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☆ Israel to Set Security Limits on Ramadan Prayers at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa, Netanyahu Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he had made a "balanced decision" to allow freedom of worship at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque during Ramadan, but that access would be limited according to security needs. Asked about the possibility of blocking access for Israeli Muslims to Al Aqsa, a flashpoint prayer site in Jerusalem's Old City, Netanyahu's office said: "The prime minister made a balanced decision to allow freedom of worship within the security needs determined by professionals." It gave no details. Israel often sets limits on which worshippers can reach the prayer site - for example based on age - in order to avoid violence from erupting at the site, which is part of a compound also holy in Judaism. War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 Images(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by James Mackenzie)

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ari Rabinovitch, James Mackenzie Locations: JERUSALEM, Jerusalem's Al Aqsa, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem's Old City, Israel, Gaza

☆ UN Agency Says Aid Shipment Blocked in Israeli Port
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The main United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza is facing growing administrative hurdles from Israel, with a shipment amounting to a month's supply of food blocked in port, the agency's chief said. UNRWA has dismissed staff accused of involvement in the attack and launched an investigation. He said UNRWA had been informed by a contractor that provided handling services in the port of Ashdod that it could no longer continue working with UNRWA, following instructions from the Israeli authorities. Last week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on social media platform X that Israel was cancelling tax breaks previously offered to UNRWA. The decision was not formally communicated to the agency which only learned about it when the statement appeared on the platform, Lazzarini said.

Persons: Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Bezalel Smotrich, James Mackenzie, Steve Scheer Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, East, Ashdod, Turkey, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria

☆ Israel's Netanyahu Says Victory in Gaza Is Within Reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday total victory in Gaza was within reach as he rejected the latest offer from Hamas for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy the Islamist movement, saying there was no alternative for Israel but causing the collapse of Hamas. "The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas," he told a news conference. (Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by James Mackenzie and Gareth Jones)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones, Thomson Organizations: Thomson Reuters Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israeli Military Opens Probe Into Reports of Oct. 7 Friendly Fire Deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By James MackenzieJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has begun investigating possible breaches of the law by its forces during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, the military said on Tuesday, following reports some Israeli civilians may have been killed by friendly fire in the fighting. Once an investigation is completed, all materials would be handed over to the Military Advocate General's office, which would decide if there were grounds to open a military police investigation. "The IDF is committed to conducting a thorough review and investigation," the military said. Asked about the Be'eri incident, the Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the army was still focused on fighting in Gaza but was preparing its investigation. "We will emerge on the other side strengthened and much better, and that is exactly what we need," he said.

Persons: James Mackenzie JERUSALEM, Daniel Hagari, General Herzi Halevi, Henriette Chacar, Howard Goller Organizations: Haaretz, Israel Defence Forces, IDF, Military, General Staff Locations: Israel, Be'eri, Gaza

☆ Palestinian Authority to Pay Reduced Salaries as Israel Blocks Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ali SawaftaRAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday it will pay public sector workers 60% of their December salaries this week as it grapples with the longrunning fallout of Israel's refusal to transfer tax funds earmarked for Gaza. Funding to the Palestinian Authority, the body which exercises limited governance in the occupied West Bank, has been severely restricted by the months-long dispute over transferring tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians. Although Gaza is controlled by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund essential areas of the blockaded enclave's budget including paying the salaries of health workers. The dispute over the Palestinian Authority budget coincides with a separate dispute over funding to UNWRA, the United Nations agency which pays for emergency relief for Palestinians. Much of the UNWRA budget has been cut off since Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 Gaza workers of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Ali Sawafta, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Shtayyeh, Antony Blinken, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian, Israeli, Hamas, U.S, United Nations, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel's Netanyahu Cautious on Hostage Deal Amid Coalition Rifts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel was not ready to accept a deal at any price to release hostages held by Hamas amid rifts in his coalition over a U.S. push to get more aid into Gaza. "The efforts to free the hostages are continuing at all times," Netanyahu said in comments ahead of a cabinet meeting that were released to the media. "As I also emphasized in the Security Cabinet – we will not agree to every deal, and not at any price." War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 Images"If Trump was in power, the U.S. conduct would be completely different," he said. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States would continue trying to get more aid into Gaza, which is facing an acute humanitarian crisis.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunday Israel, Netanyahu, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Joe Biden, Israel's, Biden, Ben, Donald Trump, Trump, Antony Blinken, Gantz, Jake Sullivan, James Mackenzie, Giles Elgood Organizations: Sunday, National, Wall Street, U.S, House, Gaza, CBS Locations: JERUSALEM, U.S, Gaza, Israel, United States

