarting numerous incidents originating from Jenin, identifying an opportunity to stabilize the area and push back the level of terrorism. The primary goal of the operation is to ensure that Jenin does not remain a haven for terrorism, which will have a ripple effect on the entire northern Samaria region.
At the end of last month, Defense Minister Katz addressed the operation in northern Samaria, stating: "I have instructed the IDF to prepare for a prolonged presence in the cleared camps for the coming year and to prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism." The minister confirmed that "40,000 Palestinians have been evacuated so far from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, which are now empty of residents. UNRWA activities in the camps have also been halted."
"The IDF is conducting offensive operations to clear terrorist nests of operatives and destroy terrorist infrastructure and weapons on a large scale," Katz continued. "We will not return to the reality of the past. We will continue to clear refugee camps and other terrorist hubs to dismantle the battalions and terrorist infrastructures of radical Islam that were built, armed, funded, and trained by the Iranian axis of evil - in an attempt to establish an eastern terror front against the communities of Samaria and the seam line." link
Politics and the War (general news)
- Ya’alon says Netanyahu’s decision to sue him shows PM is ‘feeling the pressure’ of investigations into his staff
Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to sue him for alleging that he received money from Qatar shows that the premier “is feeling the pressure” of the investigations into ties between Qatar and members of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“I hear that Hamas’s financier intends to sue me,” says Ya’alon, referring to the millions of dollars sent to Hamas by Doha each month in the years leading up to October 7, 2023, with Netanyahu’s blessing. “Someone is feeling the pressure of the Shin Bet investigation, which has been put under gag order.”
“The messianic, evasive, and corrupt government must be replaced as soon as possible, in order to save the country,” Ya’alon adds.
- To ensure his political survival, Netanyahu gave Hamas a ceasefire free of charge
For 11 days, Hamas has been free to reorganize without fear of attack or having to release a single hostage. That’s because all that matters now for the PM is passing the budget.
“Every minute we sit here talking, Alon is 50 meters underground, terrified, unsure whether he’ll ever be brought home,” former hostage Eli Sharabi told Ilana Dayan in an interview aired 10 days ago on Channel 12. “Think about what he has to endure each day, what he feels – knowing that others were freed while he was left behind.”
Sharabi, who returned to Israel alongside fellow survivors Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy on February 8, was held in Hamas’s tunnels for about 14 months together with Levy, Elia Cohen, and Alon Ohel. Cohen was released two weeks after Sharabi and Levy, on February 22. Since then, Ohel has remained in Hamas captivity. Alone.
Sharabi described in the interview how their Hamas captors informed the four hostages about the ceasefire and its consequences for them. “A senior commander came into the tunnel and told us, ‘There’s a deal,’” he recalled. “‘Eli Sharabi, Or Levy – you’re being released on February 8. Elia Cohen – you’ll be released on March 1. And Alon Ohel – you’ll be in the second phase, hopefully on March 8.’”
“He was horrified. He turned white,” Sharabi said of Ohel. “He realized he was going to be left behind.”
It is hard to think of Alon Ohel counting down the days until March 8. And impossible to shake off the frustration, anguish, and sadness of knowing that March 8 has come and gone – and Alon Ohel is still in Hamas captivity. Alone.
Alon Ohel and his mother Idit, pictured before October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)They gave nothing, they got everything
For 11 days, Israel and Hamas have been in a ceasefire with no quid pro quo. That is, Hamas has received what it values most – time to recover, reorganize, and entrench its control over Gaza, along with an unprecedented influx of humanitarian aid, including valuable equipment – while Israel has received nothing in return.
Not a single hostage, alive or dead, has been released in this period. And Hamas certainly has not been disarmed or weakened. Quite the reverse.
The ceasefire deal approved by the government on January 17 and implemented two days later stipulated that in the first phase, 33 hostages would be released over a 42-day period.
One can debate whether this gradual release approach was justified, whether the hostages could have been freed all at once – but that was the deal, and despite occasional hurdles and violations by both sides, it was carried out. The 33 hostages on the list – 25 alive, 8 deceased – were brought home.
Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, onstage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)However, the agreement also explicitly stated that negotiations for phase 2 would begin 16 days after the ceasefire commenced – that is, on February 4. That never happened. And it has not happened since. phase 2 has become a dead letter.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that he would not agree to end the war as a condition for implementing phase 2, while Hamas made it clear that it would not agree that the war continue.
If anyone thinks Netanyahu got his way, they are deluding themselves. If anyone thinks Hamas was left empty-handed, they are on another planet. Just look at the recognition the organization is receiving from the US government – for the first time in 20 years
Netanyahu, who for over a year repeatedly insisted that only military pressure would lead to the hostages’ release, has now abandoned military pressure. He did not bring back all the hostages through combat – and now he is not bringing them back under a ceasefire.
This is the same Netanyahu who, in 1999, coined the slogan “If they give, they get; if they don’t give, they don’t get.” Yet now Hamas gave nothing and got everything.
Netanyahu’s to-do list
To the dire misfortune of Alon Ohel – and of 23 other hostages believed to be alive, and the hundreds and thousands of family members and friends of all 59 hostages still held in Gaza – March 8, and in fact all of phase 2 falls uncomfortably close to March 31.
In Netanyahu’s world, March 31 is a much more significant date.
A combination showing all 59 hostages still in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be alive.Because the 2025 state budget must pass by March 31, or else the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and Israel will head to elections within 100 days. And to pass the budget, Netanyahu cannot negotiate phase 2, because his far-right coalition partners have promised to bring down the government if he does.
But Netanyahu also cannot resume fighting, because the Americans want at least the release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, from Hamas captivity.
On Netanyahu’s to-do list for the remainder of this month: there’s the IDF draft-exemption law or some other arrangement to appease the ultra-Orthodox. There’s maintaining his coalition with Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party and securing support for the budget from fellow far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party is currently sitting in the opposition. Perhaps there are even tasks like “Fire the Shin Bet chief” or “Visit Orbán in Hungary,” or “Delay my criminal trial testimony as much as possible.”
