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Scores of people have been killed in Israeli strikes in northern Gaza this weekend, according to local officials, with the bloodshed in the enclave and continued attacks in Lebanon dimming hopes that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar might breathe new life into cease-fire talks that have been stalled for months. The Israeli security cabinet is expected to hold a meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss plans for a strike on Iran, an Israeli official told NBC News. In northern Gaza, the local health ministry on Sunday said at least 87 people were killed, with more than 40 others injured, in Israeli strikes on residential areas in Beit Lahia on Saturday. Videos and photos emerging out of northern Gaza showed devastating scenes. Israeli forces on Sunday continued operations in Gaza and in Lebanon, with the IDF saying troops remained active across the northern, southern and central ares of the Strip.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, ”, Joe Biden, Gershon Baskin, they're, Izzat Al, Rishq, Israel's, Netanyahu Organizations: Israeli, NBC News, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Civil Defense, Palestinian Health Ministry, Sunday Locations: Gaza, Lebanon, Caesarea, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Beit Lahia, Hamas, Beit, Indonesian, Washington

☆ Israel and Hamas are fighting a battle of narratives over Sinwar’s death
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Or perhaps it shows a defiant hero who is staring the enemy in the eye while fighting till the bitter end. When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar last week, they released several photos and a video showing the Hamas leader during his last moments alive and after his death. Internationally, it is under pressure over the mounting Palestinian death toll and horrific humanitarian situation in the strip. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, said the IDF found huge sums of money, food and water in Sinwar’s hideouts. But Siegal said that there was likely another reason for the IDF releasing the video showing Sinwar all alone at the end.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Gershon Baskin, Baskin, Gilad Shalit, Netanyahu –, ” Baskin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Saladin, ”, Sinwar, “, Netanyahu, ” Mustafa Barghouti, Shin Bet, –, Mohammed Huwais, ’ Gil Siegal, ” Siegal, Mohammed Deif, Hassan Nasrallah, Avichay Adraee, ” Adraee, Adraee, Shira Efron, he’s, Siegal, CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim, Abeer Salman, Dana Karni Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, CNN, Palestinian National Initiative, CIA, Getty, Center for Medical Law, Bioethics, Ono Academic College, ’, Israel Policy, Hamas Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, backchannels, Gaza, Palestine, Jerusalem, Yemen's, Sanaa, AFP, Sinwar’s hideouts, “

CNN —A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented to the Biden administration a new proposed ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, an Israeli official told CNN. Reactions to the proposal have widely been that it will be a non-starter for Hamas, which has not commented on it. It is unclear whether the proposal addresses the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza after a ceasefire and hostage deal – a key sticking point in stalled negotiations. The Hostages Families Forum, which has been scathing about Netanyahu’s approach to hostage negotiations, welcomed the proposal. They cited Israel’s assassinations of Hamas leaders in foreign capitals, and said they believed Sinwar would prefer to die fighting Israel than to leave Gaza.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Gal Hirsh, Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Kan, Joe Biden’s, Hirsh, Roger Carstens, Gershon Baskin, Sinwar, ”, ” Baskin, Hitler, ” Hirsh Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Families, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Lebanon, New York, “

☆ Hamas consolidates power under alleged Oct. 7 mastermind after spate of Israeli assassinations
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Ellison Barber | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

TEL AVIV — Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, is the undisputed leader of Hamas after the militant group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated and Israel confirmed it had killed Mohammed Deif, the military chief. Until now, Sinwar has remained largely out of the spotlight, a shadowy figure believed to be hiding in Hamas’ labyrinth of tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip. But his appointment as the group’s political leader has left many wondering what it could mean for the ongoing cease-fire and hostage release talks. For Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, Sinwar’s promotion suggests it’s business as usual for the group. “Whoever decided to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh does not care about the hostages,” said Thabeet Elhmour, a Palestinian political analyst and writer based in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Mohammed Deif, Sinwar, Basem Naim, ”, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Haniyeh’s, “, Thabeet Elhmour, Khan Younis, Tariq Kenney, Kenney, Fathi Nimer, “ Sinwar, Gershon Baskin, Rather, ” Baskin, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Baskin, Ahmed Shoraab, Abou Nasar El, ” Jon Polin, Rachel Goldberg, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, “ We’re, Goldberg Organizations: Hamas, NBC News, West Bank, Al, NBC, Shura Council, Sissi Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Qatar, Palestinian, Gaza’s, Khan, “, United States, Egypt, Doha, Cairo