☆ Mental Strain, Deepening Risks as Israel's War With Hamas Reaches 100 Days
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

In a statement marking the 100 days, the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs accused Israel of creating "a circle of death" in Gaza. Yet that offers little comfort to the tens of thousands who have lost relatives to the bombardment. Israel's main enemy Iran, which backs Hamas, has taunted Israel but has so far refrained from direct action and Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon, has taken care to avoid an all-out confrontation. "We are continuing the war until the end - until total victory," he said on Saturday at a news conference to mark the 100 days of the war. (Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Nidal al Mughrabi in Doha, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

Persons: James Mackenzie JERUSALEM, Rebecca Brindza, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Israel, Khaled Abu Aweidah, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Moran Stella Yanai, Ali Sawafta, Nidal al Mughrabi, Maayan Lubell, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: U.S, International Court of Justice, West Bank, Nova Locations: Gaza, Israel, Washington, Israel's, Africa, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, Ramallah, Doha, Maayan, Jerusalem

☆ Israeli Defence Minister Condemns Settler Violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday condemned violence against Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, saying in a state of law, only the police and the military had the right to use force. "There is, sadly, violence from extremists that we must condemn," Gallant told a news conference, hours after the United States announced it would impose visa bans against individuals involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the occupied West Bank. The West Bank, among the territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has experienced a surge of violence in recent months amid expanding Jewish settlements and a nearly decade-old impasse in U.S.-sponsored peacemaking. "Nobody else has any authority to use violence," he said. (Reporting by Emily Rose; editing by James Mackenzie ; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Emily Rose, James Mackenzie, Sandra Maler Organizations: Israeli, West Bank, United, The West Bank Locations: JERUSALEM, United States, Israel

[1/2] Israeli soldiers stand in order, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel, December 4, 2023. The U.S. official spoke after three days of resumed aerial bombardments of southern Gaza left residents pulling the bodies of children and adults from the rubble. But the U.S. official said reducing military support to Israel would carry major risks. On Friday, Israel's military began posting grid-based maps online ordering Palestinians to leave parts of southern Gaza, directing them towards the Mediterranean coast and Rafah, near the Egyptian border. Residents and journalists on the ground said intense Israeli airstrikes hit southern Gaza on Monday, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel's, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ophir Falk, Seth Binder, Binder, Eylon Levy, Jake Sullivan, Omar Shakir, Humeyra Pamuk, Jonathan Saul, Maggie Fick, James Mackenzie, Steve Holland, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, U.S, Health Ministry, Washington, United, Reuters, Reuters Graphics, East Democracy, Biden, Democratic, Israel, . National, Palestine, Human Rights, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Israel's, Gaza, LONDON, BEIRUT, U.S, United States, East, Gaza City, Rafah, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ Palestinian man killed in West Bank in Israeli settler raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Mourners carry the body of 38-year-old Palestinian, Ahmad Assi, who was killed in an Israeli settler raid, during his funeral near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta Acquire Licensing RightsRAMALLAH, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank late on Saturday, killing one man and torching a car, Palestinian authorities said. The Palestinian ambulance service said a 38-year-old man in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, in the northern West Bank, was shot in the chest and died as residents confronted settlers and Israeli soldiers. It said Palestinians shot fireworks in response and an Israeli and four Palestinians were injured. Yesh Din, a human rights group that monitors settler violence, said there had been at least 225 incidents of settler violence in 93 Palestinian communities since the war started.

Persons: Ahmad Assi, Ali Sawafta, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Wajih Al, Joe Biden, Yesh Din, James Mackenzie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, U.S, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Salfit, RAMALLAH, Qarawat, West, Madama, West Bank, Nablus, U.S, Israel, Gaza

☆ Palestinian rights groups snub ICC prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters about the violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in The Hague, Netherlands, October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsRAMALLAH, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Palestinian human rights groups refused to meet the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan on Saturday, accusing him of favouring Israeli accusations of rights abuses over longstanding Palestinian charges. However Palestinian activists said they would refuse to see him because of their objections to what they saw as unequal treatment of Israeli and Palestinian cases. "As Palestinian human rights organizations, we decided not to meet him," said Ammar Al-Dwaik, director general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas had urged Karim to investigate Israeli operations in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Karim Khan, de, Khan, Ammar Al, Mr Khan, Mahmoud Abbas, WAFA, Abbas, Karim, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Giles Elgood Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Criminal, West Bank, Independent Commission, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Israel, The Hague, Netherlands, RAMALLAH, Ramallah, Gaza