But nowhere on that list is the task of bringing the hostages home. Nor is the task of destroying Hamas. That will not happen this month.
Check back on April 1 – when Netanyahu will doubtless issue some grand pronouncements about absolute victory, our dear hostages, and the rock of our existence.
April 1 is, of course, April Fools’ Day.
- Ex-security chiefs said to warn renewed judicial overhaul will harm Israeli security
A group of some two dozen former top security chiefs has recently convened a secret forum to air their concerns over the government’s renewed judicial overhaul legislation and efforts to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Channel 13 news reports.
According to the network, the forum includes most of the living former chiefs of the Israel Defense Forces, Mossad, Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and Israel Police, who have expressed concerns the coalition’s fresh efforts to weaken the judiciary could result in a “constitutional crisis that will harm Israel’s national security.”
The forum has no designated leader and has so far held one meeting, says the report, which adds that the former security officials intend to issue similar warnings about the potential threat of war to those to that preceded the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
The report names the group’s members as former IDF chiefs of staff as Shaul Mofaz, Ehud Barak, Gabi Ashkenazi, Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Halutz; ex-heads of the Shin Bet Ami Ayalon, Yoram Cohen, Yuval Diskin and Nadav Argaman; former Mossad leaders Tamir Pardo, Nahum Admoni, Efraim Halevy and Danny Yatom; former Military Intelligence chiefs Tamir Hayman, Aharon Zeevi Farkash, Uri Sagi and Amos Yadlin; and retired police commissioners Shlomo Aharonishki, Roni Alsheich, Yohanan Danino, Assaf Hefetz, Dudi Cohen, Moshe Karadi and Rafi Peled.
Diskin, however, denies the report and says he’s not involved in the forum.
The network doesn’t cite responses from the other listed officials, many of whom are public critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the judicial overhaul. link Netanyahu doesn't learn anything from his horrendous mistakes when all he is concerned about is himself. Prior to the war, when the country was seeing the largest protest movement in our history against the judicial overthrow, Netanyahu was warned by every single one of his security chiefs that the actions they were trying to take of basically eliminating the power of the courts in favor of the government, was harming the security of the country and weakening the IDF as well as signaling to all of our neighbors our weakness. And they were right. It was one of the factors that went into Hamas' decision making on the timing of the October 7 attack. Did this make any impact on the Minister of Justice, the extremist who is hell bent on taking over the judicial system, Yariv Levin or his boss, Netanyahu? Not an iota. One of the main reasons that Netanyahu is doing everything possible to delay his ongoing trials is because, with a judicial overthrow, his cases will all get cancelled. That is the most important thing to him and takes precedent over the security of the country. That is the disgrace we are forced to live with everyday that he remains in power.
- Ya’alon says Netanyahu’s decision to sue him shows PM is ‘feeling the pressure’ of investigations into his staff
Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to sue him for alleging that he received money from Qatar shows that the premier “is feeling the pressure” of the investigations into ties between Qatar and members of the Prime Minister’s Office.
“I hear that Hamas’s financier intends to sue me,” says Ya’alon, referring to the millions of dollars sent to Hamas by Doha each month in the years leading up to October 7, 2023, with Netanyahu’s blessing. “Someone is feeling the pressure of the Shin Bet investigation, which has been put under gag order.”
“The messianic, evasive, and corrupt government must be replaced as soon as possible, in order to save the country,” Ya’alon adds.
- To ensure his political survival, Netanyahu gave Hamas a ceasefire free of charge
For 11 days, Hamas has been free to reorganize without fear of attack or having to release a single hostage. That’s because all that matters now for the PM is passing the budget.“Every minute we sit here talking, Alon is 50 meters underground, terrified, unsure whether he’ll ever be brought home,” former hostage Eli Sharabi told Ilana Dayan in an interview aired 10 days ago on Channel 12. “Think about what he has to endure each day, what he feels – knowing that others were freed while he was left behind.”
Sharabi, who returned to Israel alongside fellow survivors Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy on February 8, was held in Hamas’s tunnels for about 14 months together with Levy, Elia Cohen, and Alon Ohel. Cohen was released two weeks after Sharabi and Levy, on February 22. Since then, Ohel has remained in Hamas captivity. Alone.
Sharabi described in the interview how their Hamas captors informed the four hostages about the ceasefire and its consequences for them. “A senior commander came into the tunnel and told us, ‘There’s a deal,’” he recalled. “‘Eli Sharabi, Or Levy – you’re being released on February 8. Elia Cohen – you’ll be released on March 1. And Alon Ohel – you’ll be in the second phase, hopefully on March 8.’”
“He was horrified. He turned white,” Sharabi said of Ohel. “He realized he was going to be left behind.”
It is hard to think of Alon Ohel counting down the days until March 8. And impossible to shake off the frustration, anguish, and sadness of knowing that March 8 has come and gone – and Alon Ohel is still in Hamas captivity. Alone.Alon Ohel and his mother Idit, pictured before October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)They gave nothing, they got everything
For 11 days, Israel and Hamas have been in a ceasefire with no quid pro quo. That is, Hamas has received what it values most – time to recover, reorganize, and entrench its control over Gaza, along with an unprecedented influx of humanitarian aid, including valuable equipment – while Israel has received nothing in return.
Not a single hostage, alive or dead, has been released in this period. And Hamas certainly has not been disarmed or weakened. Quite the reverse.
The ceasefire deal approved by the government on January 17 and implemented two days later stipulated that in the first phase, 33 hostages would be released over a 42-day period.
One can debate whether this gradual release approach was justified, whether the hostages could have been freed all at once – but that was the deal, and despite occasional hurdles and violations by both sides, it was carried out. The 33 hostages on the list – 25 alive, 8 deceased – were brought home.Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, onstage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)However, the agreement also explicitly stated that negotiations for phase 2 would begin 16 days after the ceasefire commenced – that is, on February 4. That never happened. And it has not happened since. phase 2 has become a dead letter.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that he would not agree to end the war as a condition for implementing phase 2, while Hamas made it clear that it would not agree that the war continue.
