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Tag: Releases

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)

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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)

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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
Israel releases Palestinian prisoners linked to deadly attacks on civilians

Palestinians linked to suicide bombings and attempted murders are among the 369 released Saturday by Israel in its latest exchange for hostages captured by Hamas.

Thirty-six of the detainees were serving out life sentences in Israeli prisons, but only 12 of them were allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The other 24 are being sent to exile.

Those released Saturday were wearing white sweatshirts given to them by the Israeli Prison Service upon their release, emblazoned with a Star of David, the Prison Service logo and the phrase “Never forgive, never forget” written in Arabic on the front and back, according to the Associated Press. A video later posted on X purportedly showed those sweatshirts being burned.

Among those that returned to the West Bank were Ibrahim and Musa Sarahneh, who served more than 22 years in prison for their involvement in suicide bombings that killed a number of Israelis during the second intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israel in the early 2000s.

AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE RELEASED BY HAMAS EMBRACES HIS WIFE, FAMILY AFTER BEING APART FOR NEARLY 500 DAYS

Ahmed Barghouti, right, and his fiancé await his sentencing in a military court near Ramallah in the West Bank on July 30, 2003. He ultimately received 13 life sentences for dispatching gunmen who killed 12 Israelis during the second intifada. Barghouti was among the Palestinian prisoners released by Israel on Saturday, Feb. 15. (Reuters/Gil Cohen Magen/JDP)

Their other brother, Khalil Sarahneh, who was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life in 2002, was sent to Egypt.

Hassan Aweis, who also was sentenced to life in 2002 on charges of voluntary manslaughter, planting an explosive device and attempted murder, according to Israel’s Justice Ministry, was among the few released prisoners welcomed by joyous crowds in Ramallah.

He was involved in planning attacks during the second intifada for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the AP reported.

The group, which is designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization, was “formed in late 2000 during the second intifada as a militant wing of the West Bank’s Fatah political faction” and “seeks to drive Israeli military forces and settlers from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip and establish a Palestinian state,” according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

A crowd burns the shirts worn by freed Palestinian prisoners in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 15. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS

Hassan Aweis’s brother, Abdel Karim Aweis, whom Israel’s Justice Ministry said was sentenced to the equivalent of six life sentences for charges including throwing an explosive device, attempted murder and assault, was transferred to Egypt.

Ahmed Barghouti was also sent to Egypt on Saturday. Barghouti, who once was a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, was given a life sentence for dispatching assailants and suicide bombers to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians during the second intifada.

Freed Palestinian prisoners are greeted by a crowd in Khan Younis as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after being released from an Israeli prison on Saturday, Feb. 15. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

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Barghouti is a close aide of Marwan Barghouti, a popular Fatah leader who remains in Israeli custody.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

February 15, 2025
Trump releases statement ahead of Super Bowl LIX

President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday he will be at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Trump released a message ahead of the game and expressed his excitement to watch the game, which can be seen on FOX and streamed on Tubi. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at the Caesars Superdome.

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Donald Trump speaks to guests at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 14, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“I look forward to joining the fans in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX to cheer on two great teams – the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles – as they battle for the National Football League’s Vince Lombardi Trophy,” he said in a statement.

“The coaches, players, and team staff on the field tonight represent the best of the best in professional football, but they also embody the best of the American Dream. Their hard work, dedication, and tenacity is admirable, and their individual journeys are as inspiring as the drive and determination that has led them to this extraordinary moment. They also represent the hopes and dreams of our Nation’s young athletes as we restore safety and fairness in sports and equal opportunities among their teams.

“Football is America’s most popular sport – for good reason – it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities. This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom heroically defended by our military service members, law enforcement officers, and first responders. We value their devotion to protecting our great Nation and salute their selfless service.”

HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI

Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles helmets at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans prior to Super Bowl LIX, Feb. 5, 2025. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

Trump mentioned the lives that were lost and wounded in the terror attack that took place in the city on New Year’s Day.

“This year, the Super Bowl returns to the Caesars Superdome for a (record-tying 11th time). While thousands of fans from across our Nation gather in New Orleans to cheer on their favorite team, we remember that 14 families will be missing a loved one who was tragically murdered during a senseless terrorist attack while celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street. Our thoughts are also with the 35 individuals injured during the attack whose lives were changed forever that fateful night, and our prayers will remain with them for continued strength, comfort, and healing.

“Tonight, we look forward to a terrific game and the crowning of the Super Bowl Champions. Melania joins me in sending our best wishes for a great Super Bowl Sunday. May the best team win, and may God bless you, your family, and the United States of America.”

Trump will become the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl.

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Stream Super Bowl LIX coverage on Tubi for free. (Tubi)

An interview between him and Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier will air at 3 p.m. ET.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 9, 2025
Trump’s ICE limits illegal immigrant releases amid moves to shake off Biden ‘hangover’

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is taking dramatic steps to limit the number of illegal immigrants released from custody, as it moves at speed to shake off what one official described as the “hangover” from the Biden administration.

Fox News Digital is told that, as of this week, officials are being instructed that any release of an illegal immigrant in ICE custody must be personally signed off on by acting ICE director Caleb Vitello.

The administration has racked up thousands of arrests in the first week as it launched a mass deportation operation in cities and states across the U.S., with agents quickly hitting over 1,000 arrests a day as the agency drops Biden-era restrictions and takes a more aggressive stance towards illegal immigration.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

ICE agents arrested seven illegal immigrants during a workforce operation raid. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

“We are fending off the hangover and some of the bad habits,” a senior ICE official told Fox News Digital, comparing the task to turning around the Titanic. “We are fixing four years of really bad habits.”

ICE currently has just under 42,000 beds available to it, and has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The administration has been pushing hard to get more beds and detention space, but sources tell Fox it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver given the time taken to identify buildings, hire people, conduct background checks and related requirements. That help is expected soon, but it is still in the process of coming online.

The White House confirmed on Wednesday that around 460 illegal immigrants have been released from custody of the more than 8,000 arrested. While that’s a small percentage, it’s expected to get even smaller with the additional restrictions.

“I expect the number of releases to fall off a cliff,” the ICE official told Fox News Digital, stressing that the new sign-off requirement sends a message to agents about a new posture by the agents.

The official stressed that any releases do not include public safety or national security threats. Anyone released is only done so with monitoring like ankle bracelets. Cases where illegal immigrants could be released could include someone who is pregnant or who is ill with cancer.

“That’s someone we are likely going to release…not only for the human side of it, but ICE and the government incur all of those medical costs the minute we take somebody into custody and so now we’re passing that on to the taxpayer as well,” they said.

While there are now additional limits on releases, ICE is also moving quickly to ramp up detention space. ICE has requested an apportionment of around $575 million from Congress as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work quicker and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and one million removals a year.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It’s also working with the Bureau of Prisons to identify space to house illegal immigrants as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — where there may be plenty of open space in soft-sided facilities due to a dramatic plunge in encounters at the border. This week, the administration began flying illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, where there are expected to be around 30,000 spaces.

“We are looking well outside the box,” the official said.

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Family detention is one of the biggest challenges facing the agency. The Biden administration ended family detention in 2021, choosing instead to release families on Alternatives to Detention. The Trump administration is turning that back on.

“The Biden administration cut down so many of our beds and they canceled so many contracts. And the problem with that is you can’t just immediately turn those back on. It’s not a switch, it’s a dial,” they said.

ICE has been talking with other agencies, including the State Department to expedite travel documents for deportable illegal immigrants. That’s in addition to a slew of new agreements by the Trump administration with other countries. Venezuela and Colombia have both announced they will accept back illegal immigrants.

That cooperation was on display on Wednesday when Guatemala has said it will accept migrants from other countries in what is known as a safe third country agreement.

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That announcement came shortly after both Mexico and Canada had announced new restrictions at their borders with the U.S. in response to the threat of U.S. tariffs.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 6, 2025
Alibaba releases AI model it says rivals DeepSeek, OpenAI, Meta’s top models

General Catalyst Institute President Teresa Carlson joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to weigh in on China’s DeepSeek and its anticipated impact on the global economy.

Chinese tech giant Alibaba is flexing its muscles in the global race for artificial intelligence (AI) dominance, claiming the latest version of its Qwen 2.5 can take on the top models from rivals both foreign and domestic.

Not to be outdone by the attention surrounding fellow Chinese firm DeepSeek – which rocked the U.S. tech sector this week with its purported emergence as a potential rival to leading American AI companies – Alibaba says its latest offering is superior to them all in nearly every measure.

Alibaba claimed the latest version of its Qwen 2.5 can take on the top models from rivals both foreign and domestic. (Thomas Peter / Reuters Photos)

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“Qwen 2.5-Max outperforms… almost across the board GPT-4o, DeepSeek-V3 and Llama-3.1-405B,” Alibaba’s cloud unit said in an announcement posted on its official WeChat account, referring to OpenAI and Meta’s most advanced open-source AI models.

TECH MOGUL DOUBTS DEEPSEEK CLAIMS, SAYS US MEDIA FELL FOR ‘CCP PROPAGANDA’

Alibaba’s Qwen account on X posted stats indicating how the model stacks up against its competitors, claiming, “It achieves competitive performance against the top-tier models, and outcompetes DeepSeek V3 in benchmarks like Arena Hard, LiveBench, LiveCodeBench, GPQA-Diamond.”

The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max’s release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to the pressure Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s meteoric rise in the past three weeks has placed on not just overseas rivals, but also its domestic competition.

TRUMP, OPENAI CEO WEIGH IN ON DEEPSEEK FRENZY

The Jan. 10 release of DeepSeek’s AI assistant, powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, as well as the Jan. 20 release of its R1 model, has shocked Silicon Valley and caused tech shares to plunge, with the Chinese startup’s purportedly low development and usage costs prompting investors to question huge spending plans by leading AI firms in the U.S.

SlateStone Wealth chief market strategist Kenny Polcari breaks down the impact of DeepSeek on U.S. markets and how tech companies will react to the Chinese A.I. model.

But DeepSeek’s success has also led to a scramble among its domestic competitors to upgrade their own AI models.

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Two days after the release of DeepSeek-R1, TikTok owner ByteDance released an update to its flagship AI model, which it claimed outperformed Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s o1 in AIME, a benchmark test that measures how well AI models understand and respond to complex instructions.

This echoed DeepSeek’s claim that its R1 model rivaled OpenAI’s o1 on several performance benchmarks.

Reuters contributed to this report.

January 29, 2025
CIA releases new analysis on COVID origins favoring lab leak theory

The CIA has changed its assessment on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, now favoring the lab leak theory. Under its new director, John Ratcliffe, the agency released an assessment on the origins of COVID-19.

The review was ordered by former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan toward the end of Biden’s time in office.

Analysts made the assessment with “low confidence” despite former CIA director Bill Burns, who remained agnostic on the origins, telling the agency it needed to look at the existing evidence again and come down on one side or the other.

Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan as members of the World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus made a visit to the institute in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

JOHN RATCLIFFE SAYS US FACES ‘MOST CHALLENGING SECURITY ENVIRONMENT’ EVER IN CONFIRMATION HEARING

The agency has maintained for years it did not have enough intelligence to conclude whether COVID originated in a lab or a wet market in Wuhan, China. Despite the new assessment favoring a lab leak, there was no indication of new evidence.

“CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting. CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible,” a CIA spokesperson told Fox News.

“We have low confidence in this judgment and will continue to evaluate any available credible new intelligence reporting or open-source information that could change CIA’s assessment.”

Ratcliffe, who was confirmed Thursday, has long been a proponent of the lab leak theory. In an interview with Breitbart, Ratcliffe framed the assessment of COVID’s origins as part of a broader strategy “addressing the threat from China.”

He also said he wants the CIA to “get off the sidelines” and take a stand.

John Ratcliffe appears for a Senate Intelligence confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

WHO RENEWS CALLS FOR CHINA TO SHARE DATA ON COVID ORIGINS 5 YEARS LATER

In a March 2023 Fox News piece co-written with Cliff Sims, Ratcliffe accused the Biden administration of trying to keep a growing consensus around the lab leak theory quiet by suppressing “what can clearly be assessed from the intelligence they possess.”

