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President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza, directing a sharply worded message after the White House confirmed that he had recently dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with the militant group. In a statement on his Truth Social platform soon after meeting at the White House with eight former hostages, Trump added that he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.” “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump said. “Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!” The pointed language from Trump came after the White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the militant group. Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha came as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. It’s the first known direct engagement between the United States and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine amid diplomatic spat White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide detail on the substance of talks, but said President Donald Trump has authorized his envoys to “talk to anyone.” Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries have served as mediators with Hamas for the U.S. and Israel since the group launched its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war. “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president ... believes is a good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said. Leavitt added that Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials, and noted that there are “American lives at stake.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office offered a terse acknowledgement of the U.S.-Hamas talks. “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas,” the prime minister’s office said. ‘If US wants war, we are ready’: China Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages — including Edan Alexander, an American citizen — as well as the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza. Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, led the direct talks with Hamas. Boehler, founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, was a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team during Trump’s first term that strove to win broader recognition of Israel in the Arab world. The talks, which took place last month, focused mainly on the release of American hostages, and a potential end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza, according to a Hamas official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that no progress was made but “the step itself is promising” and more talks are expected. Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped arrange the talks. The direct engagement comes as continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains uncertain. Trump has signaled that he has no intentions of pushing Netanyahu away from a return to combat if Hamas doesn’t agree to terms of a new ceasefire proposal, which the Israelis have billed as being drafted by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase. Appeals court allows watchdog agency head’s removal as legal battle rages over Trump firing Trump on Wednesday welcomed eight former hostages — Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani — to the White House. “The President listened intently to their heartbreaking stories,” Leavitt said. "The hostages thanked President Trump for his steadfast efforts to bring all of the hostages home.” Keith Siegel, an Israeli-American released last month as part of the ceasefire, said they came to the White House to express their appreciation to Trump and Witkoff, the Mideast envoy. “We urged them to continue their enormous efforts. They have done so much. We trust them and we know they will get the job done to get all the rest of the 59 remaining hostages held in Gaza back to their families,” he said in a statement. The talks between U.S. and Hamas officials were first reported earlier Wednesday by the news site Axios. Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is one of three administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Hamas handed over the remains of four more Israeli hostages early Thursday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They are the last four to be released during the first phase of the truce, which is set to end Saturday. Israel and Hamas have yet to negotiate the next phase, and dozens of hostages are still held in Gaza. Hamas transferred the four bodies to the Red Cross early Thursday and they were brought back to Israel for forensic testing. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of the captives, said the remains had been positively identified. Under the first phase of the truce, 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others were handed over in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Five Thai citizens abducted while working in Israel on the day of the attack were freed last month in a separate deal. Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the war in Gaza. Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, roughly half of whom are believed to be dead. The others were released in previous agreements, rescued, or their bodies were recovered. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters but says more than half were women or children. Here’s a look at the hostages released so far: Ohad Yahalomi, 49 when kidnapped Ohad Yahalomi was shot in the leg as he and his family were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife and two daughters, one 10 and the other almost 2, escaped from a moped attempting to take them into Gaza and got away after running through fields for hours. Ohad and his oldest son, Eitan, then 12, were taken into Gaza but held separately. Eitan was released as part of a ceasefire in November 2023. UN halts food aid to famine-hit Sudan displacement camp Yahalomi, who also had French citizenship, was a dedicated runner and swimmer and loved traveling across Israel, according to the hostage forum. Itzhak Elgarat, 68 when kidnapped Elgarat was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz and was wounded in his hand, according to his brother, who spoke with him that morning. His brother, Danny Elgarat, told Israeli media in July 2024 that they had received information from the Israeli military that Itzhak had likely been killed at some point in early 2024, though there was no confirmation of his death until Hamas said on Wednesday they would return his body. Hostages who were returned in the 2023 ceasefire said they had seen Itzhak in captivity in the early months of the war, his brother told Israeli media. Elgarat also had Danish citizenship. He loved to travel and was a passionate supporter of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team. Shlomo Mantzur, 85 Mantzur was taken from Kibbutz Kissufim, while his wife of 60 years, Mazal, escaped. He was one of the founders of the kibbutz and had managed the chicken coops for many years. He had five children and 12 grandchildren. He loved working with his hands and studied jewelry-making and carpentry. Born in Iraq, he survived riots against Jews as a child and moved with his family to Israel as a young teenager, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Trump administration creates registry for immigrants who are in the US illegally Mantzur was the oldest person taken hostage. Earlier this month, the Israeli military confirmed that Mantzur was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was taken to Gaza. Tsachi Idan, 49 when kidnapped Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of their saferoom. Hamas militants broadcast themselves on Facebook live holding the Idan family hostage in their home, as his two younger children pleaded with the militants to let them go. Only Tsachi was taken to Gaza. Idan worked in tech and loved playing soccer, volleyball and tennis, according to the hostages forum. Omer Wenkert, 23 Wenkert, a restaurant manager known for his love of dancing and sports, was taken captive from the Nova music festival in southern Israel. Since his abduction, his family was concerned that Wenkert — from the southern Israeli town of Gedera — wasn't getting the medication necessary to treat his colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine. They had not received a sign of life from him since November 2023, when Hamas published footage of Wenkert tied in the back of a pickup truck in his underwear. Omer Shem Tov, 22 Shem Tov, from the Israeli city of Herzliya, was abducted from the Nova music festival with his friends Maya and Itay Regev, former captives who were released in November 2023. He's a passionate musician and DJ, according to the hostage forum. On the day of the Hamas attack on Israel, Shem Tov crammed into a car full of people trying to flee, but the militants shot at them. His family later saw footage of Shem Tov held by militants and bound in the back of a truck. Tal Shoham, 40 Tal Shoham, from the northern Israeli village of Ma’ale Tzviya, was visiting his wife’s family on Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas militants burned the house where they were hiding, forcing them outside. Hamas hands over the first 2 of 6 Israeli hostages  Shoham, who also has Austrian citizenship, was taken along with his wife, Adi Shoham; his daughter, Yahel, 3; son, Naveh, 8; mother-in-law, Shoshan Haran; his wife’s aunt, Sharon Avigdori; and her daughter, Noam, 12. Three members of their extended family were killed during the attack. The six extended family members were freed in November 2023. His wife, Adi, is a psychologist specializing in trauma. The hostage forum said Shoham volunteered with Israel’s emergency paramedic service and used to be a manager at Kibbutz Be’eri’s printing house. Eliya Cohen, 27 Cohen was at the Nova musical festival when he was taken hostage while hiding in a bomb shelter. His fiancé, Ziv Abud, avoided capture by hiding under a pile of bodies. Cohen is from Tzur Hadassah, a town north of Jerusalem. He works in marketing and real estate. Hostages who have been released in the past weeks said they were held with Cohen, and he had lost more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) and had a bullet in his leg that did not receive medical attention. He was held in tunnels, chained for most of the time, and was unaware Abud had survived, she said earlier this month. Avera Mengistu, 38 Mengistu had been held in Gaza since entering on his own in 2014. Mengistu is from Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel. His family had no idea if he was alive for nine years, until Hamas released a video of him in January 2023. Mengistu, a member of Israel's Ethiopian minority, entered the territory by crossing a barbed wire fence into Gaza. After he crossed into the Gaza Strip, he was abducted by Hamas. The family told Israeli media he has struggled with mental health issues and he had gone missing within Israel previously. Hisham Al-Sayed, 36 Al-Sayed crossed on his own into Gaza in 2015 and had been held since. He grew up in Al-Sayed, a small Bedouin Arab village near the city of Hura in the Negev Desert. In 2022, Hamas published a video showing him lying in bed with an oxygen mask, though he was conscious. His father told Human Rights Watch that Al-Sayed had run away from home on many occasions. His family told Israeli media he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. “No other hostages should face a decade in captivity,” his family said in a statement shortly before Al-Sayed’s release. The Bibas family The bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas were returned Thursday and the remains of their mother, Shiri Bibas, were returned Friday. Hamas said the three were killed in an Israeli airstrike, while Israel says forensic testing showed the boys were killed in captivity in November 2023. Shiri’s husband, Yarden, was also abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and was released earlier this month. A video of the family’s abduction showed a terrified Shiri Bibas swaddling her two redheaded sons in a blanket as armed militants surrounded her. The footage ricocheted around the world in the hours after the attack. Ariel was 4 years old at the time and Kfir was 9 months old, making him the youngest captive taken by Hamas. Ariel Bibas loved Batman and family photos showed the four Bibases dressed as the character. Kfir, the infant with red hair and a toothless smile, became a symbol across Israel for the feelings of helplessness and anger over the hostages’ captivity. Oded Lifshitz, 84 The body of Oded Lifshitz, one of the oldest hostages held by the militants, was returned Thursday. He was taken captive from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was freed before the first ceasefire agreement. His family said in a statement they had “hoped and prayed so much for a different outcome.” “Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who has been missing from us since October 7,” they said. "Our family’s healing process will begin now and will not end until the last hostage is returned.” Hamas to release 6 Israeli hostages as Israel frees 600 Palestinians Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz are among the founders of Nir Oz. Oded, a journalist, campaigned for the recognition of Palestinian rights and peace between Arabs and Jews. In retirement, he drove to the Erez border crossing on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip once a week to ferry Palestinians to medical appointments in Israel as part of a group called On the Way to Recovery. Oded took pride in his work helping the traditionally nomadic Bedouin people of the Negev Desert, his daughter told The Associated Press, describing a case that went to Israel’s High Court and resulted in the return of some of their land. Sagui Dekel Chen, 36 An Israeli-American, Chen was working outside on his pet project, bus conversions, when militants stormed his kibbutz. He instructed his wife, Avital, to hide in the safe room with their two daughters. Chen, one of the first people to raise alarm of the infiltration on the kibbutz, was taken captive. Avital was seven months pregnant at the time of the attack; she gave birth to a third daughter, Shachar Mazal, in December 2023. Chen is an avid tennis player who co-founded an arts center for young people in southern Israel, according to the hostage forum. Iair Horn, 46 Horn is an Israel-Argentinian who was taken captive along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who was staying with him at the time. Eitan Horn remains in captivity and is not included in the ceasefire’s first phase. Iair Horn managed the kibbutz pub and is a fan of the local soccer team in Beersheba, according to the hostage forum. Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29 Sasha Trufanov, an Israeli-Russian, was taken hostage along with three members of his family: grandmother Irena Tati, mother Yelena (Lena) and girlfriend Sapir Cohen. His father, Vitaly Trufanov, was killed on Oct. 7, 2023. The rest of his family was freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Sasha Troufanov works as an engineer for Amazon, according to the hostage forum. His family immigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union 25 years ago. He was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza, which has released multiple videos of him in captivity, including one just hours before his release. Eli Sharabi, 52 Eli Sharabi was taken captive by the militants from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm that was one of the hardest hit in the Hamas attack. His British-born wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed by militants while hiding in their safe room. His brother, Yossi Sharabi, who lived next door, was killed in captivity. Hamas militants are holding his body, according to the hostage forum. Eli Sharabi’s home bore marks from the attack months later. AP journalists saw bullet holes in the walls and the shattered oven and TV screens. Nearby homes were torched by militants and their roofs blasted off during fighting on Oct. 7. Ohad Ben Ami, 56 Ohad Ben Ami, a father to three, was taken captive with his wife, Raz, from Kibbutz Beeri, where he was an accountant. Raz Ben Ami was released during the weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Trump living in Russian-made disinformation space: Ukraine's Zelenskyy The hostage forum described Ohad Ben Ami as a “passionate nature enthusiast” and the “cornerstone of his family.” Or Levy, 34 Or Levy was pulled out of a bomb shelter by militants near the Nova music festival in southern Israel. His wife, Einav Levy, was killed during the attack. Their son, Almog, now 3, has been in the care of relatives since the assault. Levy was taken captive alongside American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin as well as two other hostages — Eliya Cohen and Alon Ohel. Goldberg-Polin, whose parents staged a high-profile campaign for his release, was killed in Hamas captivity. Or Levy is from the city of Rishon Lezion, where he worked as a computer programmer for a startup. Keith Siegel, 65 Keith Siegel, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was abducted with his wife, Aviva Siegel, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a farming community heavily damaged by the attack. She was freed during the November 2023 ceasefire deal, and has campaigned across the world for the release