If anyone thinks Netanyahu got his way, they are deluding themselves. If anyone thinks Hamas was left empty-handed, they are on another planet. Just look at the recognition the organization is receiving from the US government – for the first time in 20 years
Netanyahu, who for over a year repeatedly insisted that only military pressure would lead to the hostages’ release, has now abandoned military pressure. He did not bring back all the hostages through combat – and now he is not bringing them back under a ceasefire.
This is the same Netanyahu who, in 1999, coined the slogan “If they give, they get; if they don’t give, they don’t get.” Yet now Hamas gave nothing and got everything.
Netanyahu’s to-do list
To the dire misfortune of Alon Ohel – and of 23 other hostages believed to be alive, and the hundreds and thousands of family members and friends of all 59 hostages still held in Gaza – March 8, and in fact all of phase 2 falls uncomfortably close to March 31.
In Netanyahu’s world, March 31 is a much more significant date.
A combination showing all 59 hostages still in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be alive.Because the 2025 state budget must pass by March 31, or else the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and Israel will head to elections within 100 days. And to pass the budget, Netanyahu cannot negotiate phase 2, because his far-right coalition partners have promised to bring down the government if he does.
But Netanyahu also cannot resume fighting, because the Americans want at least the release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, from Hamas captivity.
On Netanyahu’s to-do list for the remainder of this month: there’s the IDF draft-exemption law or some other arrangement to appease the ultra-Orthodox. There’s maintaining his coalition with Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party and securing support for the budget from fellow far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party is currently sitting in the opposition. Perhaps there are even tasks like “Fire the Shin Bet chief” or “Visit Orbán in Hungary,” or “Delay my criminal trial testimony as much as possible.”
But nowhere on that list is the task of bringing the hostages home. Nor is the task of destroying Hamas. That will not happen this month.
Check back on April 1 – when Netanyahu will doubtless issue some grand pronouncements about absolute victory, our dear hostages, and the rock of our existence.
April 1 is, of course, April Fools’ Day.
- Ex-security chiefs said to warn renewed judicial overhaul will harm Israeli security
A group of some two dozen former top security chiefs has recently convened a secret forum to air their concerns over the government’s renewed judicial overhaul legislation and efforts to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Channel 13 news reports.
According to the network, the forum includes most of the living former chiefs of the Israel Defense Forces, Mossad, Shin Bet, Military Intelligence and Israel Police, who have expressed concerns the coalition’s fresh efforts to weaken the judiciary could result in a “constitutional crisis that will harm Israel’s national security.”
The forum has no designated leader and has so far held one meeting, says the report, which adds that the former security officials intend to issue similar warnings about the potential threat of war to those to that preceded the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.
The report names the group’s members as former IDF chiefs of staff as Shaul Mofaz, Ehud Barak, Gabi Ashkenazi, Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Halutz; ex-heads of the Shin Bet Ami Ayalon, Yoram Cohen, Yuval Diskin and Nadav Argaman; former Mossad leaders Tamir Pardo, Nahum Admoni, Efraim Halevy and Danny Yatom; former Military Intelligence chiefs Tamir Hayman, Aharon Zeevi Farkash, Uri Sagi and Amos Yadlin; and retired police commissioners Shlomo Aharonishki, Roni Alsheich, Yohanan Danino, Assaf Hefetz, Dudi Cohen, Moshe Karadi and Rafi Peled.
Diskin, however, denies the report and says he’s not involved in the forum.
The network doesn’t cite responses from the other listed officials, many of whom are public critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the judicial overhaul. link Netanyahu doesn't learn anything from his horrendous mistakes when all he is concerned about is himself. Prior to the war, when the country was seeing the largest protest movement in our history against the judicial overthrow, Netanyahu was warned by every single one of his security chiefs that the actions they were trying to take of basically eliminating the power of the courts in favor of the government, was harming the security of the country and weakening the IDF as well as signaling to all of our neighbors our weakness. And they were right. It was one of the factors that went into Hamas' decision making on the timing of the October 7 attack. Did this make any impact on the Minister of Justice, the extremist who is hell bent on taking over the judicial system, Yariv Levin or his boss, Netanyahu? Not an iota. One of the main reasons that Netanyahu is doing everything possible to delay his ongoing trials is because, with a judicial overthrow, his cases will all get cancelled. That is the most important thing to him and takes precedent over the security of the country. That is the disgrace we are forced to live with everyday that he remains in power.
The Region and the World
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Personal Stories
**"Hostage Survivor Omer Wenkert in First Interview"** Omer Wenkert, who survived 505 days in the hell of Gaza, spoke for the first time about the October 7th massacre and his long captivity. *"The terrorists threw grenades into the shelter; I covered myself with bodies,"* he recounted. For hundreds of days, he was in solitary confinement, unaware of what was happening: *"Tal, Guy, and Avitar were the first to expose me to the scale of the horrors."*
Omer Wenkert, who returned to Israel after 505 days in hell, gave his first interview, aired tonight (Tuesday) on *The Central Edition*. In words that sound like they were written by a screenwriter, Wenkert described the massacre in the shelter where he tried to survive on the morning of October 7th, the hundreds of days in captivity filled with torture and humiliation, the friends he met who are still hostages in Gaza, and his biggest dream—to start a family.
Wenkert seems like he was taken straight out of a movie about a hero who survives everything. But in his horror movie, there are no cameras, no director, and no actors—just him. A thin young man who lost nearly half his body weight, endured lynching and torture for hundreds of days alone in a cell, survived against all odds, and essentially defeated captivity.
