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☆ Israeli men's basketball team in limbo as worried foreign players stay abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As a result, Hapoel, which plays in the 13-team premier league, will be without its foreign players for both of its domestic games this week. None of Hapoel's foreign players have asked to leave permanently. Cohen said many foreign players who signed to play in Israel this season have already left. Another team, Hapoel Holon, said this week that French power forward Amine Noua had left the team for security reasons. Maccabi Tel Aviv said none of its foreign players had left, but the team plays a heavy slate of EuroLeague games.

Persons: Levi Randolph, Aleksandar Dzikic, Roi Cohen, Joe Alexander, Storm Warren, Arad, Cohen, Steven Scheer, Howard Goller, Mark Heinrich, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hapoel, Security, European Basketball Champions, Maccabi Tel Aviv, University of Alabama, Storm, Maccabi Tel, Thomson Locations: Hapoel Jerusalem, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Belgrade, Serbian, Jerusalem, Hapoel Holon, Maccabi Tel Aviv

JAKE SULLIVAN - THE LAST GUY IN THE ROOMBiden often turns to Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, when he is considering final options and looking for advice and counsel. "He develops and puts forward the policy options before the president for him to decide," said one U.S. official. Sullivan, 47, was national security adviser for Biden when he was vice president and deputy chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He gathers policy options from across government agencies and prepares them for Biden to consider, the traditional role of the national security adviser. JON FINER - ASKING QUESTIONSSullivan relies heavily on his deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer.

Persons: Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Evelyn Hockstein, ANTONY BLINKEN, Biden, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, JAKE SULLIVAN, Sullivan, Jake, Hillary Clinton, BRETT MCGURK, Brett McGurk, McGurk, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, BILL BURNS, spymaster, Bill Burns, It's, Burns, LLOYD AUSTIN, STARK, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Israel, KAMALA HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Harris, ”, JON, Jon, John Kerry's, Kerry, Arshad Mohammed, Nandita Bose, Don Durfee, Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, Biden, White House, National Security, U.S ., CIA, . Defense, Pentagon, Islamic State, U.S . Army, ISIS, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, East, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, United States, Qatar, Doha, Iran, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Ankara, U.S, Austin, Dubai, West

CNN —Friends and relatives gathered Monday to mourn the death of Yuval Castleman, the Israeli civilian who responded to a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem, shooting and killing the perpetrators before he himself was shot dead by an Israeli reservist soldier. Castleman, a former police officer, was driving to work Thursday when he saw two gunmen open fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem. A third person, an army reservist according to Israel’s military, appears to have mistaken Castleman for an attacker and began shooting at him. Bullets from one of the Israeli soldiers may have also struck Castleman, the IDF said. He was shouting ‘I’m an Israeli.’ He threw his wallet, his identification, on the way so they could see he’s an Israeli.

Persons: Yuval Castleman, ’, Castleman, “, ” Guy Itzkovich, Yuval, ”, ‘ I’m, Ronen Zvulun, Reuters Castleman, Moshe, “ Yuval, it’s, ” Moshe, ” Itzkovich, you’re, –, It’s, Daniel Hagari, Castleman’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, National Security Itamar Ben, Gvir Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Hamas, IDF, Israel Police, Tel, “, Ministry of National Security, National Security Locations: Jerusalem, Kiryat Tiv’on, Israel, Tel Aviv

☆ Family of Last Child Hostages in Gaza Await Their Return
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Eli BerlzonHOLON, Israel (Reuters) - Yosi Shnaider watched a home video on his phone from his apartment near Tel Aviv. Hamas infiltrators seized the Bibas family, along with more than 200 other people, during the Oct. 7 killing spree through southern Israeli towns that sparked the devastating war in Gaza. More than 100 hostages were freed in a week-long truce that ended on Friday, but the Bibas family - two children and their parents - were not. "And I'm thinking to myself, a young baby, small baby like Kfir, is crying. After two months in captivity, their age and ginger hair have caused the Bibas children to stand out among the scores of hostages.