of her husband and other hostages. Aviva Siegel said that she was held hostage with her husband during her 51 days in captivity. She said she took comfort from having her husband by her side as they were moved from tunnel to tunnel, the two given almost no food or water. Her parting words to him were, “Be strong for me.” Ofer Kalderon, 54 Ofer Kalderon, a French-Israeli hostage, was taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His teenage children, Sahar and Erez, were also abducted and freed during the weeklong ceasefire in 2023. Arbel Yehoud, 29 Arbel Yehoud was taken hostage with her boyfriend, Ariel Cunio, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. A third-generation resident of the kibbutz, she loves science and space, and her friends held a public star gazing to mark her birthday in captivity. Her brother, Dolev Yehoud, was killed on Oct. 7. Agam Berger, 20 In videos of Agam Berger’s abduction, her face is covered in blood, though it’s unclear if it is from her own wound or those of other soldiers. Berger is a violin player from a suburb of Tel Aviv who enlisted in the army just two months before the attack. Berger was released after other female soldiers taken from the Nahal Oz military base. Gadi Moses, 80 Gadi Moses was one of the oldest hostages who remained in captivity in Gaza. Pakistan plans to expel entire Afghan refugee population: Afghan Embassy He was taken from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest-hit in the Hamas-led attack. The hostage forum described Moses as an expert agronomist who lectured on agriculture and helped maintain the kibbutz’s vegetable garden. Moses’ partner, Efrat, was killed during the attack. Watchara Sriaoun, 33 In the Oct. 7 attack, militants overran the compound where agricultural workers lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz. Out of the 16 Thai workers living there, 11 were killed and five, including Watchara Sriaoun, were abducted. They were among at least 31 Thai workers taken in the assault. In the November 2023 ceasefire, 23 were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran. Sathian Suwannakham, 35 Sathian Suwannakham was also taken from Nir Oz. The kibbutz has continued to advocate for the release of the Thai workers by posting regularly about them on social media, in addition to the Israeli hostages. Surasak Rumnao, 32 Surasak Rumnao was abducted from the town of Yesha, located near the southern Gaza Strip. His mother, Khammee Lamnao, said the Thai Embassy in Israel called her to let her know her son would be released. Pongsak Thaenna, 36 Pongsak Thaenna was also taken from the town of Yesha. Thais make up the largest group of foreigners held in Gaza. In the early days after the Oct. 7 attack, then-Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in phone conversations to assist the Thai hostages. Bannawat Saethao, 27 Bannawat Saethao was also abducted from the town of Yesha. Liri Albag, 19 Liri Albag, who was among those abducted from the Nahal Oz military base, was featured in a video Hamas released in early January, filmed under duress. Her family said the video was “difficult to watch” because of Albag’s clear emotional distress. They were particularly active in the protest movement pushing for a deal with Hamas to bring the hostages home. Karina Ariev, 20 Karina Ariev was also taken from Nahal Oz. Just before she was abducted, she she sent a message to her family, saying: “If I don’t live, take care of mom and dad all their lives. Don’t give up, live,” according to Israeli media. Her family said she loves to cook, sing, dance and write poetry. Daniella Gilboa, 20 Also taken from Nahal Oz, Daniella Gilboa was originally named Danielle. Her parents changed it after she was taken captive, in line with a Jewish tradition that is believed to bring God’s protection. Gilboa, from Petah Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv, played piano and studied music in high school. She dreams of being a singer, according to Israeli media. Naama Levy, 20 The footage from Naama Levy’s abduction, in which she is wearing gray sweatpants covered in blood, was shown around the world. Levy, among those taken from Nahal Oz, is a triathlete. When she was younger, she participated in the “Hands of Peace” delegation, which brings together Americans, Israelis and Palestinians to work on coexistence. Romi Gonen, 24 Romi Gonen was taken from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. She spoke to her family for nearly five hours as militants marauded through the festival grounds. She told them that roads clogged with abandoned cars made escape impossible and that she would seek shelter in some bushes. Her father, Eitan Goren, said she survived in part by learning Arabic, as it was the only way to communicate with her captors. “I just enjoy being with her even in silence, touching, hugging, watching her,” he said, a week after her release. “I missed it so much.” Emily Damari, 28 Emily Damari is a British-Israeli citizen abducted from her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She lived in a small apartment in a neighborhood for young adults, the closest part of the kibbutz to Gaza. Militants broke through the border fence of the kibbutz and ransacked the neighborhood. The day after her release, Emily’s mother, Mandy, said her daughter was “in high spirits and on the road to recovery.” Doron Steinbrecher, 31 Doron Steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse who loves animals, and a neighbor to Damari in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Steinbrecher holds both Israeli and Romanian citizenship. Steinbrecher was featured in a video released by Hamas in January 2024, along with two female Israeli soldiers. Her brother said the video gave them hope that she was alive but sparked concern because she looked tired, weak and gaunt.

