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Tag: Hamas

Israel’s UN ambassador condemns Hamas’ ‘evil and depraved’ display of hostage coffins

The bodies of Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Oded Lifshitz were returned to Israel more than 500 days after they were taken hostage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed. Hamas, though, was not finished disrespecting and using the hostages.

Instead of sending the body of Shiri Bibas in the coffin bearing her name and photo, Hamas handed Israel an unidentified body. The IDF said the DNA of the body in the coffin does not match any other known hostage.

In a display of brutality, coffins containing the remains of the three murdered Israeli hostages were put on display in a ceremony that has been nearly universally condemned.

In a ceremony that has been nearly universally condemned, Hamas set out four coffins on a stage in front of a grotesque caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a banner that read in English, “The war criminal Netanyahu & his Nazi army killed them with missiles from Zionist warplanes.”

On the coffins were photos of the deceased with their names and the words “arrest date” and the date of the Oct. 7 attacks.

L-R: Shiri Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz. (Hostages Family Forum via AP)

HAMAS HANDS OVER BODIES OF 4 SLAIN ISRAELIS, INCLUDING SHIRI BIBAS AND HER TWO YOUNG BOYS

“Under international law, any handover of the remains of [the] deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” the United Nations Geneva tweeted, attributing the quote to High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

Türk’s condemnation of the Hamas ceremony, however, rang hollow for many who pointed out the U.N.’s reluctance to condemn the terror organization by name.

“Hamas parading four coffins onstage to music is evil and depraved,” Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“For 16 months, Israel has been fighting a deranged terrorist organization that places no value on human life, especially if it is Israeli or Jewish— all while international institutions like the UN refrained from condemning Hamas and formally demanding the immediate return of our hostages.”

Israeli Permanent Member to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks during a session of the Security Council at the New York City headquarters. (Israel United Nations mission)

DANNY DANON REACTS TO ISRAELI HOSTAGES BEING RELEASED IN POOR HEALTH: ‘ELIMINATING HAMAS IS THE ONLY SOLUTION’

On Oct. 7, 2023, Türk put out a statement that appeared to equate Hamas’ attacks with Israel’s response, saying he was “shocked and appalled” by the violent attacks and condemning Israel’s response.

Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President and Human Rights Voice Anne Bayefsky accused Türk of being “one of the leading drivers of Palestinian terrorism and global antisemitism in the world today.”

“He [Türk] personifies the use and abuse of ‘human rights’ as a front to perpetrate evil. He has blood on his hands,” Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. “Volker Türk – the UN’s top human rights official – is a human rights fraud who has more concern for Jews after death than saving Jewish lives from Palestinian savagery before they’ve perished.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk holds a press conference in Damascus, Syria Jan. 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar)

‘NO SANE COUNTRY WOULD STAND FOR THIS’: LAWMAKERS LAUNCH EFFORT TO WITHDRAW US FROM UN

United Nations watchdog organization UN Watch called for Türk’s resignation in its December 2024 report showing that the human rights commissioner condemned the U.S. more than China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Qatar combined. The organization also accused Türk of focusing on the Jewish state.

“Türk was obsessed with condemning Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, making 58 condemnations during the past two years, with 49 on the Hamas-Israel war. To put this in perspective, over the same two years, the Maduro regime in Venezuela was criticized only 4 times,” the report reads.

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After the Oct. 7 attacks, Shiri Bibas and her sons, Kfir and Ariel, became symbols of Hamas’ brutality. The image of a terrified mother holding her 4-year-old and 9-month-old quickly spread around the world. Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the father of Kfir and Ariel, was taken captive separately and was ultimately released from Gaza on Feb. 1.

In addition to the bodies of the Bibas boys and Lifshitz, Israel is preparing to receive six living hostages on Saturday as part of its ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 21, 2025
Remains of young mom Shiri Bibas, taken hostage and killed by Hamas, not returned despite promise, Israel says

The mother of two young boys murdered by Hamas terrorists while in captivity was not among the bodies returned to Israel on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Before the return of the remains of the four slain hostages, Hamas said the bodies would include Shiri Bibas and her two toddlers, Ariel and Kfir, ages 4 and 10 months, as well as Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist and activist. However, Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine could only determine the identity of two of the bodies, the young boys.