Persons: Eli Berlzon HOLON, Yosi Shnaider, Ariel Bibas, Ariel, Kfir, he's, Shiri Bibas, Yarden, Shnaider, Shira Bibas, Eli Berlzon, Michal Yaakov Itzhaki, Ari Rabinovitch, Howard Goller Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza

Residents, many of whom had moved there to flee earlier attacks in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, said they could hear tank fire and feared a new Israeli ground offensive was building. The Israeli military earlier ordered people to evacuate some areas in and near the city, but made no announcement of any new southern ground assault. "The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) continues to extend its ground operation against Hamas centres in all of the Gaza Strip," spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in Tel Aviv. GROUND OFFENSIVE FEAREDGaza residents said earlier on Sunday they feared an Israeli ground offensive on the southern areas was imminent. Tanks had cut off the road between Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, effectively dividing the Gaza Strip into three.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Khan Younis, Daniel Hagari, Eylon Levy, Younis, United States —, —, Kamala Harris, Isaac Herzog, Mahmoud Abbas, Harris, Israel, Osama Hamdan, Deir, Suhaib Salem, Nidal, Mohammed Salem, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovich, Emily Rose, Maggie Fick, Andrew Mills, Nandita Bose, Idrees Ali, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, David Lawder, Lincoln Organizations: Hamas, Pentagon, Palestinian, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, U.S . Defense Department, Yemen's, Reuters, United, Tanks, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Khan, U.S, Sea, Pentagon Iran, GAZA, CAIRO, Tel Aviv, Gaza City, Yemen's Iran, Hamas, Rafah, Gaza's, Beit Lahiya, United States, Lebanon, Egypt, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Washington

☆ Israeli medical experts declare some Gaza hostages dead in absentia
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Her committee, she said, addresses "the desire of the families of loved ones abducted to Gaza to know as much as possible". Since the truce expired, Israeli authorities have declared six civilians and an army colonel dead in captivity. It has previously said dozens of hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes, has threatened to execute hostages itself and suggested that some hostages were in the hands of other armed Palestinian factions. Additional considerations have been hostages' rough handling by captors, the reduced chances of them getting adequate medical care in Gaza and accounts of deaths by former fellow hostages. The military has recovered the bodies of one captive soldier and two civilian hostages, and freed one soldier in a rescue operation.

Persons: Janis Laizans, Hagar Mizrahi, Israel's Kan, Mizrahi, Emily Hand, Tom, Shaked, Sigalit, Dan Williams, Howard Goller, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Health Ministry, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, remarrying

☆ Why Israel’s peace activists are re-evaluating their position on the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Tara John | Lottie Beilin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Her position, which she described as “complicated,” speaks to the challenge Israel’s peace movement faces when coming to terms with the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. Some activists complain that authorities are attempting to equate peace activism with support for Hamas. Some Jewish Israelis have lost their jobs or have been publicly sanctioned for speaking out in favour of Gaza, say activists. Hundreds of people came (and) tried to hurt me,” he told CNN from an undisclosed location, as he is currently in hiding. Tara John/CNNNot many Jewish peace activists are ready to vocally advocate for peace “because everyone is traumatized – but I have the words,” Inon said.

Persons: Ziv Stahl, “, Stahl, Yesh Din, ”, Zayin, Tara John, Rafael, Zayin’s, , won’t, Gen, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gen Zayin, ” Doxed, Ofer Cassif, “ That’s, Maoz Inon, Israel Frey, ” Inon, Elana Kaminka, –, Yannai, Yannai Kaminka Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, Jewish, CNN, Israeli Democracy Institute, West Bank, Riot, Israel Police Special Patrol, ” Locations: Tel Aviv, Kfar Aza, Israel, Gaza, “ Israel, West, Jerusalem, “, Tzur Hadassah

☆ Israel-Hamas War Top U.S. Officials Urge Israel to Protect Gazans Amid Intensified Fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Andrés R. Martínez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Yelena Trupanob, right, and her mother, Irena Tati, who were recently released from captivity in Gaza, appearing at a rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Ms. Trupanob’s son, Sasha, is still being held hostage in Gaza. “I came to say thank you,” Ms. Trupanob said. Ms. Trupanob, her son, Sasha, 28, and Ms. Tati were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. “Now, we have to continue, to return my Sasha, and everyone,” Ms. Trupanob said at the demonstration.