When Luis Har was kidnapped by Hamas-led militants on the warm morning of Oct. 7, 2023, he was forced into Gaza wearing shorts and a T-shirt. As his captivity stretched into weeks and then months, the cold, wet winter set in, bringing along with it a dread he had never endured before. “I felt a penetrating cold in my bones,” said Har, 71, who was rescued in mid-February in an Israeli military raid. With no heating in the apartment where he was held, the cold from the floor permeated his thin mattress at night. Fighting outside shattered the apartment windows, sending in rain and wind. While Har is spending this winter warm and free, dozens of hostages still in captivity are not. Their families and supporters are desperate for a ceasefire deal to bring an end to their 15-month-long nightmare. “Winter makes it much harder, much more complicated,” said Har. “They must return as quickly as possible.” The hostages often experience the same dire circumstances as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, whether it be food scarcity, the dangers from Israeli bombardments or the winter. The war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ attack, has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, many of whom are weathering a second winter in tents that are barely holding up against the wind, rain and temperatures that can drop below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. Israel and Hamas are considering a deal that would free some hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and a halt to the fighting in Gaza. But despite reports of progress, the families of hostages have been shattered by previous rounds of promising talks that have suddenly collapsed. They fear the same could happen now. “It is a dagger in our hearts,” said Ofri Bibas Levy, about the rollercoaster of hope and despair the families have lived throughout the war. Bibas Levy’s brother, Yarden Bibas, along with his wife Shiri and sons Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 1, are being held in Gaza. “Either it happens now or it doesn’t happen at all,” she told Israeli Army Radio. During its attack on southern Israel, Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250, more than 100 of whom were freed in a brief ceasefire in the early weeks of the war. Since then, Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between fighters and noncombatants in its count. Of the roughly 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, one third are said to be dead, some killed during Hamas’ initial attack and others killed or having died in captivity. Israel has rescued eight hostages and has recovered the bodies of dozens. Read: Hezbollah leader Nasrallah was killed last year inside the war operations room, aide says The hostages range in age from 1 to 86, and are believed to be scattered throughout the Gaza Strip. They have been held in apartments or in Hamas’ web of underground tunnels, which are cramped, damp and stifling, according to testimony from freed hostages. Many families have no idea what conditions their loved ones face, uncertainty that heightens their concern. “You see a rainy day, or a cold day or whatever is going on outside, a storm, and it kills you,” said Michael Levy, whose brother Or, 34, was captured from an outdoor music festival after his wife was killed by militants, leaving their now 3-year-old son, Almog, without his parents. Yehonatan Sabban, a spokesperson for the Hostages Families Forum, said the hostages are undernourished, with low fat reserves and weakened immune systems, making them more vulnerable to complications from illness in winter. “Everyone is in a life-threatening situation that demands their immediate release,” Sabban said. Har said the conditions of his captivity worsened during winter. For weeks, he had been held with four members of his family who had also been kidnapped — along with a Shih Tzu smuggled in by one of them. Three of them and the dog were freed in the first and only ceasefire agreement in late November. That left Har and his relative Fernando Marman alone with their captors in a second-floor apartment in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Har pled with his captors, who wore heavy coats, to bring them warmer clothes. They did — although they were ridden with holes. Every 10 days or so, they washed themselves with water from a bucket. A shattered window was sealed with a tarp. In the first few weeks of captivity, there was food. Ingredients were delivered and Har took on the role of chef. When there were tomatoes, he made tomato soup with some rice. With canned peas, he made pea soup. But as the war dragged on and the temperature dropped, food became scarce. They were delighted when a captor brought one egg for them to share. For weeks, he and Marman split a single pita a day. Read more: At least 30 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza on Friday When he was rescued in a nighttime operation in mid-February, he ran shoeless out of the apartment and into a nearby greenhouse. Soldiers gave him a pair of shoes and a coat and spirited him home. The raid killed about 70 Palestinians, according to local authorities. The families of the remaining hostages are pinning their hopes on the latest round of ceasefire talks. “All I have is to pray that he’s somehow OK,” Levy said of his brother’s fate, “and know that the human spirit is stronger than anything.”