FATHER OF HAMAS’ YOUNGEST HOSTAGES IS RELEASED — BUT HIS FAMILY REMAINS IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY

L-R: Shiri Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz. (Hostages Family Forum via AP)

“During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage,” the IDF said. “This is an anonymous, unidentified body.”

“According to the assessment of professional officials, based on the intelligence available to us and forensic findings from the identification process, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023,” authorities said.

The family became symbols of the ordeal that has gripped Israel since the war in Gaza began.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bibas family during this incredibly difficult time and remain committed to doing everything possible to ensure Shiri and all the hostages are brought home at the earliest opportunity,” the IDF said.

It called the deaths a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas, while also demanding the terror group return the body of Shiri Bibas and all other hostages being held captive.

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH ISRAEL

Shiri Bibas and her children, Shiri Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas. Of the four bodies returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday, two were identified as the two young children. A third was initially presumed to be their mother, but was not, the Israel Defense Forces said. (Courtesy, Hostages Families Forum)

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Hamas continues to “violate every basic moral value,” even after the death of the boys.

“Instead of returning Shiri, the mother of Kfir and Ariel, Hamas returned an unidentified body, as if it were a worthless shipment,” he wrote on X. “This is a new low, an evil and cruelty with no parallel.”

He further said that UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN the Security Council and the General Assembly continue to remain silent in the face of Hamas’ “barbarity” and demanded Hamas to return the body of Shiri Bibas.

“History will remember well who stood by and remained silent while Hamas trampled on the most basic principles of humanity,” Danon wrote.

The young boys and their mother were abducted in their home by Hamas terrorists during the terror group’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Yarden Bibas, Ariel and Kfir’s father, tried to protect them and was abducted prior to the kidnapping of his wife and children, the IDF said.

Yarden returned as part of the agreement for the return of the hostages on Feb. 1.

Thursday’s release is the first one involving the transfer of slain hostages since the ceasefire deal went into effect last month.

Hamas militants take pictures as fellow masked Palestinian fighters carry one of the coffins during the handover of the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza in Thursday. Hamas handed over on February 20 coffins believed to contain the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including those of the Bibas family who became symbols of the ordeal that has gripped Israel since the Gaza war began. The transfer of the bodies is the first by Hamas since its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, and is taking place under a fragile ceasefire that has seen living hostages exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. (EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

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About 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody. Nearly all the remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, are men and about half are believed to be dead.

February 21, 2025
Israeli military experts weigh in on Trump’s ‘all hell’ threat to Hamas and what it could look like

TEL AVIV, Israel — As the first phase of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement nears completion, Israel is mulling its next steps against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to unleash “hell” unless all the hostages are released.

Fox News Digital spoke to Israeli military experts to see how they viewed what would be in store for Hamas if the ceasefire deal collapses.

“The only alternative is the resumption of the war in Gaza with all the forces that can be allocated,” Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror (res.), a former Israeli National Security Council chief and currently a fellow at the Washington-based JINSA think tank, told Fox News Digital.

“Because we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, we can use huge forces inside Gaza to end Hamas. This is one of the reasons why Hamas didn’t break the truce until now, they understand the alternative is a full-blown war for which they are not ready,” he added.

RUBIO, NETANYAHU AFFIRM ‘COMMON STRATEGY’ FOR GAZA, SET SIGHTS ON IRAN IN JOINT STATEMENT

IDF forces are seen operating in Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip. (IDF Spokesman’s Office)

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem and insisted that the two countries were working in lockstep.

“We have a shared strategy, which cannot always be detailed to the public, including when the gates of hell will open. And they will open if all our hostages are not returned, every last one of them,” Netanyahu said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus (ret.), a former IDF international spokesperson and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, says Hamas’s refusal to return all the hostages, coupled with the prevailing political realities in the Middle East and Trump’s willingness to reshuffle the deck, will necessitate the IDF’s resumption of fighting in Gaza “at a higher intensity and with less restrictions and limitations.”