On stage, during the horrific ceremony Hamas organized on the day of his release, he says he didn’t feel humiliated. *"For me, it was a victory; I finished the fight. It didn’t humiliate me. I fought, fought, fought, fought, and won. I had a smile from ear to ear."* 
**Omer Wenkert in his first interview after returning from captivity** | Photo: Channel 12 News
You said, *"I defeated captivity."* *"Yes, that’s exactly what I told my mom first thing. I meant it; it wasn’t just a phrase."* What did you mean? *"I ate it without salt."*
**The Nova Festival and the Shelter Massacre** *"I arrived at the party a little before 5 a.m., around 4:30. I bought a ticket at 00:05 on 10/7. Kim and I decided, ‘Let’s go to Nova, let’s go dance, let’s celebrate.’ We’d wanted to go dancing together for a long time, and I’d fallen asleep on her a few times. So I said, ‘Come on, let’s go.’ We started driving south, I put in the location, saw it was near the Gaza border, and already felt a little uneasy. We set up a mat, two chairs, and headed to the dance floor."*
*"At 6:30, when the red alert and rocket fire started, we ran toward the exit. We started driving and immediately reached the Re’im junction. I saw a shelter on the right and told her, ‘Stop here.’ We stopped, went in, and there were maybe 10 people there at that point. My mom called, asking, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I’m in a shelter in Re’im, everything’s fine, the alarms will stop soon, I’ll wait for it to calm down and then we’ll leave.’"*
*"Slowly, more and more people arrived at the shelter, and only around 7 a.m. did we start to realize there were terrorists, that there had been a breach, that tunnels had been opened, and that in the kibbutzim and communities right next to the fence, there were squads of three or four terrorists, and that the IDF would arrive any moment to neutralize them. You can’t imagine anyone reaching Re’im; it’s almost five kilometers from the border. Then the shooting started—a symphony of gunfire, a symphony that didn’t end, long minutes, dozens of them, without a single second of calm."*
*"What I remember is that the last time I saw the clock, it was 7:29, and at that exact moment, someone said, ‘Get inside, get inside, there are terrorists here.’ I heard ‘Allahu Akbar,’ the sound of a grenade being thrown into the shelter, and everyone ducked. An explosion."*
Were there screams and hysteria inside? *"Yes, absolute hysteria at that point. Me too. First explosion. The first thing I asked was, ‘Is Kim okay?’ She answered, ‘Omer, I’m here, everything’s fine.’ Three grenades had already exploded inside. I saw bodies at the end of the shelter. People were screaming, one yelling, ‘My leg’s cut off, someone help me.’"*
And you’re seeing these images, and what? *"Just praying. There’s nothing you can do. You say, ‘Well… this is probably the end.’ Then one of them came in, firing a full magazine into the shelter. It started getting hot, and smoke filled the shelter. Someone shouted from the entrance, ‘Listen, they’re burning us.’ Before that, there was hysteria, people screaming, but once they started burning us, it got quiet. Silence in the shelter. I started choking, a lot of smoke. They also threw grenades with chemicals that suffocated us."*
At that moment when you realize they’re going to burn you alive, what thoughts go through your head? *"Burning is the worst death. They say it’s the most painful way to die. First, you’re terrified of the suffering that’s about to come. You can’t believe it. You’re wide-eyed, saying, ‘Wow… I’m going to burn.’ I was dizzy, starting to lose consciousness. I was very busy the whole time… It’s terrible to say this, but I took bodies and put them on my head to protect myself if they came back to shoot us, if another grenade came. I just put them on my head… I wanted to push my head as low as possible, but it kept getting exposed because you’re putting a body there, and then another grenade explodes, and things move. At that point, I also saw Kim (Damati, may she rest in peace)."*
Was she alive? *"Yes, I think she was alive at that point, but we didn’t talk. I couldn’t speak anymore; I had no air. Suddenly, I heard a woman making a phone call, and she screamed, ‘They’re killing us, they’re burning us.’ She screamed it, and I think that was the hardest thing I heard in the shelter because that’s when you realize, yes, this is what they’re doing to us. It’s hot, and you see the fire starting to come into the shelter. You don’t react, but inside, you’re burning, completely boiling inside. You understand these are the last moments. Someone looked outside and said, ‘It’s the IDF, it’s the IDF, they’re here, they came to save us, it’s the IDF outside.’ Three girls went out immediately, and I think Kim was one of them. She was wearing the skirt she came in; I only saw legs. I’m almost sure, though again, I was very close to losing consciousness at that point. Then we heard gunfire, and one girl came back. She said, ‘It’s not the IDF, it’s not the IDF, don’t go out.’"* 
**Omer Wenkert and Kim Damati (may she rest in peace)** | Photo: From Omer Wenkert’s Instagram
The moment that followed is something Wenkert will never forget. That’s when he was closest to death, but a young woman whose name he doesn’t know—and whether she survived—saved his life in a heroic act, much like the late Aner Shapiro.