Persons: Yelena Trupanob, Irena Tati, Trupanob’s, Sasha, “, Ms, Trupanob, ”, —, Tati, Nir Oz, Vitaly Trupanob, ” Ms, Michal Lebenthal, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Amit Shem Tov, Omer, Shem Tov, ” Mr Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Russian, Israel, Jerusalem

☆ Israeli Families Push for Deal to Free Men Still Held Hostage in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Chao Deng | Isabel Coles | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Yuval Haran was among the family members of those held hostage by Hamas speaking at a demonstration outside the Israeli prime minister’s office last month. Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty ImagesTEL AVIV—Renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas is sparking heightened concern among families of the roughly 140 Israelis still held captive—the majority of them men—after the end of a weeklong truce. The pause in fighting had led to the release of dozens of hostages, most of them women and children. Many families hoped Israel and Hamas could strike a similar deal to release men, but the militant group regards fighting-age men as soldiers and the hostages it still holds as valuable leverage.

Persons: Yuval Haran, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, — Organizations: Getty, TEL Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel

☆ Hamas says no prisoner exchange without Gaza ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Relatives and supporters of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, rally for their release, after a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas expired, in Tel Aviv, Israel, December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Acquire Licensing RightsDec 2 (Reuters) - Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV on Saturday that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza. Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army. He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released. Reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Writing by Adam Makary; Editing by Alison Williams and Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Athit, Saleh Al, Arouri, Ahmed Tolba, Adam Makary, Alison Williams, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Al, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera, Gaza

Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas following its Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel in which it says 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage. "Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza, are devastating," Harris told reporters. The United States has been increasingly vocal that Israel must narrow the combat zone during any offensive in southern Gaza and ensure safe zones for non-combatants. Gaza health officials said that in addition to the death toll, 650 people had been wounded since the truce collapsed. Gaza health officials said three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Rafah.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Lloyd Austin, Israel, Harris, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Wessam Farhat, Amir Cohen, Mark Regev, Robert Mardini, Emmanuel Macron, Saleh Al, Arouri, Yoav Gallant, Khan Younis, Suhaib, Nidal, Mohammed Salem, Ari Rabinovich, Emily Rose, Andrew Mills, Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, Matt Spetalnick, Nick Zieminski, Matt Lewis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Hamas, U.S . Defense, Simi Valley , California ., U.S, REUTERS, International Committee, Reuters, Crescent, Palestinian, Al, Israeli, Palestinian News Agency, Tel, Thomson Locations: GAZA, CAIRO, Israel, Gaza, Washington, Egypt, Dubai, Simi Valley , California, Simi Valley , California . Austin, U.S, Tel Aviv, United States, Palestinian, Rafah, Qatar, Al Jazeera, Suhaib Salem, Cairo, Jerusalem, Doha

☆ Released Israeli Hostages Call for Captives to Be Freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli hostages released in the past week by Hamas in Gaza called on Saturday for the immediate release of fellow captives left behind, a day after a temporary truce that had allowed scores to come home broke down. Tens of thousands gathered at a rally in Tel Aviv outside Israel's defence headquarters, where they cheered Yelena Trupanov, 50, standing on a stage just two days after being freed. Similar pleas from other released hostages were shown on video. A seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released more than 100 hostages, collapsed on Friday. (Reporting by Nathan Frandino; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Yelena Trupanov, Sasha, Israel, Nathan Frandino, Maayan Lubell, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Hamas, Palestinian Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Qatar, Israel

☆ Released Israeli hostages call for captives to be freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tens of thousands gathered at a rally in Tel Aviv outside Israel's defence headquarters, where they cheered Yelena Trupanov, 50, standing on a stage just two days after being freed. "I came to thank you because without you I wouldn't be here. Similar pleas from other released hostages were shown on video. A seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released more than 100 hostages, collapsed on Friday. Reporting by Nathan Frandino; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yelena Trupanov, Irena Tati, Sasha, Israel, Nathan Frandino, Maayan Lubell, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, TEL AVIV, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Qatar

☆ Israel recalls negotiators after reaching ‘dead end’ in Qatar talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Tamar Michaelis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Tel Aviv, Israel CNN —Israeli authorities recalled their team of negotiators from Qatar after reaching a “dead end” in talks to release hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, according to a statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The tenuous truce between Hamas and Israel lasted seven days before collapsing on Friday morning, with Israel accusing the militant group of firing rockets in violation of the accord. However, negotiators began expressing concern before Friday’s collapse that Hamas may no longer be holding enough women and children to get Israel to continue pauses in fighting. Israel had agreed to extend the truce daily for every 10 hostages Hamas released. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that there are 136 hostages still being held in Gaza, including 17 women and children.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, ”, David Barnea, CNN’s Simon Cullen, Joshua Berlinger Organizations: Israel CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Qatar, Gaza

☆ Families of Bedouin hostages wait for news as Gaza fighting resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We want the release of Yousef and Hamza and all those held hostages, and Samer and Farhan, may God bring them back to their families". Bedouin Arabs make up about 4% of Israel's population, living mainly in the southern Negev desert and in northern Israel. Kamel said the families were urging Hamas to release their hostages. While they wait, like the families of other hostages released during the week-long pause, their emotions are mixed. Reporting by Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yosef Hamis Ziadna, Hamza, Bilal, Aisha, Yosef, Farhan al, Qadi, Samer, Kamel al, Yousef, Farhan, Kamel, Belal, Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf, James Mackenzie, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, SANA, Gaza

The city of Khan Younis is the focus of Israeli air strikes and artillery fire after fighting resumed on Friday following the collapse of a week-long truce. Its population has swelled in recent weeks as several hundred thousand people from the northern Gaza Strip have fled south. Abu Wael Nasrallah, 80, scoffed at the Israeli army's latest order to move further south to Rafah, bordering Egypt. The message was delivered via leaflets dropped from the sky over several districts in Khan Younis. "We've not asked the whole population of the south to relocate, we've not even asked the whole population of Khan Younis to relocate.

Persons: Nasser, Khan Younis, Saleh Salem, KHAN YOUNIS, Abu Wael Nasrallah, scoffed, Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, We've, we've, Mark Regev, Deir al Abalah, Israel, Arafat Barbakh, Nidal Al, Maggie Fick, Giles Elgood Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Health, Reuters, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israel, Khan, Gaza, stairwells, Rafah, Egypt, Tel Aviv, Gaza City, Deir

TEL AVIV—Negotiators scrambled to reinstate a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas that expired Friday, as both sides resumed fighting a nearly two-month-old war that has left large parts of Gaza in ruins and more than a hundred hostages still in captivity. Israel launched new bombing attacks and warned Palestinians of imminent combat in parts of southern Gaza, endangering more than a million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled there after weeks of fighting in the northern part of the enclave.

Organizations: TEL AVIV — Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza

☆ Israel Plans to Kill Hamas Leaders Around the World After War
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TEL AVIV—Israel’s intelligence services are preparing to kill Hamas leaders around the world when the nation’s war in the Gaza Strip winds down, setting the stage for a yearslong campaign to hunt down militants responsible for the Oct. 7 massacres, Israeli officials said. With orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Israel’s top spy agencies are working on plans to hunt down Hamas leaders living in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar, the small Gulf nation that has allowed the group to run a political office in Doha for a decade, the officials said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar, Doha

☆ Israel lets AI help it figure out where to bomb in war-torn Gaza, and the number of targets has skyrocketed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Israel has been using AI to help it figure out which targets to strike in Gaza. Now several years old, the operation was created to increase the number of available Hamas targets. The Israeli military said that in the hours since, it has already struck over 200 targets in the Gaza Strip. It first began operating in 2019 as a way to find and identify more Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Fadi Alwhidi/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt's unclear exactly what data and intelligence goes into the AI system.