☆ Killing of Hamas leader leaves Gaza ceasefire hopes dangling by a thread
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The assassination of the political leader of Hamas has plunged the Middle East into fresh crisis and dented already slim hopes of an end to the war between Israel and the militant group that rules Gaza anytime soon. Here’s what the killing of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders means for the Gaza war and the region. “Netanyahu has systematically sabotaged ceasefire talks because ending the war will likely end his political career,” said Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute, a US-based foreign policy think tank, in a post on X. A faltered negotiation process also extends the risk to the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza. “This is the time for a deal.”There are 111 hostages still in Gaza, including 39 believed to be dead, according to data from Netanyahu’s office.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, ”, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Benjamin Netanyahu, –, “ Netanyahu, “, Netanyahu, Jalaa Marey, Gershon Baskin, Baskin, ” Baskin, Gaza’s, Anwar, Antony Blinken, Biden, ” Hellyer, CNN’s Becky Anderson Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Quincy Institute, Palestinian, Getty, Families, Anwar Amro, Hellyer, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Royal United Services Institute for Defense, Security Studies, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, Tehran, Iran, Beirut, Golan, Qatar, Egypt, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Thani, Doha, US, Karmiel, AFP, Beirut's, United States, London

☆ Developments in Gaza ceasefire talks raise hopes but challenges persist. Here’s what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Last week, a US official told CNN that a framework agreement is “in place” and talks resumed Friday in Doha. Hatem Khaled/ReutersOn Thursday, a senior US administration told CNN that the framework for a deal is “now in place,” following a call between Biden and Netanyahu. Hamas has long demanded that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire before signing any deal, which Israel has so far refused. Netanyahu also said there will be “no return of thousands of armed terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip,” the statement said. “If the Americans are still optimistic (after Netanyahu’s Sunday statement), then they are really living in La La land,” Baskin told CNN.

Persons: ”, ” Israel, Israel, ” Gershon Baskin, Baskin, Joe Biden, “, who’ve, Khan Younis, Hatem Khaled, Biden, Netanyahu, –, Donald Trump, Yair Lapid, ” Lapid, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ilan Rosenberg, Reuters Baskin, ” Baskin Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Reuters, Sunday, Trump, “ Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Doha, Cairo, ”, Egypt, Israeli, Rafah, Jerusalem, La La

☆ Who is Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader Israel has called a ‘dead man walking’
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

He was elected to Hamas’ main decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2017 as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza branch. Back in Gaza, Sinwar has risen through the ranks and quickly became a key player within Hamas. As the political leader of Hamas, Sinwar focused on the group’s foreign relationships. The talks involved senior figures from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt. In order for Israel to destroy Hamas, it needs to destroy a critical mass of power centers, not just him,” he said.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Israel, ”, Harel Chorev, Moshe Dayan, “, ” Chorev, Mohammed al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Al, Marwan Issa, Deif, hasn’t, Ashraf Amra, Khan Younis, Gilad Shalit, Chorev, Gershon Baskin, Shalit, Richard Hecht, Osama bin Laden, Butcher, Israel, it’s Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, ’, European Council, Foreign Relations, US Department of State, Moshe, Moshe Dayan Center for, African, Tel Aviv University, Brigades, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Al Locations: Gaza, United Kingdom, France, Gaza City, Palestinian, Sinwar, Islam, Iran, Israel, United States, Qatar, Egypt, “

☆ 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

CNN —Queen Rania of Jordan has accused Western leaders of a “glaring double standard” for failing to condemn the deaths of civilians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza, as Israel’s war on Hamas threatens to destabilize relations between US and Arab leaders. “This is the first time in modern history that there is such human suffering and the world is not even calling for a ceasefire,” Queen Rania added. Forcing Gaza civilians to relocate amounts “to the war crime of forcible transfer,” the Norwegian Refugee Council said. The people of Palestine should not, [the people] of Gaza should not, be forced to be moved again,” she said. Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty ImagesEven before the war with Hamas, tensions were high between Palestinians and Israelis in the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Rania, Jordan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “, ”, Israel, we’ve, ” Rania, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “ We’re, Strategic Communications John Kirby, we’re, Antony Blinken, Gershon Baskin, Gilad Shalit, Baskin, Gilad Schalit, Amanpour, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Gazans, Queen Rania, Alaa Al Sukhni, Khalil Mazraawi Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Ministry of Health, UN, United Nations, West, US, Palestinian Authority, National Security, Strategic Communications, UN Security, Baskin, Norwegian Refugee, West Bank, Palestine, Reuters, Getty, Protesters Locations: Gaza, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Washington, United Kingdom, Jerusalem, Palestine, Amman, AFP

☆ Opinion | How to Navigate a Hostage Situation Like No Other
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Gershon Baskin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier, had been a hostage for five years before Israel and Hamas were seriously willing to work toward his release. On Friday, Hamas released two of them — an American mother and daughter — but the fate of the others remains unclear. In May 1985, Israel released 1,150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of three Israeli soldiers captured in Lebanon. Over the course of those painful episodes, the nation learned a great deal about how to work for its hostages’ release, whether through third-party negotiations, secret back channels or force. There need to be direct talks between Israel, Qatar and Hamas, and no one else.