*"Then, a grenade came in, bounced off the wall, and I remember saying out loud, ‘Bye.’ I really said bye. I said goodbye because I thought, ‘This is it. I see it, it’s four meters away, and my head is exposed. It’s over.’ And suddenly, at the last second, she grabbed it and threw it out. It was insane to me. Then, I think it was around 7:55 or 8:00, and I said, ‘Okay, I’m taking a step.’ It’s not fair to my parents for me to come back charred. It’s not fair to my parents for me to come back incomplete. I wasn’t ready to burn or suffocate. I wasn’t ready to die like that. I said I’m taking action. If I die, I die outside, on my feet. Exactly, not burned. I decided to go out."*
**The Moment of Capture** *"I had a moment of what’s called ‘self-respect.’ I said I’ve made peace with death. I’m ready for it. I’m going out now to a death that’s certain for me, and I accept it, I want it, but I’m giving myself the respect I deserve, and I’m not dying like this."*
*"I started yelling at people, ‘Let me out, let me out. I’d rather be shot, I’d rather be shot.’ I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t let me out, why no one responded, and then I realized that everyone around me was already dead. Then I lifted myself up, let some blood flow to my legs because they weren’t working, and then I walked through the fire, went out, waited, ‘Come on, let’s go.’ Then I saw, I think, seven or eight people standing about 10 meters away, and one of them said, ‘We’re not shooting, come.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’m being kidnapped. This is happening. I’m being kidnapped now.’ I saw them starting to come toward me, and I wet my pants."* 
**Footage of Omer Wenkert’s Capture**
It’s not a metaphor—you wet yourself. *"No, no, not a metaphor at all. I was scared. I didn’t go to them immediately because it was also very humiliating for me to approach them. I wasn’t fighting, but I wasn’t just going to walk over. Again, I wasn’t just going to come. One of them came to me, pointed a gun at me, and then they started walking with me. At that moment, the thought crossed my mind: ‘F***, no one sees me. No one has any idea I’m being kidnapped right now,’ like Ron Arad. Okay, they kidnapped me, and no one knows what happened to me."*
On the way to Gaza, to captivity, Wenkert understood. Images of Gilad Shalit and Ron Arad ran through his head. He prepared himself for the worst—at least five years in captivity—and the first thing was to make sure they knew he was taken to Gaza alive.
*"There’s a camera at the Re’im gate. So I turned 90 degrees to the camera and walked in a way that would make it clear. I said, ‘Okay, someday when they pull the footage, they’ll see I was taken alive.’ They sat me on the ground, tied my legs, and then tied my legs to my hands. They literally took my legs, put them on the truck, lifted me, and we started driving. Within 10 minutes, a little less, I saw the fence completely breached, tall, and I saw myself going inside. I understood, that’s it, no one’s saving me now."*
*"At some point, you reach more populated areas, with lots of people. You start seeing many people above you, with bricks, poles, and anything they can hit you with. Kids on their fathers’ shoulders, three-year-old kids on their fathers’ shoulders, hitting you."*
What did you feel at that moment? *"You feel very humiliated. A Jew, an Israeli, in your underwear, on a truck in the heart of Gaza, with hundreds of civilians around. Complete helplessness and insecurity. You understand anything can happen. I remember there were so many phones on me. So many, so many phones filming. I kept thinking, ‘I have to look into every lens, so there are as many frames of me as possible, because eventually, one will get out. One will come out, and then they’ll know I was taken alive.’ From the moment I entered Gaza until the moment I went underground, it was about 20 minutes."*
You remember it step by step, everything, minute by minute. *"Yes, I said that when I get home, I want to know everything. I’ll tell whoever needs to know. I want to know everything. I wasn’t ready for it to sink into me and stay deep inside, and someday it could attack. I really tried to recall a lot. They took me off the truck, into some kind of hangar, and there was a deep hole inside. They laid me on my stomach, tied my hands and legs behind my back—that’s the famous picture of me that everyone saw. Then I turned my head to the other side and saw a tunnel shaft. That’s when you understand you’re going underground. I started walking, walking, walking, and now I’m saying, ‘Okay, I’m underground.’"* 
**Omer Wenkert in his first interview after returning from captivity** | Photo: Channel 12 News
**Hebrew in the Tunnel** Until that moment, Wenkert was sure he was kidnapped alone, the only hostage from October 7th. Then the door opened. At first, he only heard Thai, and then a voice he’ll never forget.
*"I realized there were four Thais, and there was someone else with a blindfold, with Hamas green over his eyes. Suddenly, they tied me and this guy next to each other, until I found out it was Liam, an Israeli. Suddenly, two guys walk through the tunnel and just beat you with everything they can—if it’s hitting your legs with the rifle butt, punches to the face, kicks everywhere… With every punch, you lose consciousness, and the next one wakes you up. On the third punch, you lose consciousness, and the fourth wakes you up. On the fifth, you lose consciousness, and the sixth wakes you up."*
*"We slept on sand. Liam and I covered ourselves with plastic until around day 50. Sometimes the lights went out underground. When the lights go out underground, it’s total darkness, very scary. You eat very little at first. Most of the time, you eat very little. In the morning, three dates; in the evening, half a pita. You have half a liter of water for two people for the whole day, 24 hours. Slowly, it increased a bit because the Thais chose to speak up, saying, ‘We’re asking for more food.’ I was in survival mode, saying, ‘This is the situation, this is my food, and I’ll deal with it.’ I wasn’t ready to lower myself. I wasn’t ready to tell them it’s not enough, I don’t want to show them weakness."*
Like the protagonist in a movie, Omer is unbreakable. He can manage with half a pita a day, can take brutal beatings until he loses consciousness and not feel the pain, but there’s one thing he wasn’t ready to accept—being humiliated. He simply looked the terrorists in the eyes—always.
*"No matter how many days they come in with four armed men into the room with food, sit across from you with guns, watching you eat, and still, ‘Good morning, how are you? How did you sleep?’ I said I’m not ready for this humiliation. I wasn’t ready to be humiliated. I look them in the eye. I wasn’t afraid of them, so I said, ‘I stand by this completely.’ I said this is captivity, this is what I expected it to be. They kidnapped me, I said I’m going home, and I’m going home in one piece. You want to beat me, beat me. You want to curse me, curse me. You want to not feed me, don’t feed me. It’s all fine. I expect it, and I’m waiting for it to come."* 
**Kim Damati (may she rest in peace)**
**Deal Negotiations, Liam’s Release, and the Move to Solitary Confinement** After 50 days, the terrorists told Liam and Omer: *"There’s a deal, and you’re going home, all of you—four Thais, Liam, and Omer."*
*"Suddenly, they came in with a huge pot of rice and said, ‘Eat, eat as much as you want. You’re going home, eat, eat, come on, celebrate. The war is over, eat, eat.’ Later that day, they came to film us, a real ‘end’ video, saying, ‘Tell them you were treated well, tell them you always had light and food,’ whatever they demanded you say, all the distortions of the truth. So it seemed like we were really going home. Then they came in with two cans of beans, brought them to us, and said, ‘You’re going home today.’ I looked, and I… He said, ‘You’re going home tomorrow or the day after.’ Then he left, and the door closed. Liam was my ray of light for the first 53 days."*
The *"tomorrow or the day after"* the terrorists promised Omer lasted 452 days. While Liam was already home, Omer remained alone, and if that wasn’t enough, a senior Hamas official came to his tunnel and told him to vacate the room and move to a cell—a one-meter-by-one-meter room where they dug a hole for his waste.
