Bodies of two Israeli-American hostages retrieved from Gaza
'In a special operation by the [security agency] and the [military] in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two of our hostages held
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RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Israeli hostage families hold emergency protest after Gaza militants release videos showing emaciated captives
By Billy Stockwell , Eugenia Yosef , Ibrahim Dahman , Mitchell McCluskey , Dana Karni , Catherine Nicholls and Lauren Izso , CNN Pictures of Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a demonstration outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Photo: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource Protesters have gathered in Tel Aviv's 'Hostage Square' to stage an emergency protest, after the release of propaganda videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad this week showed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state. In one video, the undated footage of David was juxtaposed with images of starving Palestinian children. A poster outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art showing hostage Evyatar David. Photo: AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource They are among 50 hostages who remain in the territory, at least 20 of them are believed to be alive. The militant groups released the videos with ceasefire talks stalled and as Palestinians faced a mounting starvation crisis in the enclave. Steve Witkoff, the United States' special envoy to the Middle East, attended the public plaza on Saturday amid the protests, one day after he visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip. Witkoff later held a "very emotional meeting" that lasted nearly three hours with about 40 representatives of the hostage families, a source who was in attendance at the meeting told CNN. During the meeting, Witkoff said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas should be "all or nothing", with all 50 hostages in Gaza being returned to Israel in one go, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum cited him as saying. "The plan is not to expand the war, but to end it," Witkoff reportedly said. "We think the negotiations should be changed to all or nothing. "End the war and bring all 50 hostages home at the same time - that's the only way," "Someone will be to blame" if the remaining living hostages do not return to Israel still alive, Witkoff said, according to the forum. According to the forum, Witkoff said that the US would "get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part" and "do what's right for the Gazan people". "We have a plan to end the war and bring everyone home," he reportedly added. Reached for comment, Witkoff's team did not offer any further information on the special envoy's comments. The hostage families - who have frequently said that ongoing fighting in Gaza endangered their loved ones - on Saturday (local time) called for an end to the war in the territory and a "comprehensive deal" that would see the remaining hostages freed. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to call for the release of the hostages. "Against the backdrop of horrifying footage and harsh reports about the hostages' condition - hostage families will cry out this morning in the heart of Tel Aviv," a statement from Israel's hostage families said. "We appeal to the Israeli government and the US administration - look our loved ones and us in the eyes." A poster outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art showing hostage Rom Braslavski. Photo: AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource Ofir Braslavski, the father of Rom, said that he did not recognise his son, when he first saw him in the video. "My Rom is hungry for bread, thirsty for water, sick, physically broken and mentally shattered," he said. "My child is dying! "I address you, [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu]: Enough! The phased approach to deals has failed. "Make the decision already - end the war and bring everyone here - the hostages, the fallen soldiers, the fighters, the reservists and those displaced from their homes. "We want to rehabilitate, to return to life, to breathe." David's brother, Ilay, said that the treatment of his sibling was "a brutal, barbaric assault on every shred of basic human decency. It's an act so vile, it scars the very soul of humanity". He called on the Israeli government and US President Donald Trump to do "everything in your power, by any means necessary" to save the hostages. Netanyahu spoke with the families of the hostages on Saturday evening, and expressed "profound shock" over the harrowing images released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "The cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries," he said. "While the State of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages, and document them in a cynical and evil manner." Netanyahu told the families that the "efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing, and will continue constantly and relentlessly", according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt General Eyal Zamir said on Friday that fighting would continue "without rest" in Gaza, if there was no hostage deal. "I estimate that, in the coming days, we will know whether we will succeed in reaching a partial deal for the release of our captives," he said. "If not, the fighting will continue without rest." On Friday, the armed wing of Hamas released an undated video showing 24-year-old David - who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival on 7 October, 2023 - being held in a narrow cell. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters initially cautioned against using imagery from the video, but later said that David's family had authorised the publication of a still image. On Saturday, Hamas released a new video featuring David, which appeared to be a longer version of the video released on Friday. A similar propaganda video was published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday showing Braslavski also in a frail state. Islamic Jihad said it was the last video taken of the hostage, before the group lost contact in July, with the militants holding him. Earlier this week, a UN-backed food security agency warned that "the worst case scenario of famine " was unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet, as Israel faces growing international pressure to allow more food into the territory. Hospitals across the Gaza Strip were overwhelmed, with bed occupancy reaching more than 200 percent at several facilities, according to the enclave's health ministry. Beds were being placed in corridors and on floors to accommodate increasing numbers of patients and casualties, it said. Seven people had died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Saturday, including one child, bringing the total death toll from starvation since the conflict began in 2023 to 169. In addition, at least 39 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the same period, while waiting for aid in different parts of the territory, the ministry added. - CNN
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Israeli hostage families protest after Gaza militants release videos of emaciated captives
By Billy Stockwell , Eugenia Yosef , Ibrahim Dahman , Mitchell McCluskey , Dana Karni , Catherine Nicholls and Lauren Izso , CNN Pictures of Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a demonstration outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Photo: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource Protesters have gathered in Tel Aviv's 'Hostage Square' to stage an emergency protest, after the release of propaganda videos showing emaciated Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad this week showed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state. In one video, the undated footage of David was juxtaposed with images of starving Palestinian children. A poster outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art showing hostage Evyatar David. Photo: AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource They are among 50 hostages who remain in the territory, at least 20 of them are believed to be alive. The militant groups released the videos with ceasefire talks stalled and as Palestinians faced a mounting starvation crisis in the enclave. Steve Witkoff, the United States' special envoy to the Middle East, attended the public plaza on Saturday amid the protests, one day after he visited a controversial US-backed aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip. Witkoff later held a "very emotional meeting" that lasted nearly three hours with about 40 representatives of the hostage families, a source who was in attendance at the meeting told CNN. During the meeting, Witkoff said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas should be "all or nothing", with all 50 hostages in Gaza being returned to Israel in one go, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum cited him as saying. "The plan is not to expand the war, but to end it," Witkoff reportedly said. "We think the negotiations should be changed to all or nothing. "End the war and bring all 50 hostages home at the same time - that's the only way," "Someone will be to blame" if the remaining living hostages do not return to Israel still alive, Witkoff said, according to the forum. According to the forum, Witkoff said that the US would "get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part" and "do what's right for the Gazan people". "We have a plan to end the war and bring everyone home," he reportedly added. Reached for comment, Witkoff's team did not offer any further information on the special envoy's comments. The hostage families - who have frequently said that ongoing fighting in Gaza endangered their loved ones - on Saturday (local time) called for an end to the war in the territory and a "comprehensive deal" that would see the remaining hostages freed. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to call for the release of the hostages. "Against the backdrop of horrifying footage and harsh reports about the hostages' condition - hostage families will cry out this morning in the heart of Tel Aviv," a statement from Israel's hostage families said. "We appeal to the Israeli government and the US administration - look our loved ones and us in the eyes." A poster outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art showing hostage Rom Braslavski. Photo: AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource Ofir Braslavski, the father of Rom, said that he did not recognise his son, when he first saw him in the video. "My Rom is hungry for bread, thirsty for water, sick, physically broken and mentally shattered," he said. "My child is dying! "I address you, [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu]: Enough! The phased approach to deals has failed. "Make the decision already - end the war and bring everyone here - the hostages, the fallen soldiers, the fighters, the reservists and those displaced from their homes. "We want to rehabilitate, to return to life, to breathe." David's brother, Ilay, said that the treatment of his sibling was "a brutal, barbaric assault on every shred of basic human decency. It's an act so vile, it scars the very soul of humanity". He called on the Israeli government and US President Donald Trump to do "everything in your power, by any means necessary" to save the hostages. Netanyahu spoke with the families of the hostages on Saturday evening, and expressed "profound shock" over the harrowing images released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. "The cruelty of Hamas has no boundaries," he said. "While the State of Israel is allowing the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, the terrorists of Hamas are deliberately starving our hostages, and document them in a cynical and evil manner." Netanyahu told the families that the "efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing, and will continue constantly and relentlessly", according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt General Eyal Zamir said on Friday that fighting would continue "without rest" in Gaza, if there was no hostage deal. "I estimate that, in the coming days, we will know whether we will succeed in reaching a partial deal for the release of our captives," he said. "If not, the fighting will continue without rest." On Friday, the armed wing of Hamas released an undated video showing 24-year-old David - who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival on 7 October, 2023 - being held in a narrow cell. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters initially cautioned against using imagery from the video, but later said that David's family had authorised the publication of a still image. On Saturday, Hamas released a new video featuring David, which appeared to be a longer version of the video released on Friday. A similar propaganda video was published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Thursday showing Braslavski also in a frail state. Islamic Jihad said it was the last video taken of the hostage, before the group lost contact in July, with the militants holding him. Earlier this week, a UN-backed food security agency warned that "the worst case scenario of famine " was unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet, as Israel faces growing international pressure to allow more food into the territory. Hospitals across the Gaza Strip were overwhelmed, with bed occupancy reaching more than 200 percent at several facilities, according to the enclave's health ministry. Beds were being placed in corridors and on floors to accommodate increasing numbers of patients and casualties, it said. Seven people had died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Saturday, including one child, bringing the total death toll from starvation since the conflict began in 2023 to 169. In addition, at least 39 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the same period, while waiting for aid in different parts of the territory, the ministry added. - CNN
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- RNZ News
US envoy tells Israeli hostage families he is working on plan to end Gaza war
By Emily Rose , Reuters Families of Israelis held hostage in Tel Aviv square during US envoy Steve Witkoff's visit on 2 August 2025. Photo: Jack Guez / AFP US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy told families of hostages being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza. Trump has made ending the conflict a major priority of his administration, though negotiations have faltered. Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as its government faces mounting pressure over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a recording of the Saturday (local time) meeting, reviewed by Reuters , Witkoff is heard saying: "We have a very, very good plan that we're working on collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu ... for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his remarks. Witkoff also said that Hamas was prepared to disarm in order to end the war, though the group has repeatedly said it will not lay down its weapons. Steve Witkoff arrives to meet families of Israelis held hostage as they demonstrate in Tel Aviv on 2 August 2025. Photo: AFP In response, Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war, said it would not relinquish "armed resistance" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" was established. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and a deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole, which, he said in the video, is for his own grave. "They are on the absolute brink of death," David's brother Ilay said at a rally in support of the hostages in Tel Aviv, where thousands gathered holding posters of those in captivity and chanted for their immediate release. "In the current unimaginable condition, they may have only days left to live." Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar said the "world cannot remain silent in the face of the difficult images that are the result of deliberate sadistic abuse of the hostages, which also includes starvation". Witkoff, who arrived in Israel with Benjamin Netanyahu's government facing a global outcry over the devastation in Gaza and the starvation growing among its 2.2 million people, met the prime minister on Thursday. Afterwards, a senior Israeli official said an understanding between Israel and Washington was emerging that there was a need to move from a plan to release some of the hostages to a plan to release all the hostages, disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip, echoing Israel's key demands for ending the war. On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As part of it, they said Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. The crisis in Gaza has also prompted a string of Western powers to announce they may recognise a Palestinian state. On Friday, Witkoff visited a US-backed aid operation in southern Gaza, which the United Nations has partly blamed for deadly conditions in the enclave, saying he sought to get food and other aid to people there. Dozens have died of malnutrition in recent weeks after Israel cut off all supplies to the enclave for nearly three months from March to May, according to Gaza's health ministry. It said on Saturday that it had recorded seven more fatalities, including a child, since Friday. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and said it is taking steps for more aid to reach its population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. UN agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and quickly ease access to it. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed more than 1200 people and took 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. - Reuters