“The aim will be to defeat Hamas and to take control over the Gaza Strip. I believe that Hamas’s center of gravity is the distribution of humanitarian aid and in the next round of fighting Israel will seek to take ownership of that,” he added.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Former IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin similarly told Fox News Digital that “never in history have two entities been at war and one is helping the other survive with food, fuel and everything else.”

He also noted that the Biden administration had “basically embargoed heavy bombs, [but] Trump has already lifted this and will not limit Israel in using them.”

Israel received a U.S. shipment of 2,000-pound MK-84 munitions overnight Saturday, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the development “serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States.”

ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS PALESTINIAN PLAN FOR GAZA, DEMANDS PA FIRST ‘CONDEMN HAMAS’

Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)

Trump’s words and deeds have given the impression that he will fully back Israel’s goal to defeat the Palestinian terror group militarily, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told Fox News Digital.

“But this misses the point, as we have already been fighting there for 16 months. The only significant leverage left, which was prevented by the Biden administration, is to interrupt all flow of equipment, fuel, food, water and other essential matters into the enclave,” Eiland said.

“This is the only thing that can cause real concern in Gaza and which might persuade the leadership to agree to release the hostages.”

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces has increased troop reinforcements and mobilized reservists in the Southern Command to prepare for “any scenario.” When asked to share with Fox News Digital information regarding Hamas’s remaining weapons stockpile, the IDF declined to comment.

Hamas initially possessed an estimated 17,000 mid- and long-range missiles, with the former able to hit targets between seven and 14 kilometers away and the latter beyond 15 kilometers, according to Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman (res.), executive director of the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies and another former head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’

Israeli combat engineers have worked to destroy terrorist targets and locate terrorist tunnels in the “Philadelphia Corridor” along a small strip of land at the border between Egypt and Gaza. (TPS-IL/File)

“In terms of Hamas’s long-range missiles, the current capabilities are minor, if at all. Mid-range was probably reduced to approximately less than 100 total, and for short-range capabilities such as mortars and drones, it’s hard to estimate,” he told Fox News Digital.

Hayman agrees that “all hell” might entail President Donald Trump giving carte blanche to Israel to use 2,000-pound bombs or greater leeway to demolish swaths of territory using bulldozers and other heavy machinery to prevent Hamas from regenerating.

Israel might also change its fighting strategy to ensure Hamas is no longer able to regroup by retaking territory evacuated by troops in Gaza, according to Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser (res.), a former head of research in the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

“Israel could mount an attack in a different way than we saw till now. Instead of taking control of areas and then leaving them, we would keep control, minimizing Hamas’s ability to rule over the population in Gaza and thus its ability to survive,” he told Fox News Digital.

Palestinians return to their homes in Gaza City, Feb. 2, 2025, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The long-term presence of Israeli boots on the ground would likely be a precondition for actualizing Trump’s vow to “take over” and transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” an assertion Trump made alongside Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 4.

Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy and former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that Israel must push for “the collapse of Hamas rule, the demilitarization of Gaza and the creation of conditions to prevent this area from posing a threat to the security of Israeli citizens.”

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He said these conditions are “essential to ensure that this round of fighting will be the last,” he added. “To achieve this, Israel will have to resume fighting at a time that suits it.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu informed special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting that he would convene the Security Cabinet on Monday to discuss phase 2 of the agreement.

Amelie Botbol is a freelance journalist based in Tel Aviv. Her articles have appeared in the New York Post, Canada’s National Post, and the Washington Times. Amelie can be followed on X @DatReporter

February 17, 2025
Amazon CEO ‘relieved’ after Hamas releases employee taken hostage on Oct. 7

Ret. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus evaluates the situation in the Middle East on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent a message to employees saying he was “incredibly relieved” that Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov was released from Hamas captivity after being held hostage for nearly 500 days.

“I’m incredibly relieved to share the news that our AWS teammate, Sasha Troufanov, who had been held hostage since the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, has been released from captivity,” Jassy wrote in a message to employees.

Jassy says that the company had a team of experts working with Troufanov’s family “behind the scenes” to secure his release. The exec explained that Amazon “painfully” could not comment on Troufanov’s abduction publicly “for fear that we would negatively impact their ability to be released or how they were treated in captivity.”

Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov was held hostage by Hamas for nearly 500 days. (Courtesy of Bring Them Home Now/Handout via REUTERS / Reuters)

UNITED AIRLINES FIRST US CARRIER TO RESUME SERVICE TO ISRAEL

Amazon faced criticism in May 2024 when it was revealed that Troufanov worked for the company, as many noted that the company hadn’t said anything publicly. Some at the time speculated that Amazon was keeping quiet to protect itself and its brand. However, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a vocal supporter of Israel, gave the online shopping giant the benefit of the doubt.

A woman holds posters of Iair Horn, U.S.-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexandre) Troufanov, hostages who were held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and are set to be released as part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza be (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

BILL ACKMAN SAYS US AID TO UN ‘DESERVES CAREFUL SCRUTINY’

Troufanov was working at Amazon Web Services as an electrical engineer when he was kidnapped during Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attacks. He was taken hostage with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend, all of whom were released in November 2023 while he remained in captivity. Troufanov’s father was killed during the attacks.

“It’s been an extremely trying time for everybody who knows and cares for Sasha — a lot of angst and feelings of helplessness. But, it can’t approach what Sasha and his family have been through, and we will continue to support them and do everything we can to help them heal,” Jassy wrote in his February 2025 message. He also said that his “heart goes out to everyone impacted by the war” and expressed hope that there would be a “long-term peaceful path.”

Hamas has released Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagi Dekel-Chen, 36, and Iair Horn, 46. (The Hostages Family Forum)

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On Saturday, Troufanov was released alongside Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is an American citizen. However, this almost did not happen as days before their release, Hamas threatened to delay it over alleged ceasefire violations by Israel.

President Donald Trump then said Israel should “let all hell break out” if Hamas did not release all the remaining hostages by 12 p.m. eastern on Saturday. The terror group eventually walked back its threat on Thursday, saying the release would go on as planned.

After more than 15 months of war, on Jan. 19, Israel and Hamas entered a ceasefire deal in which 33 hostages are expected to be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

February 15, 2025
Hamas frees 3 more hostages in exchange for more than 300 prisoners as part of ceasefire deal with Israel

Hamas released three more hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 300 Palestinian prisoners as part of the delicate ceasefire agreement reached with Israel.

The hostages released were Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Yair Horn, 46. Troufanov has Israeli and Russian citizenship, Dekel-Chen is an American-Israeli and Horn is a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina.

The three were abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel that sparked the war in Gaza now under ceasefire.

HAMAS TO FREE ANOTHER AMERICAN IN SATURDAY HOSTAGE RELEASE

Hamas has released Alexander (Sasha) Troponov, 29; Sagi Dekel-Chen, 36, and Yair Horn, 46. (Photos provided by The Hostages Family Forum)

The Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails as part of the sensitive ceasefire agreement, which has continued to hold even after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages this week. Trump has also said he is committed to the U.S. purchasing and taking over Gaza and resettling Palestinians elsewhere.

About 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody. Nearly all the remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, are men and about half are believed to be dead.

EGYPT REPORTEDLY RELEASES DETAILS ON PLAN TO REBUILD GAZA; THERE’S NO MENTION OF ‘COOPERATION’ WITH THE US

Graffiti on Israel’s separation barrier depicts the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP)

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In the first phase of the ceasefire, 24 hostages and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released so far. The first phase includes Hamas’ release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The war could resume if no agreement is reached on the more complicated second phase, which calls for Hamas to release all remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the ceasefire.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 15, 2025
Israeli UN ambassador blasts Palestinian plan for Gaza: ‘Condemn Hamas’

Gazans respond to President Trump’s plan

The Center For Peace Communications spoke to Gazans about President Trump’s plan to relocate them to Egypt, Jordan and other countries. (Video courtesy: The Center For Peace Communications.)

EXCLUSIVE – Israel’s United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon is making the Jewish State’s disapproval of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) “Relief and Early Recovery Plan” for Gaza crystal clear.

“It would be better if they dealt with terrorism in Judea and Samaria and condemn Hamas,” Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital exclusively. Judea and Samaria are commonly referred to as the West Bank outside of Israel.