*"I didn’t really understand why they were digging a hole. At first, I said, ‘What, is this for me?’ They laughed, and I was sure, ‘That’s it, they’re burying me underground.’ Then I saw them running electrical wires, so I understood they were moving me there, probably to live there. Much worse than a cell. I looked at it and said, ‘I can’t believe it.’ I begged them not to move me there. Then I closed the door and said, ‘That’s it, you’re here for now.’ It was a very difficult moment because it went from something subhuman to something… I don’t think there’s a word to describe it."*
**Birthday in Captivity: Did You Remember the Date? Did You Know It Was Your Birthday?** *"I saw dates. I got beaten that day; it was my birthday gift. That’s the day I got a blow to the head for the first time. The door opened, and the terrorist woke me up in complete rage and insane aggression. He humiliated me, hit me, came with an iron rod. Again, I… I stood my ground that I wouldn’t show weakness in front of them. So even when he did it, I looked him in the eye. And after he left, I said to myself, ‘It’s my birthday.’ I completely broke down and decided to wish myself a happy birthday right at that moment. I said, ‘Okay, this is the lowest point I’ve ever experienced in my life,’ but I said, this is the moment I want to wish myself. So while I was completely breaking down…"*
Are you crying? *"Of course, a lot. I wished myself first to get through this and succeed. When I wished myself for my next birthday, I didn’t even wish to be home. It was just, ‘Don’t get beaten.’ It was such a small thing I wished for my 24th birthday, which is my next birthday."*
During all this time, Wenkert was cut off from the media. He knew nothing about what was happening outside, not even hearing the sounds of war. But when a deal fell through or when the IDF eliminated a senior Hamas official, he felt it on his body.
*"Every time a deal fell through… it caused them a lot of frustration, rage, and anger… That’s just one reason, not to mention when they eliminated their father, their families, eliminated their leaders. You can feel it. You know exactly what’s happening."*
And then what happens? *"Humiliation."*
What do they do? *"They beat me during that time. Spat on me. I was very weak physically, so they moved me around a bit. Humiliation. ‘Do 150-200 push-ups now,’ then they tell you to do 100 squats, and while you’re doing it, they throw a block of cheese in your face, then spit on you, things like that. Sometimes they came with bug spray. So they’d come with that spray and just tell you to go to the end of the room, spray it in your face, on your body, on your utensils, on your toothbrush."*
What was the most humiliating? *"Honestly, it might be one of the smallest things compared to everything else. The terrorist stands behind the hallway and says, ‘Turn around.’ He comes in, puts down food, and says, ‘Turn around’ again. So I turn around, and I see pitas. They’re just lying on the filthy floor, on plastic full of sand and mold, filthy, with half a block of cheese that has a huge mold spot on the end. And you say the bare minimum of humanity is to bring me food properly. That specifically was the most humiliating for me."*
How long were you alone, and how did you keep yourself together? *"I was alone from day 53 to day 250 exactly—197 days. I filled my day with things that made me feel good. I thought about certain things regularly. I talked out loud for two hours a day. I don’t know, silence can really drive you crazy, and silence underground, especially. So I talked out loud, to myself. Whatever you’re thinking, say it. It helped me a lot."*
**Omer Wenkert: I’m Free!** | Photo: According to Section 27A
245 days without knowing anything about what’s happening outside. *"Yes, 250. They didn’t expose us to the media at all. I didn’t know how many hostages there were at that point. I understood there were more."*
Do you know if Kim is alive or not? *"No, I only found out in Israel."*
Kim was Wenkert’s best friend. Since they were 14, they did everything together, and that night, they went to the party together. Only when he returned home did he realize Kim had been murdered, and when he sat by her grave, it was the first time he broke down since returning home.
*"Kim and I met in seventh grade; she was a very, very close friend. Kim, I always told her she was like a fairy. There’s something very cool about her; you’re immediately wrapped up in it. Now she’s the angel. Up there. I miss her so, so much. Now I’m back, and everyone’s here, but Kim isn’t. It’s hard."*
**The First Hug After About 200 Days Alone in Solitary Confinement: "I Can’t Believe There Are People Here"** For about 200 days, Omer was alone underground, no longer thinking he’d see daylight until he returned home, let alone other Israeli hostages. Then the door opened, and three people came in: Tal Shoham, Avitar David, and Guy Delal.
