Latest news with #hostage
CNN
2 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘There's nothing like seeing their faces when they come in': Hostage envoy on freeing Americans in Venezuela
US hostage envoy Adam Boehler joins Jake to discuss the Trump administration's prisoner exchange with Venezuela that freed ten detained US nationals.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Fears Brit couple held hostage by Taliban will die as dad ‘suffers stroke' after months locked up in underground cell
AN ELDERLY Brit couple held hostage and beaten by the Taliban could die if not rescued soon, the UN has warned. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were snatched by Taliban thugs and tossed into Afghanistan's most notorious prison nearly six months ago - where Peter is believed to have since suffered a stroke. 5 5 The parents-of-four had lived in Afghanistan for 18 years managing training projects, when they were kidnapped on February 1 with no explanation. They were locked up separately at the maximum security Pul-e-Charkhi in Kabul, and later moved to an underground cell beneath the Taliban's intelligence HQ. Eighty-year-old Peter has been chained up, shackled and smacked over the head. Alice Edwards, the UN's special rapporteur on torture, said: 'We see no reason why this elderly couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention. 'It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile.' Peter had a mini stroke in 2023, and is thought to have suffered another one or a silent heart attack while being held prisoner. Barbie, meanwhile, is struggling with dizzy spells and numbness linked to anaemia - which can be caused by a lack of sunlight. The married couple were moved out from underground last week, but are still forced to sleep on mats on the hard floor - and have been provided on furniture. Alice said: 'Their physical and mental health is deteriorating rapidly. "Without access to adequate medical care they are at risk of irreparable harm or even death.' Notorious Iranian prison is BLITZED as 'Israel blows up gate to Evin jail in bid to free Ayatollah's fiercest critics' In April, Peter described the excruciating conditions as "the nearest thing to hell". In a phone recording heard by The Sunday Times, he said: 'I've been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away, a demon-possessed man.' He continued: "The atmosphere is pretty shocking. I am learning a lot about the underbelly of Afghanistan. "The prison guards shout all the time and beat people with a piece of piping. "It's a horrible atmosphere — the nearest thing to hell I can imagine." The Reynolds were some of the only foreigners not to leave Afghanistan when the Taliban seized back power four years ago. They had been living peaceful lives in the mountainous region of Bamain - famous for the giant Buddha statues blown up by the previous Taliban regime. 5 5 Their family said they had never encountered any trouble from the regime since settling there in 2009. Last week was the pair's 55th wedding anniversary. Barbie told a Foreign Office official this week: 'We have been told we are guests of the government but this is no way to treat a guest." Peter and Barbie were arrested on February 1 along with their interpreter, Jaya, and a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall. The group was detained after flying in a small plane from Kabul to an airstrip near their home in the central province of Bamiyan. They bundled into vans and taken to separate parts of maximum-security Pul-e-Charki. On May 22 the couple were moved to the headquarters of the GDI — the General Directorate of Intelligence — and put in an underground cell. Although the couple are now together, they have had almost no access to phones since being moved. The last time their four children spoke to them was over a month ago. It was initially thought they had been arrested for teaching parenting skills to mothers. The Taliban later bizarrely claimed the arrest was due to a "misunderstanding" - though did not release them. Hall, their interpretor, was released on March 27 following a court order. Following her release the American citizen heaped praises for president Trump. Hall said in a video posted by Trump on Truth Social: "I've never been so proud to be an American citizen. Thank you, Mr President." 5
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu tells pope hostage talks are in advanced stages in phone call
Netanyahu held a call with Pope Leo XIV, where he expressed optimism about the hostage talks, while the Pope asked to keep sacred places safe from the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Pope Leo XIV in a Friday phone call that Israel is in advanced stages of negotiations for the release of hostages, N12 reported. The phone call came a day after an Israeli strike on Gaza's sole Catholic church killed three people and wounded several others. During the call, the pope renewed his appeal for a ceasefire and an end to the war in Gaza, and expressed his concern over the "dramatic" humanitarian situation in the Strip, a Vatican statement said. Leo XIV also stressed the urgent need to protect places of worship, the faithful, and all people in the Palestinian territories and Israel, the statement added. Netanyahu told the pope that Israel is close to a hostage agreement, according to the Israeli news site. The Israeli news site also reported optimism surrounding the hostage deal, noting that talks in Qatar are advancing steadily. Israel shows flexibility at the negotiating table Earlier this week, during negotiations, Israel effectively conceded control over the Morag Corridor, based on the maps it presented to hostage negotiation mediators, two sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza were going well. Earlier, a meeting was held between the Israeli delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian delegations, during which Israel presented new maps reflecting additional flexibility on its part. Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel makes progress on Gaza talks, Hamas may have 'minor' comments, sources tell 'Post'