The family of Joy Mahmud, Ordinary Seaman, who is among 23 crew members of a Bangladeshi cargo vessel, MV Abdullah – hijacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday (March 12, 2024) – is counting every moment in anxiety. Joy, hailing from Salinagar village in Bagatipara upazila of Natore district, informed of his fate to his cousin Maruf over the phone after the Somali pirates took them as hostages. Maruf said Joy asked him not to inform his parents about the incident but they came to know about it through public representatives and media. Ziaur Rahman and Abida Begum, Joy’s parents, have not slept since hearing about the captivity of their only son. They want the government and the ship authorities to take immediate action to rescue everyone on board, including their son. Prime accused, 4 cohorts arrested over terrorist Ramzan killing in Jashore Joy joined the ship as Ordinary Seaman on November 29 last year. Among the 23 crew members, 11 hailed from Chattogram alone, two are from Noakhali and one each from Natore, Naogaon, Feni, Faridpur, Lakshmipur, Barishal, Netrakona, Sirajganj, Tangail and Khulna. Earlier on Tuesday, the ship, carrying coal from Mozambique’s Maputo port to Al Hamriyah Port in the UAE, was attacked around noon. MV Abdullah is owned by SR Shipping Lines – a sister company of Chattogram-based Kabir Steel and Rerolling Mill (KSRM) Group. All crew members are being held hostage by the pirates, said KSRM’s media adviser Mizanul Islam. Muslims in 40 Chandpur villages start Ramadan fasting in accord with Saudi Arabia The crew members are: Captain Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Chief Officer Mohammad Atikullah Khan, Second Officer Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, Third Officer Tarequl Islam, Deck Cadet Sabbir Hossain, Chief Engineer ASM Saiduzzaman, Second Officer Toufiqul Islam, Third Engineer Rokon Uddin, Fourth Engineer Tanvir Ahmed, Engine Cadet Ayub Khan, electrician Ibrahim Khalil, seaman Md Anwarul Haque, seaman Md Asifur Rahman, seaman  Sazzad Hossain, seaman Joy Mahmud, seaman Nazmul Haque, seaman Ainul Haque, oiler Mohamamd Shamsuddin, Ali Hossain, fireman Mosharraf Hossain Shakil, chief cook Shafiqul Islam, general steward Nur Uddin, and fitter Saleh Ahmed. KSRM owns 23 ships – all operating on international routes. In 2010, one of the ships, ‘MV Zahan Moni’, was hijacked and was later released by Somali pirates after providing ransom.

A man took hostages Saturday during services at a Texas synagogue where he could be heard ranting in a livestream and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. At least four hostages were initially believed to be inside the synagogue, according to three law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The synagogue's rabbi was believed to be among the hostages, one of the officials said. One of the officials said the man claimed to be armed but authorities had not confirmed whether he is. The Colleyville Police Department said one hostage was released uninjured shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. The man was expected to be reunited with his family and did not require medical attention. Authorities are still trying to discern a precise motive for the attack. The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, the officials said. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas. READ: US religious group says Haitian gang releases 3 hostages The officials said investigators have not positively identified the man and cautioned that the information was based on a preliminary investigation as the situation was still rapidly developing. A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi believed to be held hostage in the synagogue to demand Siddiqui’s release, a law enforcement official said. The New York rabbi then called 911 . Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokesperson Katie Chaumont said. There have been no reported injuries, Chaumont said. “It’s an evolving situation, and we have a lot of law enforcement personnel on scene,” Chaumont said. The services were being livestreamed on the synagogue's Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the livestream, which didn't show what was happening inside the synagogue. Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, “You got to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut out. A Meta company spokesperson later confirmed that Facebook removed the video. Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the livestream, but Faizan Syed, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations in Dallas Fort-Worth Texas, told The Associated Press that Siddiqui’s brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved. Syed said CAIR’s support and prayers were with the people being held in the synagogue. Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched about an hour of the livestream before it cut out. She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb. “He was just all over the map. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he’d make more threats, like ‘I’m the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.’ And he’d laugh at that,” she said. “He was clearly in extreme distress.” Francis, who grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations. Colleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 15 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth. The synagogue is nestled among large houses in a leafy residential neighborhood that includes several churches, a middle and elementary school and a horse farm. Congregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. He has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBT people, into the congregation. Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. She described Saturday's events as “surreal.” “This is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. You know, it’s a small town and it’s a small congregation,” Eisen said. "No matter how it turns out it’s hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Saturday evening that President Joe Biden had been briefed and was receiving updates from senior officials. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was monitoring the situation closely. “We pray for the safety of the hostages and rescuers,” he wrote on Twitter. CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, condemned the attack Saturday. “This latest antisemitic attack at a house of worship is an unacceptable act of evil,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and we pray that law enforcement authorities are able to swiftly and safely free the hostages. No cause can justify or excuse this crime.” Siddiqui earned advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system. In the years since, Pakistan officials have expressed interest publicly in any sort of deal or swap that could result in her release from U.S. custody, and her case has continued to draw attention from supporters. In 2018, for instance, an Ohio man who prosecutors say planned to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held in an attempt to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison.