By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Tel Aviv GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas fighters were set to release a second group of hostages Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, officials said, as a truce largely held in the devastated Gaza Strip after seven weeks of war that killed thousands of people. Israeli prison authorities said 42 Palestinian inmates — both male and female — would be freed under the […]
Tag: HOSTAGES
Thai relatives overjoyed for Gaza hostage returns
By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON BANGKOK, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Kittiya Thuengsaeng thought her 28-year-old boyfriend was among the almost 40 Thais killed in Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel last month. But on Friday night Thai officials shocked her with news so good it seemed impossible. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she told AFP, describing the moment she saw a photograph of Wichai Kalapat after he was released from weeks in captivity. “I had a chat […]
The psychological effect of being held hostage
By Julien Dury PARIS, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – How will the first group of hostages released by Hamas on Friday recover from the psychological trauma of being held captive since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7? It is a difficult question to answer, experts say, because the capacity to recover from being held hostage varies enormously and unpredictably from one person to another. “Whilst many people released from captivity experience […]
Hamas frees hostages as Gaza truce takes hold
By Adel Zaanoun with Marc Jourdier in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas on Friday freed a first batch of hostages seized in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history under a deal that saw a temporary truce take hold in war-ravaged Gaza. Thirteen Israeli hostages captured during Palestinian militants’ cross-border raids were back in Israeli territory where they would undergo medical checks before being reunited with their families, the army […]
Israel-Hamas truce begins, hostages to be released
By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war began on Friday, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives. The two sides had agreed to silence guns and stop bombings from 7:00 am (0500 GMT) in a conflict that erupted after […]
Gaza truce and hostage release to start Friday
By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – A pause in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will start on Friday morning and an exchange of hostages and prisoners will follow hours later, mediator Qatar said, after nearly seven weeks of fighting. The breakthrough four-day truce facilitated by Qatar with help from Egypt and the United States had been due to take effect on Thursday but was […]
Babies, over-80s, entire families: the Gaza hostages
JERUSALEM, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – Following the announcement that Gaza militant group Hamas will release at least 50 hostages as part of a deal with Israel, here is what we know about the captives. Based on interviews with relatives and Israeli media reports, AFP has confirmed the identities of 210 of the around 240 people abducted on October 7 during Hamas attacks on military posts, communities and a desert music festival. The hostages, who […]
Teenage boys, 59-year-old woman: the Palestinian prisoners listed for release
JERUSALEM, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – The vast majority of Palestinians slated for release under an Israel-Hamas swap deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, are teenage boys, an official Israeli list shows. Israel released the names on Wednesday of 300 Palestinian detainees who could be set free under the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, the first phase will see 50 Israeli hostages released over the course of four days, […]
Israel, Hamas agree to truce, 50 hostages to be released
By Adel Zaanoun GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7, both sides announced Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a “difficult decision but it’s a right decision.” A government spokesman told AFP that under the […]
Hamas leader says ‘close to reaching’ truce deal in Israel-Hamas war
DOHA, Nov 21, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday his militant movement was nearing a truce agreement with Israel, according to a statement posted on Telegram. “We are close to reaching a deal on a truce,” Haniyeh said, according to the post. Negotiators have been working to seal a deal to allow the release of around 240 mostly Israeli hostages seized on October 7, during the deadliest assault on Israel in […]
Israeli army releases footage it says shows ‘hostages at Gaza hospital’
JERUSALEM, Nov 19, 2023 (AFP) – Israel’s military released security camera footage Sunday it said showed hostages being brought into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after being kidnapped in the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel. In one of the clips a man is brought in on a gurney by several individuals, at least four of them armed, while in another someone struggles to resist while being forcibly dragged into a building resembing a […]
Tanzania says student abducted by Hamas is dead
DAR ES SALAAM, Nov 18, 2023 (AFP) – Tanzania’s foreign ministry has confirmed the death of one of two citizens who have been missing since Hamas’s October 7 attacks across southern Israel. The Israeli government had named two students from Tanzania — 22-year-old Clemence Felix Mtenga and 21-year-old Joshua Loitu Mollel — among those missing since the militant attack six weeks ago. “It’s with great sadness we confirm the death of Clemence Felix Mtenga,” a […]





