Hostage

Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander returns to Israel after Hamas release

Jerusalem CNN — Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage in Gaza, was released by Hamas and reunited with his family on Monday, ending an 18-month ordeal that began with the militant group’s October 7 attack. Hamas announced Sunday night it had agreed to free Alexander, 21, after several days of talks with the …

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Egypt Independent May 13, 2025

Palestinian Islamic Jihad releases first-ever video of Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski

CNN — A Palestinian militant group in Gaza released a video on Wednesday of Rom Braslavski, a 21-year-old Israeli soldier who was taken hostage from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. The 7-minute propaganda video, released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is the first time Braslavski has been shown on camera during his captivity. …

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Egypt Independent April 17, 2025

Israeli former hostage recounts hearing, on his release, of wife and daughters’ deaths

CNN — An Israeli man who was held hostage by Hamas for 491 days has described how he was starved while in captivity and recalled the moment on his release from Gaza – when he found out his wife and daughters had been killed during the October 7, 2023 attacks. Eli Sharabi was released earlier …

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Egypt Independent March 4, 2025

Hamas is handing over final living hostages to be released under first phase of Gaza ceasefire

CNN — Hamas has handed over five out of six hostages that were due to be released in Gaza on Saturday, the final living captives whom the warring sides agreed would be freed when a ceasefire began last month. Thousands, including Hamas fighters, gathered in Nuseirat, central Gaza, where three of the hostages – Eliya …

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Egypt Independent February 23, 2025

Israel says body returned by Hamas not that of hostage

A poster shows Shiri Bibas, center, who was kidnapped to Gaza with her husband and two young sons on Oct.

NPR NEWS February 22, 2025

Trump’s Gaza plan could endanger hostage deal and push Palestinians toward Hamas, CNN analyst says

President Donald Trump’s brazen proposal to “take over” Gaza could raise tensions during a fragile phase of the hostage exchange deal, and spark further violence if Palestinians are forced off their land, said CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier. The proposal “will be surely seen as Trump’s commitment to work with Israel to remove Hamas …

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Egypt Independent February 6, 2025

‘It’s over, Dad’: Jubilant reunions as latest round of Israeli hostage releases passes smoothly

Tel Aviv, Israel CNN — Hamas on Saturday released three Israeli hostages from captivity in two orderly handover ceremonies that stood in marked contrast to chaotic scenes earlier this week. After 484 days in Gaza, Keith Siegel, Yarden Bibas, and Ofer Kalderon returned to Israeli soil. Stepping off a military helicopter just outside Tel Aviv, …

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Egypt Independent February 4, 2025

Hamas “learned lesson” of Thursday’s chaotic hostage release, former hostage negotiator says

Hamas ensured that Saturday’s release of three hostages was done in a more organized fashion, after learning the lesson from Thursday’s more chaotic round of releases, a former hostage negotiator told CNN. “It’s noteworthy that Hamas learned the lesson from last Thursday of the chaos we had seen when the hostages were released in Khan …

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Egypt Independent February 2, 2025

‘I am finally at home’: Freed Israeli hostage Naama Levy shares message

CNN — A freed Israeli hostage says she drew “hope and strength” from other captives while she was being held by Hamas in Gaza. Naama Levy, 20, who was kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group during the October 7, 2023, attacks, was freed alongside three other female Israeli soldiers on Saturday, as part of a …

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Egypt Independent January 30, 2025

Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal to begin Sunday, bringing rare halt to months of fighting

CNN — The long-awaited ceasefire and hostage release deal between the Israeli government and Hamas will take effect on Sunday, potentially signaling a new chapter in a bloody 15-month conflict that has enflamed the Middle East. The deal, which is made up of three phases, will come into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 …

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Egypt Independent January 20, 2025