*"Suddenly, the door opened in a panic, slammed open, and they came in. Guy, nonchalantly, ‘What’s up, bro? I’m Guy,’ all cute like that, immediately introducing himself. Then I looked at them, and what I remember is my first reaction: ‘Wow, I can’t believe there are people here.’ I remember really looking at them, ‘I have to tell you something weird, but… I need a hug. I need touch. I need someone to touch me.’ And they immediately said, ‘What, of course,’ and we hugged. Then, first of all, I didn’t stop talking for about three weeks, really. That’s always our joke, that I didn’t stop talking for three weeks."*
*"They had been exposed to the media for a few months, so they had a lot of information to share with me. On June 13, it was the first time I heard the number 240—240 hostages. The first time I heard how many terrorists had entered. What acts were committed that day. I still don’t understand them; it was the first time I was exposed to them."*
**Guy Delal and Avitar David Watching Omer’s Release**
Suddenly, there are four of you. What does that mean for the food? *"Once every 24 hours, they brought us water—water for two days—and food for 24 hours. For the first meal we got, right away, they brought in a tray of some lentil stew. They told me, ‘Listen, we share. We share food, okay?’ I tried to understand why. They explained to me that they had been really, really starved for a very long time. At the level of one pita every 24 hours, but not a real pita—Saj pitas, very, very thin. Slowly, when they started getting a little more food, the fights began. Everyone wanted as much as possible; the body needed it. They fought a lot, and hard."*
*"Then they reached a point where they had to divide the food and divide everything exactly, equally, as much as possible. Because there’s so much solidarity and unity there in equality, and the only thing that can really create friction is food when you’re hungry. Guy was in charge of distribution; that was his role. So as soon as food came and we wanted to eat, we’d hand things over to him. Take the plates, do what you know and how you want."*
What was Avitar’s role? *"Avitar’s father was a cleaning sergeant. He made sure things were kept properly all the time. ‘Pay attention, if you step on the mattresses, clean your feet well before.’ If he saw something on the floor that shouldn’t be there, a wipe next to the bathroom instead of inside, he’d immediately say, ‘Why is it like this? Why is it like this? Let’s make sure it’s tidy. Stretch the plastic all the time.’ He was the sergeant in the room. Really like that."*
And Tal? *"Tal is the guide. He’s a very, very special person. He has a very, very interesting perspective. He knows a lot. He has a broad knowledge of many, many fields, so we learned a lot from him. He’s older than us. Tal is 40. He had a lot to give us. A lot of tools. It was clear to us that we were going through this together. We had something very, very special between the four of us in the room. We went through it together."*
At this point, Omer, Tal, Avitar, and Guy didn’t know what was happening outside. They didn’t understand how close the IDF was to them until the terrorists came in to make a change in their room in the tunnel—and booby-trapped it.
*"One day, someone came in. He told us to turn around. And just then, he started reciting verses from the Quran. He started praying, really. Then he said, ‘Do you know what I’m doing now? I’m installing a bomb here.’ He said, ‘If anyone tries to come and get you out of here, we’ll all die.’ He also started telling us, ‘You’re going to hell. We’re going to heaven. We don’t care about dying.’"*
It’s almost incomprehensible, but the moment they told him he was going home, Wenkert didn’t think about himself or jump for joy. He thought about Guy and Avitar, who were left behind, similar to what happened to him with Liam when they parted.
*"It was very hard. I can’t stop thinking about them because I know what’s happening to them. I don’t think ‘brothers’ is a word strong enough to describe our bond. I need them right now. And knowing I’m here, and again, I’m living my freedom now, I’m living my life back, I’m home now. It’s completely insane. But I know what it’s like to see someone walk out the door and realize you’re staying. And it hurts me that they’re experiencing that now. I can’t reconcile it within myself. There’s not a moment I don’t think about them, not a moment I don’t hope they’re really okay there."*
Are they afraid of dying there? *"I think the fear of death is something that faded a bit once they went underground. It kind of disappeared."*
Is it more like ‘being Ron Arad’? *"That’s it. That seems more like the fear. The big, real fear at these stages is just being there, being there, being there, being there. Just fear of neglect. That’s the scariest thing. I think it’s even more terrifying than the fear of death. Just the thought that you might be there for 20 years. 15 years."*
Did you feel abandoned? *"Yes."*
That the country abandoned you? *"I felt I wasn’t a priority. Especially, especially, especially by the decision-makers under whom this happened, this entire failure. It didn’t seem logical to me that they didn’t… The first thing they’d do is bring me back, that it wasn’t the only thing they were trying to do."*
Only when he returned home did Wenkert realize that, contrary to what he thought in captivity, no one had given up on him.
*"I knew there were protests, and it was clear to me that the people hadn’t given up on us, and if it were up to the people, I would’ve been home long ago. But I really didn’t imagine it would reach the scale it did. Really, it’s amazing to me. Even the decision-makers took actions to bring us home."*
**Omer Wenkert’s First Meeting with His Parents** | Photo: IDF Spokesperson
Maybe we’re going back to fighting soon. Do you want to say something? *"I know what happens inside when a deal falls through. Humiliation from here to eternity. You can get physical violence, reductions in food, abuse. You can get to very, very hard things because a deal fell through. The thought terrifies me that there are still hostages inside, that I’m talking about Avitar and Guy, who are there inside, and now a deal will fall through, and the fighting will resume. It could be terrible for those inside. Terrible."*
**The Day of Release from Captivity** *"Wow, we started getting ready, but I didn’t sleep a minute. They started leading us out. After they opened the last blast door, which is what’s called the shaft that takes you out and you start hearing the outside, they stopped us for a moment. We stood there, holding hands with blindfolds on. I think either Omer or Elia started singing ‘Shir LaMaalot’ (A Song of Ascents). And we found ourselves, really the three of us, singing ‘Shir LaMaalot,’ loudly, from the heart, real."*
*"I really remember our hands shaking, we were so excited. A moment of victory because they’re standing next to us, and we’re just in our own world, understanding we’re going home, singing ‘Shir LaMaalot,’ as they say, we asked for help, and help came. Unbelievable excitement running through our bodies. They took off our blindfolds, and then you understand. This is really, really, really happening. Suddenly, the stage is in front of you. The moment I saw the Red Cross, it was the biggest relief ever. You understand… that’s it, this is really happening. This ceremony started, what they call the ‘homecoming party.’ A homecoming party, that’s what they call this madness."*
For the first time, Omer shared what caught his eye during the insane ceremony on stage—not the Gazan crowd or the Red Cross, but one vehicle standing there.