The PA’s plan, which was submitted to the U.N. Security Council for review, is broken up into three phases and will cost approximately $3.5 billion, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. It calls for an “international commitment to end the Israeli siege” in the Gaza Strip and “longer-term changes.”

“The end of Israel’s occupation of the State of Palestine and the achievement of the two-state solution, as outlined in numerous U.N. resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only [way] forward for the State of Palestine and the State of Israel to live side by side in peace and security,” the PA’s plan reads.

TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’

Israeli Permanent Member to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks during a session of the Security Council at the New York City headquarters. (Israel United Nations mission)

Israel’s Mission to the U.N. condemned the plan in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. Israel sees the plan presented by the PA as a way to “circumvent basic security requirements, including disarming Hamas.”

“While the Trump administration presents plans to change the reality in Gaza, including voluntarily transferring the residents of the Strip to other countries, the Palestinian Authority offers the U.N. an independent reconstruction plan – without any reference to the demilitarization of the Strip or Hamas’ responsibility for the destruction caused to it,” the statement from Israel’s Mission to the U.N. said.

In its plan, the PA puts the onus of ensuring the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza on Israel, calling it the “occupying power.” However, in 2005, Israel unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas took over after a 2006 election.

The physical restoration of Gaza is not the only focus of the PA’s plan; there is also the establishment of a “Governmental Emergency Operations Room” to oversee the plan, along with the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Destroyed buildings are pictured in the west of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Feb. 11, 2025, amid the current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

EGYPT REPORTEDLY RELEASES DETAILS ON PLAN TO REBUILD GAZA; THERE’S NO MENTION OF ‘COOPERATION’ WITH THE US

Both the PA and UNRWA have been accused by Israel of perpetuating terrorism and violence.

“The Palestinian Authority, which has not yet condemned the atrocities of October 7, does not have the moral standing and executive ability to take part in these issues,” Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital. “It would have been better if they had focused on stopping the rotten culture of incitement and demanded a stop to the ugly terrorism that has reared its head in Judea and Samaria.”

Upon reviewing the PA’s documents, Fox News Digital did not find any references to the Oct. 7 attacks, or the hostages taken into Gaza by force. The PA did, however, repeatedly accuse Israel of committing “genocidal aggression” in Gaza.

Hamas is not mentioned in the PA’s plan, which aligns with the two factions’ history of friction.

In February 2024, Russia attempted to launch peace talks between the PA and Hamas. Hamas urged Russia in October 2024 to push PA President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a unity government for post-war Gaza, but so far nothing has come from those efforts.

While Israel’s Mission to the U.N. condemned the PA’s plan, it also admitted that the “chance that it will be overwhelmingly accepted remains an open question, especially in light of the Trump administration’s new policy on Gaza.”

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025 ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL FREE MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES ON SATURDAY AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited D.C. earlier this month, President Trump said the U.S. would “take over” Gaza and relocate the Palestinians living there.

When recently asked about the president’s plan, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ruled out the idea of putting American troops on the ground in Gaza. Instead, she said that President Trump would “strike a deal with our partners in the region.”

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Before he returned to the Oval Office, President Trump warned Hamas that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not returned. Since then, several hostages have been released.

Saturday will see three more Israeli hostages released, including American Sagui Dekel Chen.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 14, 2025
Hamas to free another American in Saturday hostage release

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has released the names of the three hostages set to be freed Saturday, including American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, following days of concern that a ceasefire deal with Israel could collapse.

Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov and Argentine-Israeli Yair Horn, who along with Dekel-Chen were abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, will also be released on Saturday, which will mark 497 days in captivity.

Dekel-Chen is the second American to be released by Hamas since President Donald Trump re-entered office, following the release of Keith Siegel on Feb. 1.

FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE’S MOM SAYS DAUGHTER WAS FORCED TO FAKE HER DEATH FOR A PROPAGANDA VIDEO

Hamas has said it will release Alexander (Sasha) Troponov, 29, Sagi Dekel-Chen, 36, Yair Horn, 46, on Saturday Feb. 15, 2025 in the next hostage release.

