Half of all buildings in northern Gaza are damaged or destroyed, according to satellite analysis estimates.
Hamas freed another group of eight Israeli hostages on Thursday, including dual nationals from Mexico, Russia and Uruguay.
Hours later, the Israeli Prison Service announced the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
It was the seventh consecutive day of releases of Israeli hostages from Gaza and Palestinians from Israeli prisons under the truce, which had been renewed early Thursday morning minutes before it was set to expire. That extension was set to last just 24 hours, and diplomats expressed some pessimism about the prospects for another extension to be agreed upon before the current arrangement expires on Friday.
Here’s what we know about the Israeli hostages released on Thursday.
Mia Schem, 21
Image
Mia Schem.Credit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Reuters
Mia Schem, 21, a dual Israeli-French citizen, was abducted from the site of the Tribe of Nova music festival where at least 260 people were killed in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7.
She was shown in a video released by Hamas on Oct. 16, the first images released by the group of any of the roughly 240 hostages. In the video, she said that she had undergone surgery on her arm after being abducted, though the reason was unclear. (According to an analysis by The New York Times, metadata contained within the video file indicates that some of the footage was filmed at least six days before it was released.)
Amit Soussana, 40
Image
Amit SoussanaCredit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Reuters
Amit Soussana, 40, a lawyer, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza a few miles east of Gaza. At the time, she had been at home with a fever, according to The Times of Israel. Her family told Israeli news organizations that during the Oct. 7 assault, Ms. Soussana hid in a safe room in her house, but the attackers were still able to reach her.
She and her family are left-leaning politically and had called for peaceful coexistence with Palestinians. Her sister, Shira Soussana, said that the kidnapping has shaken the family’s sense of security. “We don’t have a belief anymore in people, it’s so evil,” she said, adding, “on both sides.”
Ilana Gritzewsky Kimchi, 30
Image
Ilana Gritzewsky KimchiCredit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Associated Press
Ilana Gritzewsky Kimchi, 30, is an immigrant from Mexico, according to the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum. Ms. Gritzewsky Kimchi was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where scores of residents were murdered by Hamas.
Nili Margalit, 41
Image
Nili MargalitCredit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Reuters
Nili Margalit, 41, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. On the morning of the attack, she texted friends to say that she was locked in a safe room with her dog and that for hours she had been hearing attackers walking around outside, according to The Times of Israel.
Ms. Margalit works as a nurse in southern Israel at the Soroka Medical Center, the Rambam Health Care Campus said on Facebook. Another former hostage, Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, told The Times of Israel that she had seen Ms. Margalit caring for other people while they were being held captive.
Sapir Cohen, 29
Image
Sapir CohenCredit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Associated Press
Sapir Cohen, 29, was taken hostage along with her boyfriend, Sasha Trupanob, 28, from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where they were visiting his family.
Mr. Trupanob’s mother, Yelena Trupanob, and grandmother, Irena Tati, both Russian émigrés, were also taken hostage but were released on Wednesday.
Mr. Trupanob is believed to remain in Gaza.
Aisha Ziyadne, 17; Bilal Ziyadne, 18
Image
Aisha Ziyadne, left, and Bilal ZiyadneCredit...via Reuters
Aisha Ziyadne, 17, and her brother Bilal Ziyadne, 18, are Bedouin Muslim citizens of Israel. They were kidnapped along with their father, Yousef, and brother, Hamza, from Kibbutz Holit near the border with Gaza, Israeli officials said. The Ziyadne family — the name is sometimes transliterated as Alziadna — had been calling on the Israeli government to do more to free them.
Shani Goren, 29
Image
Shani GorenCredit...Hostages and Missing Families Forum, via Associated Press
Shani Goren, 29, a teacher, was abducted from the safe room in her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7, according to Israeli news outlets.
In captivity, she looked after a 12-year-old boy, Eitan Yahami, who had been taken hostage from the same kibbutz, The Jerusalem Post reported. Eitan was released on Tuesday.
Ms. Goren was born in Israel and holds Uruguayan citizenship through her grandparents, who settled in Israel in 1953.
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday April 25, 2025. President Donald Trump’s approval rating is down eight points from the start of his term in the latest Economist/YouGov survey that shows Americans largely reject the president’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Timeline July 22 -14 net approval rating: Trump’s approval rating is unchanged from last week in the latest Economist/YouGov survey of 1,729 U.S. adults taken July 18-21 (margin of error 3.4), with 41% approving of his job performance and 55% disapproving, compared to a 49% approval rating and 43% disapproval rating at the start of his term, according to Economist/YouGov polling. An overwhelming majority, 81% of respondents, said the government should release all documents related to its probe into Jeffrey Epstein, while 69% said they believe the government is covering up evidence about Epstein, and 56% disappro...
"South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker skewer the Trump administration again on a new episode “South Park” will skewer President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the Washington, D.C., police force in a new episode Wednesday night, according to a trailer posted to social media, marking the show’s latest dig at the Trump administration. Key Facts “South Park” posted a trailer announcing the upcoming episode, “Sickofancy,” which depicts recurring character Towelie, a talking towel who often smokes marijuana, taking a bus ride to Washington, D.C. The excerpt shows Towelie passing the Supreme Court building and the White House, both of which have U.S. Army troops and military tanks stationed outside. Towelie, whom creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have described as the “lamest character ever” and is known for his catchphrase, “Don’t forget to bring a towel,” gleefully remarks the White House seems like the “perfect place for a towel” in the traile...
Suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have reportedly killed the traditional ruler of Kinnari, a remote village in Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State. The brutal attack took place on the night of Friday, August 1, around 9:00 p.m., when the insurgents stormed the village and gunned down the 65-year-old village head, Goni Kinnari, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama. Following the incident, troops of Operation Hadin Kai, in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and local hunters, swiftly mobilised to the area and successfully repelled the attackers. The remains of the slain traditional leader were evacuated to the General Hospital in Damasak, where he was confirmed dead on arrival. His body was later released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites. In the aftermath of the attack, security patrols have been significantly intensified in and around Kinnari to deter further assaults and reassu...
Comments
Post a Comment