*"I went up on stage, and I saw a van in front of me, with the door open. Then I said, ‘Is that Guy?’ I told myself it’s not logical, it’s not Guy, it’s not Guy, it’s not Guy. Then suddenly I saw Avitar lower his head with a small smile, waving at me. Then, at that moment, I realized it was Guy. My eyes opened, wow, wow, wow. I reacted to it immediately, in total shock. Despite the very difficult moment for them, that little smile they sent me before I went home was the most exciting thing that happened to me in that ceremony. It was more than getting into the Red Cross vehicle, and there’s one more thing that topped it… That little smile that day, the hug from my mom and dad, and the hug from Ran and Mia."*
Did you see their video from inside the vehicle? How much of it was real, and how much did you recognize as… *"I saw it. I think a lot of what they said there was scripted. I saw in their eyes that it was a very, very difficult moment for them. It’s something that mentally… it could crush you."*
On the day of his release from the hospital, Omer shared what he was waiting for. *"My bed. Just my bed. Waiting for the moment when, after all the commotion, I’d sit in the living room, drink coffee, watch a show."*
Was music missing? *"Wow, music was the thing I missed the most. Really, really, the most."*
You’re home, but I hear from returned hostages that it’s like a crazy rollercoaster, where one moment you’re bursting with emotions of joy, and the next, you can break down. *"I can say I’m really happy, but at the same time, I can say I’m really waiting for the breakdown, and I even expect it because I see it as something healthy too. That moment when you let it all out, really let out all the captivity, really, really."*
It hasn’t happened yet. *"Not yet. I wanted to initiate it. That’s what I did in captivity—initiated breakdowns because it’s necessary and healthy, but now it feels like it’s better for everything to happen in its own time."*
Did you know you had this strength? Or did you meet an Omer you didn’t know existed inside you? Before captivity? *"I always knew I had resilience and strength for things, but I definitely surprised myself a lot, and I definitely came out of captivity a very different person, very."*
Is there a desire for revenge? *"No."*
Nothing? *"I don’t deal with them at all. I have no interest in it. It won’t fill me with anything. And that’s a sentence Tal would often say to us: ‘Don’t forget that in the end, he’ll remain in that evil, in that subhumanity he brings with him. Not just him, all of them. And we’ll go back to living our lives. And that will be the victory.’ For me, if he sees me, I don’t know where, celebrating my life. For me, that’s the victory. I don’t need him to suffer. It’s not, it doesn’t interest me. The main thing is that I did it."*
Throughout all this time—over five hours of conversation—Omer’s heroic mother, Niva, sat and listened. She’s the one who fought for him and didn’t give up. Now, hearing for the first time about the violence he endured and the humiliations, she continues to be strong for him until the moment he talks about his dream.
*"There’s one biggest dream I came back with, honestly. First of all, I want to be a dad, to start a family. That’s really my top priority right now. I came back and got my freedom and got my life back, which is the most amazing thing, but there are still people there, and like I promised them in that moment, to start the war. As soon as possible, to start the fight. I’m not… I told them, I’m not going to rest for a moment until you back. link
Testimonies from Captivity by Returned Hostages
Naama LevyAge 20
An observer kidnapped from the Nahal Oz outpost. Released after 477 days in Hamas captivity:
"For the first 50 days after October 7th, I was mostly alone. After that, I was held captive with my fellow observers and civilians, who gave me strength and hope. We strengthened each other until the day of our release and even afterward."
Amit Sosana
Age 40
Released after 55 days in Hamas captivity:"Suddenly, they brought two sticks and tied me up while I was shackled at my hands and feet—like a grilled chicken, hanging upside down with masking tape over my face... Later, it turned out they thought I was an officer. One of them sat me down and said: ‘You have 40 minutes to tell the truth—if not, I’ll kill you.’"
Agam Goldstein
Age 18
Released after 51 days in Hamas captivity:
"I’m sitting there in a Gaza tunnel, being filmed, begging to return home, with tired, terrified eyes that had seen the worst horrors the day before and feared what else they might see. I’m angry because if they had released me just one week earlier, so much suffering could have been spared. Even one day earlier."
Yocheved Lifshitz
Age 86
Released after 17 days in captivity. Her husband, Oded, was killed in captivity and his body was returned as part of the last hostage deal.
"Sinwar introduced himself in Hebrew. He said he spoke Hebrew fluently, that he’d spent many years in prison, and told us, ‘Don’t worry. In a few days, there will be agreements between us and Israel, and you’ll be released.’ Then I asked him, ‘How can you do this to people who’ve fought for peace their whole lives and drove you to hospitals? Those are the ones you murder, the ones you take captive?’ He didn’t answer me."
Andrei KozlovAge 27
Rescued by Israeli forces after 246 days in Hamas captivity:
"On Thursday, one of the men came to me and removed my blindfold. He signaled to me with gestures, ‘Tomorrow, I’ll film you, and then I’ll kill you,’ mimicking a shooting motion. I thought, ‘So this is how my story ends? Like this? Really?’ Of course, I didn’t sleep at all that night."
"For the first 50 days after October 7th, I was mostly alone. After that, I was held captive with my fellow observers and civilians, who gave me strength and hope. We strengthened each other until the day of our release and even afterward."
Age 40
Age 18
"I’m sitting there in a Gaza tunnel, being filmed, begging to return home, with tired, terrified eyes that had seen the worst horrors the day before and feared what else they might see. I’m angry because if they had released me just one week earlier, so much suffering could have been spared. Even one day earlier."
Age 86
"Sinwar introduced himself in Hebrew. He said he spoke Hebrew fluently, that he’d spent many years in prison, and told us, ‘Don’t worry. In a few days, there will be agreements between us and Israel, and you’ll be released.’ Then I asked him, ‘How can you do this to people who’ve fought for peace their whole lives and drove you to hospitals? Those are the ones you murder, the ones you take captive?’ He didn’t answer me."
Rescued by Israeli forces after 246 days in Hamas captivity:
"On Thursday, one of the men came to me and removed my blindfold. He signaled to me with gestures, ‘Tomorrow, I’ll film you, and then I’ll kill you,’ mimicking a shooting motion. I thought, ‘So this is how my story ends? Like this? Really?’ Of course, I didn’t sleep at all that night."
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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