Persons: —, KHATIB, MENAHEM KAHANA, Fadi Alwhidi, isn't, Alisa Kaff Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, IDF, Guardian, Islamic, Pentagon, US State Department, Israeli Air Force Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, AFP, Aviv, Anadolu, Ukraine, China, Screengrab

☆ The Israel-Hamas truce is over. Here’s what could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN —The seven-day Israel-Hamas truce ended on Friday after negotiations reached an impasse and Israel accused the Palestinian militant group of violating the agreement by firing at Israel. Analysts say the war is bound to continue until Hamas is crushed, and it may be much fiercer this time. The Israeli military’s announcement about the resumption in fighting came moments after the truce between Israel and Hamas expired. The deal saw the warring parties exchange hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. During its October 7 attack, Hamas killed more than 1,200 in Israel and kidnapped about 240 others, Israeli authorities said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Benny Gantz, Abir, Yaakov Amidror, Netanyahu, “, ”, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Frank Lowenstein, Barack Obama, Israel heeds, Mahmud Hams, Biden, ” Biden, Khan Younis, ” Khan Younis, Gershon Baskin, Riad Kahwaji, Kahwaji, Baskin, Lowenstein, Ashraf Amra, ” Kahwaji, ” Amidror Organizations: UAE CNN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, West Bank, Reuters, CNN, Jerusalem Institute, Strategic Studies, National Security, Palestinian, Getty, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Institute for Near, doesn’t Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Gaza, United States, Tel Aviv, Abir Sultan, Rafah, AFP, “, Institute for Near East, Gulf, Dubai, Deir Al Balah, Anadolu

☆ Support among Israelis for resumption of Gaza campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Nathan Frandino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTEL AVIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Israelis interviewed on Tel Aviv's streets backed their army's resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip on Friday, acknowledging the dangers but blaming Hamas for the collapse of a week-long truce. "We still have 156 hostages in Gaza, still have babies there ... We don't want this war, but we have to," he said. "I hope Hamas will be clever enough to keep the hostages safe and also the innocent citizens of Gaza, that they will be safe also," she said. And I don't believe Hamas will give up all the hostages because they use it as a human shield. "So if they give up all of them, they won't have anything to stand up against Israel because Israel has a much stronger army than Hamas does.

Persons: Abu Mustafa, it's, Dvir Feller, Yael Segal, I'm, doesn't, Segal, Lior Feuer, Tania Rubinshtein, Nathan Frandino, Howard Goller, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, TEL AVIV, Tel

☆ Little food, a beating and lice: What freed Israeli hostages are saying about being held by Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Rachel Clarke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The details below have been compiled from comments by freed hostages to their families, their carers and sometimes to reporters. Under the terms of the deal between Israel and Hamas, most of those released are women, children and foreign workers. Ruth Munder, a released Israeli hostage, walks with an Israeli soldier shortly after her arrival in Israel on November 24. Emily Hand told her father that they always had breakfast and sometimes lunch or an evening meal. Emily Hand said she was not hit and her father said he believed harsh voices were enough to make her do what was wanted.

Persons: –, It’s, Adina Moshe, Eyal Nouri, “, ” Moshe, Nouri, keener, ” Nouri, Yocheved, Emily, Thomas Hand, Hand, “ It’s, ”, Hila Rotem, Raaya Rotem, ” Hand, “ She’d, Hila, bedclothes, Ruth Munder, Eitan Yahalomi, Deborah Cohen, Omer Lubaton Granot, ” Granot, Lifshitz, Grandmother Ruth Munder, Israel’s vise, ” Munder, ” Adina Moshe, Emily Hand, she’s, Uthai Saengnuan, Eitan, Yair Rotem, it’s, Yar Rotem, ” Chumpron Jirachart, Manee Jirachart, I’ve, Elma Avraham, Hagai Levine, ” Eitan Yahalomi, Efrat Bron, Harlev, ” Bron, ” Israel, CNN’s Rachel Clarke, Joseph Ataman, Wolf Blitzer, Kate Bolduan, Bianna Golodryga, Jessie Gretener, Poppy Harlow, Jacqueline Howard, Lauren Izso, Ed Lavandera, Phil Mattingly, Kocha OIarn, Clarissa Ward Organizations: CNN, Rotem, United Nations ’ Office, Humanitarian Affairs, BFMTV, Israel’s, UN, Sourasky Medical, Israeli Defense Forces, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Atlanta