International concern over the stability of the ceasefire reached new heights after Hamas threatened not to release any more hostages – in direct violation of the agreement – after it claimed that Israel had violated the treaty by not facilitating the transport of humanitarian aid and targeting Palestinians in airstrikes.

Trump then said on Monday that Israel should cancel the ceasefire agreement if Hamas did not hand over all remaining hostages, not just the three slated to be released on Feb. 15 under the ceasefire agreement.

Concern mounted when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday also called on Hamas to release hostages come Saturday, but did not specify whether he meant all hostages or the three previously agreed to.

“The Israeli formal position is that we have an agreement that should be fulfilled,” retired IDF Major General Yaakov Amidror confirmed on Thursday during a discussion hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).

EGYPT REPORTEDLY RELEASES DETAILS ON PLAN TO REBUILD GAZA; THERE’S NO MENTION OF ‘COOPERATION’ WITH THE US

U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“We don’t [want to] shake the boat by adding [Trump’s] demand,” he said. “The question is, will Hamas fulfill the agreement from its side and release the three hostages?

“I think Hamas is not going to take the risk now when this is the mood in Washington,” Amidror added. “But we don’t know.”

Just 16 of the 33 hostages scheduled to be released during the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire have been freed.

Following the first week of the rocky agreement, which saw the release of seven hostages, three hostages per week were slated to be released under terms agreed to by Hamas and Israel. The final 14 hostages will be released together on Feb. 22, marking the final week of the first phase.

MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE BEGS TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO BRING SON HOME BEFORE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSES: ‘NO MORE TIME’

The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir. Yarden was released by Hamas in February 2025. The fate of his family remains unknown. (Ofri Bibas Levy)

The IDF has assessed that at least eight of the hostages slated for release in the first phase have been killed while in Hamas captivity, though the number could be higher as the fate of Shiri Bibas and her two young boys – Ariel, who was four years old when he was abducted alongside his brother Kfir, who was nine months old – remains unconfirmed by the IDF.

Hamas has claimed they were killed by an Israeli airstrike, though the IDF has said it does not have evidence to support this.

Mediators were supposed to start to negotiate terms for the release of the remaining 65 hostages earlier this month, though Amidror said he does not believe they has officially begun. At least 26 of those slated for release in the second phase are assessed to have been killed.

In recent weeks, the hostages have confirmed fears that they were tortured, interrogated and starved during their time in Hamas captivity. And the state of the hostages released last week sparked an outcry as many pointed out the similarities in appearance of the three men to images of those who survived the Holocaust.

Emaciated Israeli hostages, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are taken by terrorists to a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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Five other Americans remain in captivity, including Edan Alexander, 19, an IDF soldier and the only remaining American still assessed to be alive, though he is not slated for release until the second phase of the ceasefire.

IDF soldiers Itay Chen, 19, and Omer Neutra, 22, are believed to have been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and their bodies continue to be held alongside Gadi and Judi Haggai, who were also killed during the terrorist attack near their kibbutz.

Siegel, 65, thanked Trump for his help in securing his release but urged him to ensure that the ceasefire is upheld and said, “Your leadership and strength will ensure the agreement is honored by all sides – that is what will allow all . . . hostages to return home to their families,” he added.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.

February 14, 2025
Former Hamas hostage’s mom says daughter was forced to fake her death for a propaganda video

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Former Hamas hostage Daniella Gilboa was apparently forced to fake her own death for a propaganda video. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Orly Gilboa, Daniella’s mother, detailed the horrifying ordeal.

“One of the captors just came to her with a camera and said, ‘Daniella, today we’re going to film you dead.’ She of course pleaded for her life and asked him not to do it,” Orly Gilboa told Channel 12. Gilboa also said that her daughter was covered in debris and powder to make it seem like she was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

In November 2024, Hamas claimed that Gilboa was killed in an Israeli airstrike, producing the video of her “dead body” as proof. However, Gilboa was in fact alive and was released from captivity on Jan. 25, 2025, alongside Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev.

Released Israeli hostage Daniella Gilboa, a soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, is embraced by her parents after being released as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in an unknown location, in a handout photo obtained by Reuters on Jan. 25, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS)

Following Hamas’ release of the video, the IDF said in a statement that it was investigating the situation. The IDF also condemned the release of the video, saying “Hamas continues to engage in psychological terror and act with extreme brutality.”