☆ Families of Bedouin Hostages Wait for News as Gaza Fighting Resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

TIRABIN AL SANA, Israel (Reuters) - The family members of four Bedouin Arabs taken hostage on Oct. 7 during the assault on southern Israel by Hamas gunmen have welcomed the return of two of the captives but wait for news of the others as fighting resumes in the Gaza Strip. "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.

Persons: TIRABIN, 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: Hamas Locations: SANA, Israel, Gaza

☆ Israel wants 'security envelope', no Hamas on border after war, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag, near the border with Gaza, during a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, November 29, 2023. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Palestinian Rights Groups Snub ICC Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian human rights groups refused to meet the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan on Saturday, accusing him of favouring Israeli accusations of rights abuses over longstanding Palestinian charges. However Palestinian activists said they would refuse to see him because of their objections to what they saw as unequal treatment of Israeli and Palestinian cases. "As Palestinian human rights organizations, we decided not to meet him," said Ammar Al-Dwaik, director general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). He was scheduled to meet lawyers for the families' group as well as members of the families themselves. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas had urged Karim to investigate Israeli operations in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Karim Khan, Khan, Ammar Al, Mr Khan, Mahmoud Abbas, WAFA, Abbas, Karim, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Giles Elgood Organizations: Criminal, West Bank, Independent Commission, Human Rights Locations: RAMALLAH, Israel, Ramallah, 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

☆ Israel Wants 'Security Envelope', No Hamas on Border After War, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will seek a "security envelope" with special zones and arrangements that will prevent Hamas from being positioned on its border after the war in Gaza is over, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

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

☆ Biden hopes for extension of Israel-Hamas truce as more hostages released
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( James Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Thirty-nine teenage Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Sunday, taking the total since the truce began to 117. The four-day truce agreed last week is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced. The latest three Thai hostages released were in good health, Thailand's prime minister said. Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, the first day of the truce.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Abigail Edan, Abigail, Carmel Edan, he's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, he'd, Thais, Sunday's, Israel, gaunt, children's agency's James Elder, Elder, Raphael Satter, Diane Craft, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Red Cross, Reuters, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday, Palestinian, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Ramallah, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Palestinian, Gaza's, Qatari, Gaza City

☆ Biden Hopes for Extension as Israel-Hamas Truce Enters Final Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Thirty-nine teenage Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Sunday, taking the total since the truce began to 117. Her grandfather, Carmel Edan, told Reuters he "simply could not believe" she had been returned, thanking Biden "for all the help he's offered us." The four-day truce agreed last week is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced. Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, the first day of the truce.

Persons: James Mackenzie JERUSALEM, Joe Biden, Biden, Abigail Edan, Abigail, Carmel Edan, he's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, he'd, Israel, gaunt, children's agency's James Elder, Elder, Raphael Satter, Diane Craft, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Red Cross, Reuters, Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Ramallah, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Palestinian, Gaza's, Qatari, Gaza City

"The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will re-unite with their families," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Israel released 39 Palestinians - six women and 33 minors - from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said. Saturday's swap follows the previous day's initial release of 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, by Hamas in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and young people from Israeli prisons. On Friday Hamas also released a Philippine national and 10 Thai farm workers. Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages a day.

Persons: Israel, WAFA, Srettha Thavisin, Thais, Thongkoon Onkaew, Natthaporn Onkaew, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al, Osama Hamdan, Majed Al, Ansari, Maya Regev, Emily Hand, Hila Rotem, Emily, Raya Rotem, Shorouk Dwayyat, Emily Rose, Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Maayan Lubell, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis, Adam Makary, Nidal, Moaz Abd, Ali Sawafta, Sybille de La Hamaide, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Leslie Adler, Clarence Fernandez, William Mallard Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Israel Defense Forces, West Bank, Hamas, Reuters, Brigades, IDF, United Nations, CNN, Al, Thomson Locations: Israel Egypt, Qatar, West Bank GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Palestinian, Rafah, Al, Bireh, Ramallah, Philippine, U.S, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Jazeera, Nantucket , Massachusetts