But the three men topping Israel's hit-list remain at large: Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades; his second in command, Marwan Issa; and Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The three leaders are directing Hamas' military operations and led negotiations for a prisoner-hostage swaps, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza, three Hamas sources say. The objective of the war remains to dismantle Hamas' military and government capabilities, Michael said, which could involve a turbulent period in Gaza after the war. An Israeli military officer, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the IDF viewed the elimination of such combat-level commanders as essential to dismantling Hamas' military capabilities. Israel has killed Hamas' leaders in the past, including the group's founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and its former leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantisi, assassinated in a 2004 air strike.

Persons: Ilan Rosenberg, Yoav Gallant, Mohammed Deif, Deen al, Marwan Issa, Yahya Sinwar, Issa, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant, Sinwar, Michael Eisenstadt, we've, Eisenstadt, Osama Hamdan, Joe Biden's, al, Kobi Michael, Michael said, Michael, Gilad Shalit, Shalit, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Al, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel, Aziz, Rantisi, Sheikh Yassin, Hamdan, Dan Williams, Samia Nakhoul, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, Hamas, Brigades, Qatar, Reuters, Military and Security, Washington Institute for Near East, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Islamic, Israel's Ministry, Strategic Affairs, IDF, German Intelligence Agency, politburo, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Kibbutz Beeri, Israel, Tel Aviv, Deif, Gaza City, Lebanon, East, U.S, States, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iran, United States, Iraq, Syria, Palestinian, Israeli, Sinwar, Al Jazeera, Rantissi, Jerusalem

☆ Opinion: A perfectly reasonable, highly unrealistic path to peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Is there any way to bring an end to this war and open a path to lasting peace? There is a perfectly reasonable, though extremely difficult and perhaps unrealistic solution. It might have expected Arab countries having diplomatic relations with Israel to sever them. And yet, this could be a moment for Arab leaders to step in with an act of heroism. Allowing Hamas leaders to survive in exile, bringing the PA and perhaps the UAE to Gaza is hardly risk-free.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, it’s, don’t, Israel’s, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ahmad Gharabli, Iran —, Joe Biden’s, Abraham, ”, Israel — Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Hamas, West Bank, Peacemakers, Abraham Accords, Trump, The New York Times, Israeli, Getty, US Navy, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Saudi, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, AFP, Druze, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Tehran, Kippur, Egypt, Oslo

Media affiliated to Hamas said explosions and gunfire could be head in the northern part of the Gaza Strip ahead of the truce deadline. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report and there was no immediate comment from Israel or Hamas. Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was open to continuing the ceasefire if Hamas committed to further hostage releases. Israel had previously set the release of 10 hostages a day as the minimum it would accept to pause its assault. [1/5]A helicopter carrying hostages released amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel arrives at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv district, Israel, December 1, 2023.

Persons: Israel's Kan, Israel, Mark Regev, Benjamin Netanyahu, we're, Athit, Qatar's, Abdullah Al Sulaiti, I've, Mia Schem, Schem, Aisha al, BLINKEN, Jordan's King Abdullah, U.N, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Netanyahu, Nidal al, Mohammed Salem, Humeyra Pamuk, Ari Rabinovich, Emily Rose, Andrew Mills, Cynthia Osterman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Gaza Hamas, Hamas, Media, Street, CNN, United Nations, Sheba Medical, REUTERS, Reuters, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, U.S, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gaza GAZA, TEL AVIV, Qatari, Palestinian, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv district, ISRAEL, Amman, United States, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Jerusalem, Doha

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