He also cast doubt on the notion that the CIA did not have enough evidence to come to a conclusion about the virus’ origins.

“The CIA is the world’s premier spy agency. Its reach is unmatched, its ability to acquire information unrivaled. And yet here we are three-and-a-half years later and there is ample public reporting that the CIA just doesn’t have enough information to make an assessment. This is utter nonsense,” the March 2023 piece says.

A sign about COVID-19 testing is displayed outside a COVID-19 testing site as a health walker collects testing tubes in Wheeling, Ill., Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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In the same piece, Ratcliffe and Sims dismissed the idea that the virus emerged naturally, claiming there was “a complete absence of intelligence or scientific evidence” pointing to that conclusion.

When he testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in April 2023, Ratcliffe said the lab leak theory was “the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science and by common sense.”

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

January 26, 2025
Hamas releases 4 female hostages as part of Israel cease-fire deal

The terrorist group Hamas released four additional hostages from Gaza on Saturday after a ceasefire deal with Israel took effect nearly a week ago.

Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces —were freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases.

In exchange, Israel was expected to free 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including 120 militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

The first round of hostage releases on Sunday freed Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.

Video from Palestine Square in Gaza shows the four newly released women hostages being taken from the cars. They are alive and walking, wearing uniforms.

HAMAS RELEASES NAMES OF 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES TO BE RELEASED NEXT, POSSIBLY VIOLATES DEAL

L: Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Naama Levy. (Handout/Bring Them Home Now)

“The Red Cross has communicated that four Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF and Israeli Securities Authority said in a joint statement.

The four female soldiers were believed to have been, at least at one time, held all together.

Under the ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages are to be set free over the course of six weeks, including those already released, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza, return to Israel as part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, January 19, 2025. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.

This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war that began more than a year ago.

SURVIVOR OF NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL HAMAS TERROR ATTACK WINS SLOT TO REPRESENT ISRAEL AT EUROVISION

Naama Levy had been held hostage for more than a year. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

January 25, 2025
Hamas releases names for 4 female hostages to be released next, possibly violates deal

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The families of Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag have been informed that that their daughters, held in Gaza for 475 days, are slated to be freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases.

Hamas revealed the names of the four women, all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday, though the media was asked to wait until their families had been informed before releasing their identities.

While the exchange of another four hostages under the deal is a positive step forward in the continued ceasefire, it also could be in direct violation of the agreement as female civilians were supposed to be released ahead of all female soldiers, followed by the elderly and wounded men.

SURVIVOR OF NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL HAMAS TERROR ATTACK WINS SLOT TO REPRESENT ISRAEL AT EUROVISION

A combination picture shows Israeli hostages from left-to-right: Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa soldiers who were seized from their army base in southern Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in these undated handout pictures. Courtesy of Bring Them Home Now/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (Courtesy of Bring Them Home Now/Handout via REUTERS.)

Of the 30 remaining people Hamas has agreed to release in the first phase of the ceasefire following the release of three women last week, two others were female civilians, including Arbel Yehud and Shiri Bibas, along with her two sons Kfir, who was just 9 months old when he was abducted with his 4-year-old brother Ariel.

Israel had instructed Hamas to release Yehud this week amid concerns that her captivity may be prolonged as she is believed to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, not Hamas.

The world has also been waiting for news of the Bibas family.

Hamas claimed in November 2023 that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israel has said it has no intelligence to support these claims.

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Shiri and her sons have therefore never been assessed by Israeli officials to be deceased, and many have held out hope they will be reunited with Yaren Bibas, husband to Shiri and father to two boys, who was separated from his family following their abduction on Oct. 7, 2023.

He is also slated to be released within the first phase of the ceasefire.

Check back on this developing story.

January 24, 2025
NASA releases clearest view of Mars, blue rocks seen on landscape

NASA has released the clearest view of Mars to date, with blue rocks observed across the planet’s landscape.

The images were captured by the Perseverance rover as it explores the planet.