Hamas made videos of multiple hostages, including Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons were also kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023. Bibas is seen in the Hamas video, which was released in November 2023, breaking down as he is told that his family was killed. The fate of Bibas’ wife, Shiri, and their sons, Ariel and Kfir, remains unknown.

Gilboa, Albag, Levy and Ariev were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from an IDF base in southern Israel during the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Agam Berger, who was taken hostage with the other female soldiers, was held for an extra week alone. She was released from Hamas captivity on Jan. 30, 2025.

Former Hamas hostages Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniela Gilboa and Karina Ariev watch as fellow hostage Agam Berger is released. (Courtesy: IDF)

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL FREE MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES ON SATURDAY AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED

On the day she was taken hostage, Gilboa was shot in the leg, but the bullet was not removed during her time in captivity.

In an exclusive interview with Ynet, Ran Gilboa, Daniela’s father, called his daughter “a hero who returned from hell.” He also revealed that for two days after his daughter’s kidnapping, his family did not know if she was alive or dead.

“Their captors gave them more food in the days leading up to their release. They were only told they would be freed three days before it happened,” Ran Gilboa told Ynet.

Israelis were stunned by the condition of three hostages released last week, Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami, as the men appeared emaciated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that this “would not be ignored.” Additionally, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that the “emaciated and pained” men were a visual representation of a “crime against humanity.”

President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right). (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

ISRAELI CABINET BACKS TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES BY SATURDAY DEADLINE

Hamas and Israel were engaged in a ceasefire. However, the terrorist organization threatened to stop hostage releases. President Donald Trump then gave Hamas a deadline of Saturday, Feb. 15, at 12 p.m. to release the remaining hostages.

“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out. Israel can override it.”

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release “all of them, not in drips and drabs.”

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Israel’s security cabinet backed President Trump’s threat, and Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement that if the hostages are not released by the deadline, they “will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated.”

On Thursday, Hamas announced it would free three more Israeli hostages as originally planned, according to the Associated Press.

Greg Norman contributed to this report.

February 13, 2025
Hamas says it will free more Israeli hostages on Saturday as originally planned

Hamas announced on Thursday it will free all Israeli hostages as originally planned, according to The Associated Press.

The move comes days after President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to the terrorist group threatening to end the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if they did not release the hostages by Saturday, adding that he would “let all hell break out.”

TRUMP SAYS CEASEFIRE SHOULD BE CANCELED IF HOSTAGES AREN’T RELEASED BY SATURDAY

Hamas had threatened to delay freeing Israeli captives, accusing the Jewish State of failing to live up to obligations.

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This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Israeli cabinet backs Trump’s demand for Hamas to release all hostages

Israel’s security cabinet fully supports President Donald Trump’s demand that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas release all of its hostages by noon on Saturday or that “all hell is going to break out,” an Israeli official told Fox News.

The declaration comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet Tuesday after Hamas announced it is delaying the next release of Israeli hostages.

“The decision I passed in the Cabinet unanimously is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated,” Netanyahu said in a statement following the meeting.

“In light of Hamas’ announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed the IDF last night to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is currently underway and will be completed as soon as possible,” Netanyahu added.

TRUMP SAYS CEASEFIRE SHOULD BE CANCELED IF HOSTAGES AREN’T RELEASED BY SATURDAY

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 Oct. 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas fighters on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

“We also welcomed the President’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza,” Netanyahu said.

Trump said Monday if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and “let all hell break out.”

“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release “all of them — not in drips and drabs.”

“Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out,” Trump said.

Trump reiterated his demand on Tuesday and told reporters that he believes Hamas will listen to him.

ISRAEL SLAMS PALESTINIAN ‘DECEPTION SCHEME’ OVER CLAIM IT HALTED TERROR REWARDS PROGRAM

Israeli soldiers gather by the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Tuesday, Feb.11. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

“Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations,” Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings in vehicles, wait at a security checkpoint in the Netzarim corridor while traveling from central Gaza to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Feb. 11. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

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The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Brooke Singman, Danielle Wallace, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

February 11, 2025