☆ 'Can't find words', Israeli families welcome second group of hostages
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Eli Berlzon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We can't find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days," her family said in a statement. "We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember Raya Rotem and all the hostages who have yet to return." You just can't imagine it, what they will do, if they will talk about it," said 10-year-old Talia, a friend of Emily Hand. Since then, Israel has vowed both to destroy Hamas and bring the hostages back home. Saturday's release of 13 hostages came after some six weeks of fighting as part of a deal to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Persons: Emily Hand, Hila Rotem, Emily's, Emily, Raya Rotem, Talia, Inbal Tzach, Adi Shoham, Be'eri, Nave, Tal, James Mackenzie, Leslie Adler Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Qatari, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Be'eri

☆ Palestinian militants in West Bank say two 'collaborators' executed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A statement from the Tulkarm Brigades, a group based in the West Bank city of Tulkarm that is associated with the Fatah faction, said there was "no immunity for any informant or traitor". Footage shared on the Tulkarm Brigades Telegram channel showed a man apparently confessing to working with Israeli security services and providing details of his activities. The Tulkarm Brigades statement said anyone who had been working with Israeli security services had until Dec. 5 to come forward and repent. The Independent Commission for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights group, issued a statement criticising extrajudicial killings but said Israeli authorities were responsible for recruiting Palestinian agents. There was no comment from the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governance in the West Bank, and no immediate comment from the Israeli security services.

Persons: Fatah, Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie, Hugh Lawson Organizations: West Bank, Tulkarm Brigades, Reuters, Independent Commission, Human Rights, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: RAMALLAH, Gaza, Tulkarm, Israel

☆ Relief and sadness for Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ali Sawafta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] People gather as released Palestinian prisoners leave the Israeli military prison, Ofer, after hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 24, 2023. Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released. More than 100 more Palestinian prisoners are due to be released over the coming four days and more may be freed if the truce is extended. In Beitunia, a city near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a large crowd, mostly of young men, greeted freed prisoners by cheering, honking car horns and marching in the street carrying Palestinian flags. Additional reporting by Yosri AlJamal; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ofer, Ammar Awad, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Abu Ubaida, Laith Othman, Ismail Shaheen, Fatima, Shaheen, Yosri AlJamal, James Mackenzie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Ramallah, West, Gaza, Qatar, Jerusalem, Bethlehem

☆ Israel Receives List of Hostages to Be Released Saturday by Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli security officials were reviewing the list, said a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government promised to work toward the release of all hostages taken by Hamas in an attack on Israel on Oct. 7. They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and reunions with relatives. The Israeli hostages freed included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages. In at least three cases, before the prisoners were released, Israeli police raided their families' homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Persons: Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Benjamin Netanyahu, Cross, Joe Biden, Biden, Israel's, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Roni Haviv, Munder, Sawsan Bkeer, Marah Bkeer, Henriette Chacar, Jeff Mason, Idrees Ali, Grant McCool, Deepa Babington Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, International Committee, ICRC, U.S, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel's, Police Locations: James Mackenzie GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Filipino, Palestine, Jerusalem, Egypt

☆ Rubik's Cube-loving 9-year-old among hostages freed from Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Rami Amichay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas fighters included sisters aged 2 and 4 and their mother, a 5-year-old girl and her mother, as well as elderly women. As well as the Israeli hostages, 10 Thais and one Filipino, who were taken captive at the same time, were also freed under a separate agreement, Qatari mediators said. The rest of a group of at least 50 Israeli hostages due to be exchanged under a Qatari-brokered agreement are expected to be freed in the coming days and more hostages could be added if the truce deal is extended. MIXED EMOTIONSFor the families of the hostages, there was happiness mingled with concern for those who remained in Gaza. That's a human thing," said Yoni Katz Asher, whose wife Doron and children Raz and Aviv were freed on Friday.

Persons: Munder, Gilat Livni, Livni, Roni Haviv, Keren, Ruth, Avraham Munder, Yosef Mendelovich, Benjamin Netanyahu, it's, Yoni Katz Asher, Doron, Raz, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch, Henriette Chacar, Eli Berlzon, James Mackenzie, Alexandra Hudson, Hugh Lawson, Daniel Wallis, Mark Potter Organizations: Schneider Children's Medical, Pediatrics, Hamas, Red Cross, Qatari, Israel's, Thomson Locations: PETAH TIKVA, Gaza, Israel, Petah Tikva, Aviv

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