One mediator described Israel's new map as 'a breakthrough,' though sources believe at least a few more days well be needed to reach a final agreement. Israel has made 'significant progress' in the hostage-ceasefire negotiations, several sources told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. The update came shortly after Israel's submission of updated maps to mediators regarding its military deployment in Gaza during the 60-day hostage deal framework. However, 'at least a few more days of discussions will be needed to reach a final agreement,' the sources added. Mediators have expressed optimism regarding a hostage-ceasefire deal Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States also expressed optimism, saying it's possible that the sides are on the verge of a new agreement that would include the release of 10 Israeli hostages in exchange for a two-month ceasefire. One mediator described Israel's new map as 'a breakthrough.' The mediators estimate that Hamas will likely have only 'minor' comments, both regarding the release of prisoners and the details of the new Israeli deployment map. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Freed Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel calls for new Israel-Hamas deal to bring "all of the 50 back home"
London — The day Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel was freed after nearly 16 months of captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists in Gaza, he tells CBS News that he denied one final demand by his captors. "I did wave. I didn't say thank you," he said in an interview at the Israeli Embassy in London on Thursday, during an event to mark 650 days since the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when Siegel and 250 others were taken hostage. Siegel, who was released Feb. 1, said his captors told him he should offer them his thanks during the handover, but he declined in a final act of defiance. His wife Aviva Siegel, sitting by his side during the interview, had words of praise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She was also taken captive, but was released after about two months, along with other women and children, under a temporary ceasefire and hostage-for-prisoner exchange deal. "Bibi Netanyahu is not a terrorist," she said, using a common nickname for the Israeli leader. "He's a good man with a heart and wants good for his country." The Siegels have become two of Israel's most prominent former hostages, using their freedom to remind the world often of the 50 people still believed to be held captive in Gaza. Netanyahu said earlier this month that 20 of those hostages are still thought to be alive. The Siegels lived in the progressive-leaning kibbutz Kfar Aza, less than two miles from the Gaza border in southern Israel. Many residents in the area have a history of supporting the peace movement and coexistence with Palestinians. Keith Siegel has been adamant during indirect Israel-Hamas negotiations, which the U.S. is helping to broker along with Qatar and Egypt, that a new deal "must be signed." "I am alive because of President Trump's efforts that secured an agreement, and also the cooperation and the efforts of my government and the mediating countries," he told CBS News. "We are home. We are alive because of agreements that were signed, and another agreement must be signed to get all of the 50 back home as soon as possible." Among the ideas being debated is a controversial proposal floated by Israel's far-right defense minister to move all of Gaza's roughly 2 million residents into a compact, "humanitarian city" along the Palestinian territory's southern border with Egypt, from which they would not be permitted to leave. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a fierce critic of the Netanyahu government, has drawn parallels to the Nazi horrors perpetrated against Jewish people during WWII, slamming the idea of what he said would be "a concentration camp" for Palestinians. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Friday that more than 58,000 people had been killed in the war. The steadily rising death toll — which cannot be independently verified as Israel does not permit foreign journalists into Gaza — has led to accusations of a genocide being carried out. Aviva Siegel, asked if she believed the term was fair to use in relation to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, said "Hamas is responsible" for everything happening in Gaza, adding: "They need to release the hostages and let the people free." She told CBS News she often sends text messages to President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and that she believes he is doing his best to get the remaining hostages home. The Seigels said their next planned overseas trip is to the U.S., to meet with Witkoff and hopefully, Aviva said, with Mr. Trump. She said she loved former President Joe Biden and also wanted to thank him for helping to secure her release during his administration, but added that she believes Mr. Trump may be able to wield even greater influence over matters in the Middle East.
