Latest news with #IsraeliSoldier
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
British IDF soldier dies in Gaza combat
A British - Israeli soldier, Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, was killed in combat in northern Gaza. Sergeant Rosenfeld, from Ra'anana, was a member of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion and reportedly died from an explosive device on Sunday. The UK Foreign Office is investigating reports of his British nationality, as he had moved to Israel from London 11 years ago. The conflict in Gaza, ongoing since October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 860 Israeli soldier deaths and more than 56,000 fatalities in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Donald Trump urged progress in ceasefire talks, while Israeli officials are planning visits to Washington for negotiations, and Israel issued a new evacuation order for northern Gaza.
BreakingNews.ie
20-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Residents line streets to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
Edan Alexander, an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey. Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly to greet his passing vehicle. Advertisement A smiling Mr Alexander held his arm out the passenger-side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Mr Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. He has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. People in Tel Aviv watch a live broadcast of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander's release from Hamas captivity (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. Advertisement He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' attack on October 7 2023. Mr Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for him in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate his release. Advertisement 'Edan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organisation, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.
Washington Post
20-06-2025
- Washington Post
Residents lined the streets of a New Jersey town to welcome home Israeli-American hostage
TENAFLY, NJ — Edan Alexander , an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey. Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly on Thursday to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Alexander held his arm out the passenger side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Alexander , 21, on May 12 after 584 days. Alexander has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for Alexander in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate Alexander's release. 'Idan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organization, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.
CNN
09-06-2025
- CNN
An Israeli soldier was taken hostage on October 7. In ceasefire plea, his mother releases video of his brutal capture
The family of an Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas has released new footage of the moment he was pulled from his tank and captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks. The video shows the soldier, Matan Angrest, surrounded by a dozen men atop the turret of an Israeli tank. The men, whose faces are blurred in the video, then lower Angrest, head first, off the tank into the arms of Palestinian militants, who barely catch him. It is unclear whether Angrest is conscious in the video. His body is limp and tumbles forward as he is tossed off the side of the tank. One man can be seen kicking Angrest before he is thrown off the tank. Another man below appears to slap Angrest as he falls to the floor. In an interview, Angrest's mother said she decided to publish the video because she fears that her son has been 'left behind' and wants the public to know that he is in a critical situation. 'I don't feel the commitment of the government for Matan as an Israeli soldier like I felt the commitment of Trump to American citizens – a big gap,' Anat Angrest said. 'If the government wants soldiers to still serve her, she has to worry about the soldiers and to bring them home like the other citizens.' While her husband saw the video months ago, she only watched it for the first time on Sunday night. 'For me as a mother, it's the hardest thing to watch – to know about my son. Every mother knows that her kid from the first cry of a baby, we are worried about our children,' Anat Angrest said. 'It's the hardest situation for me as a mother.' This is the latest attempt by Angrest's family to sound the alarm about his deteriorating medical condition in captivity. They say he is suffering from chronic asthma, has untreated burns and has suffered infections during his captivity, according to the testimony of hostages who were held with Angrest. Keith Siegel, the American-Israeli hostage who was released in February, told CNN last month that he was extremely concerned for Angrest's physical and mental wellbeing. The two were held together for more than two months. The video released Monday appears to have been recovered by the Israeli military from the belongings of Palestinian militants, according to the watermark on the video. Angrest said her family did not release the video for months at the urging of the Israeli military, but said she now feels she has no choice as the Israeli government pushes for yet another partial deal that would see about half the remaining hostages released. 'We were quiet about it for a year and a half, but we understood that our quiet is very comfortable to leave Matan behind,' she said. Angrest is one of 55 hostages still held by Hamas and one of 20 still believed to be alive, according to the Israeli government. As a male Israeli soldier, Angrest is believed to be at the bottom of the list of hostages to be released – considered a high-value hostage by Hamas and one for whom the Israeli government will likely have to pay a steep price. Anat Angrest believes her son's concerning medical condition should be taken into account and, like many of the hostage families, called for the release of all the hostages and an end of the war. Ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas have sputtered along in recent weeks, yielding no agreement. A framework proposed by the US would see about half the living and deceased hostages released in exchange for a 60-day temporary ceasefire. Hamas has insisted on stronger guarantees from the US that negotiations to end the war will continue – and the fighting will not resume – after that temporary ceasefire expires. This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN
09-06-2025
- CNN
An Israeli soldier was taken hostage on October 7. In ceasefire plea, his mother releases video of his brutal capture
The family of an Israeli soldier held hostage by Hamas has released new footage of the moment he was pulled from his tank and captured by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attacks. The video shows the soldier, Matan Angrest, surrounded by a dozen men atop the turret of an Israeli tank. The men, whose faces are blurred in the video, then lower Angrest, head first, off the tank into the arms of Palestinian militants, who barely catch him. It is unclear whether Angrest is conscious in the video. His body is limp and tumbles forward as he is tossed off the side of the tank. One man can be seen kicking Angrest before he is thrown off the tank. Another man below appears to slap Angrest as he falls to the floor. In an interview, Angrest's mother said she decided to publish the video because she fears that her son has been 'left behind' and wants the public to know that he is in a critical situation. 'I don't feel the commitment of the government for Matan as an Israeli soldier like I felt the commitment of Trump to American citizens – a big gap,' Anat Angrest said. 'If the government wants soldiers to still serve her, she has to worry about the soldiers and to bring them home like the other citizens.' While her husband saw the video months ago, she only watched it for the first time on Sunday night. 'For me as a mother, it's the hardest thing to watch – to know about my son. Every mother knows that her kid from the first cry of a baby, we are worried about our children,' Anat Angrest said. 'It's the hardest situation for me as a mother.' This is the latest attempt by Angrest's family to sound the alarm about his deteriorating medical condition in captivity. They say he is suffering from chronic asthma, has untreated burns and has suffered infections during his captivity, according to the testimony of hostages who were held with Angrest. Keith Siegel, the American-Israeli hostage who was released in February, told CNN last month that he was extremely concerned for Angrest's physical and mental wellbeing. The two were held together for more than two months. The video released Monday appears to have been recovered by the Israeli military from the belongings of Palestinian militants, according to the watermark on the video. Angrest said her family did not release the video for months at the urging of the Israeli military, but said she now feels she has no choice as the Israeli government pushes for yet another partial deal that would see about half the remaining hostages released. 'We were quiet about it for a year and a half, but we understood that our quiet is very comfortable to leave Matan behind,' she said. Angrest is one of 55 hostages still held by Hamas and one of 20 still believed to be alive, according to the Israeli government. As a male Israeli soldier, Angrest is believed to be at the bottom of the list of hostages to be released – considered a high-value hostage by Hamas and one for whom the Israeli government will likely have to pay a steep price. Anat Angrest believes her son's concerning medical condition should be taken into account and, like many of the hostage families, called for the release of all the hostages and an end of the war. Ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas have sputtered along in recent weeks, yielding no agreement. A framework proposed by the US would see about half the living and deceased hostages released in exchange for a 60-day temporary ceasefire. Hamas has insisted on stronger guarantees from the US that negotiations to end the war will continue – and the fighting will not resume – after that temporary ceasefire expires. This is a developing story and will be updated.