Persons: Gilad Schalit, Ghazi Hamad, Hamas’s, Mr, Hamad, Schalit, Hamad’s, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ron Arad, It’s, Sasson Nuriel, Netanyahu, Israel Organizations: Hamas, Gaza, Popular Front, Liberation, Palestine, An Air Force, Islamic, International Committee, United, American Locations: Israeli, Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, American, Maalot, Lebanon, ”, Qatar, United States, Iran

☆ The last time Hamas released a hostage, it took 5 years for him to be freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The IDF said Hamas is holding nearly 200 people hostage after carrying out a deadly terror attack. The last time Hamas freed a hostage was in 2011, when it released the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. AdvertisementAdvertisementHamas is holding nearly 200 people hostage after it carried out a deadly terror attack in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The last time Hamas released a hostage was in 2011, when it freed the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks.

Persons: Gilad Shalit, —, Shalit, Mitzpe Hila, Gershon Baskin, Israel, Baskin, Osama al, Mia Schem, Schem Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, NPR, Israel, International Communities Organization, IDF, Nova Locations: Israel, Gaza, American

☆ A mediator who worked on a 2011 Israeli prisoner exchange says Hamas' hostage-taking is 'unprecedented': 'What do they even do with them now that they have them?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gershon Baskin helped secure the release of an Israeli soldier from Hamas in 2011. He says Hamas' hostage-taking campaign is "unprecedented," per The Wall Street Journal. AdvertisementAdvertisementA mediator who helped negotiate the 2011 exchange of an Israeli soldier said Hamas' hostage-taking in its recent terror attacks was "unprecedented" due to the sheer number of people involved, according to The Wall Street Journal . "It's unprecedented, there's no doubt," Gershon Baskin, the Middle East director for International Communities Organization, a UK-based peace-building NGO, told the newspaper. Baskin, an American-Israeli peace activist, helped secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas in 2011.

Persons: Gershon Baskin, —, Baskin, Gilad Shalit, He's, Abu Ubaida, Israel Organizations: Street, Service, Wall Street, International Communities Organization, Israel Defense Forces, Department, West Bank, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, American

☆ Getting hostages out of Gaza is likely a near-impossible task because it's unclear where Hamas is holding them and regions may be covered in traps
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Amy Teibel | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Getting hostages out of Gaza could be a difficult task for Israel, hostage experts said. It's unclear where Hamas is holding them and regions may be covered in traps, the experts said. Israel's ongoing counterattack on Gaza could made it even more difficult to reach the hostages. As Israel pummels neighborhood after neighborhood in Gaza, Elbag and his wife have been glued to the television, looking for any sign of her. He said the captives have likely already been dispersed throughout Gaza, and their hiding places and perhaps even the hostages themselves are likely to be laden with traps.

Persons: —, Gershon Baskin, Gilad Schalit, that's, Eli Elbag, Liri, Joe Biden, John Kirby, Biden, Kirby, Bruce Hoffman Organizations: Israel, Service, Hamas, Palestinian, International Committee, United, National, White, Israel's, Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Gaza, JERUSALEM, Israel, Israel pummels, Elbag, United States

She refers to the overhaul as a “judicial coup,” saying it risks facilitating the “de facto annexation of the West Bank without any critique or any review” from the Supreme Court. The cabinet includes a number of West Bank settlers in powerful positions, and the agreement that brought together the government calls for extending Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank, effectively a call for annexation. Under Netanyahu’s far-right government, Israel has approved a record number of housing units in West Bank settlements, Peace Now said in a July report. “Did the Supreme Court protect Palestinian rights in the West Bank? More recently in 2017, Israeli security forces bulldozed nine homes built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, West Bank haven’t, Sawsan, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Israel, Israel doesn’t, ” Zaher, Eliav, ” Lieblich, Zaher, Ahmed Tibi, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Tibi, ” Tibi, ” Gershon Baskin, Bond, ” Baskin, “ Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Legal Center, Arab, Rights, United Nations, Israel Democracy Institute, Tel Aviv University, Palestinian Authority, Supreme Court, Court of Justice, Israel’s, Israeli, Court Locations: Palestinian, Israel, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, West, The Hague, Dura, Qara, Ofra

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