Dark blue, jagged rocks of volcanic basalt were found on top of the dried remains of an ancient lakebed, according to the Daily Mail.

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT MARS, ALSO KNOWN AS THE RED PLANET

NASA has released the clearest view of Mars to date, with blue rocks observed across the planet’s landscape. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA found the boulders on what has been dubbed “Mount Washburn,” a rocky field on the Jezero crater, where an ancient lake is believed to have been located billions of years ago.

The name “Mount Washburn” was given to the field of rocks in honor of a mountain in Yellowstone National Park.

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The rover came upon a white-striped rock within a field of blue boulders. (NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover)

The rover came upon a white-striped rock within the field of blue boulders. The Perseverance science team nicknamed the light-toned boulder with dark speckles “Atoko Point.”

While the blue rocks are primarily volcanic basalt, which is typical of Martian terrain, NASA concluded that “Atoko Point” is made of anorthosite-a silica-rich volcanic rock, which has never been documented on Mars.

The name “Mount Washburn” was given to the field of rocks in honor of a mountain in Yellowstone National Park. (NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover)

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This rock type had been theorized to exist but never seen on the Martian landscape, according to Marca.

“Are there other rocks like this near the Jezero Crater rim? I’m on my way to find out,” the Perseverance rover’s X account said.

January 23, 2025
Hamas releases 3 hostages under Israel cease-fire deal

The terrorist group Hamas released three hostages from Gaza hours after a cease-fire deal with Israel took effect after a brief delay Sunday.

Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Demari, 27, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were freed to the Red Cross, which will then deliver them to the Israeli Defense Forces. A crowd watched the ongoing saga in Tel Aviv, cheering as good news emerged 15 months after the Oct. 7 massacre of civilians by Hamas.

Israel is expected to free some 90 Palestinian prisoners in return.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Defense Forces that the cease-fire would not begin until Israel had the list of hostages expected to be freed. Since Hamas had not given the names of the hostages by the time the cease-fire was set to start, the IDF continued to operate, as it was still striking inside Gaza. At least eight Gazans have been killed in IDF strikes since the cease-fire was set to begin, according to a Hamas-run agency.

Hamas had said the three-hour delay in providing the names was due to “technical field reasons” and added that it is committed to the cease-fire deal announced last week.

WHAT TO EXPECT AS ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE GOES INTO EFFECT ON SUNDAY

Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher. (Fox News)

The terror group released a statement after the cease-fire began, pledging to the people of Gaza “to be the trustees of their rights and defenders of them, until the complete liberation of the land and the holy sites.”

“The whole world today must stand in reverence for the legendary steadfastness of our people in Gaza, and in appreciation of their patience and sacrifices over the course of 471 days,” Hamas said.

“With the entry into force of the ceasefire, we affirm our commitment to implementing the terms of the agreement, which is the fruit of the steadfastness and patience of our great people, and the legendary steadfastness of our valiant resistance in the face of the zionist machine of terrorism and killing,” the statement continued.

Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early Saturday morning for a cease-fire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and pause the war with Hamas that began after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State.

The deal would allow 33 hostages to be set free over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remaining hostages are set to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.

“Our heroic prisoners have an appointment with freedom starting today, and this is our firm pledge with them always, until they break the shackles of the jailer and breathe freedom in the skies of Palestine,” Hamas said in its statement.

People react as they watch news coverage of the release of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages who have been held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a cease-fire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, in Tel Aviv, Jan. 19, 2025. (REUTERS/Shir Torem)

Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war.

Gaza is expected to receive a surge in humanitarian aid when the cease-fire begins.

“We are monitoring the operations of bringing in aid and providing relief to our people with everything necessary, and we confirm that all efforts will be made to provide all the necessary support and assistance requirements to restore the cycle of life in the Gaza Strip to normal,” Hamas said in its statement.

ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES WILL RECEIVE HOSTAGES SUNDAY WITH EQUIPPED CAMPER TRAILERS AND COMFORTING SUPPLIES

A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after the deadly Oct 7 Hamas attack calling for the release of the hostages on January 17, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people wer killed and about 250 others were abducted, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run government’s local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.

January 23, 2025