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IDF Soldier Held Captive by Hamas in Gaza Confirmed Dead
A woman reacts, as people gather in front of the UN Headquarters in Jerusalem demanding for action to be taken to return the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks, in Jerusalem, Nov. 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Cpl. Noa Marciano, from the city of Modi’in in central Israel, has died as a hostage of the Hamas terror group in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday.
Marciano was a member of the army’s combat intelligence arm and was kidnapped from her base in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel, during Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border assault across southern Israeli communities in which terrorists murdered over 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 240 others.
Hamas on Monday released a propaganda video of Marciano, 19, identifying herself and reciting the names of her parents and her hometown. The video then cut to images of her lying dead with a bloody head wound.
The Palestinian terror group said Marciano’s death was due to IDF military strikes in Hamas-ruled Gaza following the Oct. 7 atrocities. However, experts have said it appears more like she was bludgeoned to death, presumably by her captors.
“Our hearts go out to the Marciano family, whose daughter, Noa, was brutally kidnapped by the Hamas terror organization,” the IDF said in a statement. “Hamas continues to use psychological terror and behaves inhumanely, through videos and photos of hostages, as it has done in the past.”
The military added that it is “using all means, both intelligence and operational, to bring the hostages home.”
The IDF confirmed Marciano’s death based on intelligence, not the Hamas video, according Israel’s Channel 12 news.
Hamas has released other videos of hostages in recent weeks, showing them under duress attacking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and saying they have been treated well.
Netanyahu has pledged to bring all hostages home, saying that it is the top priority of the country and that no ceasefire in Gaza will happen until they are released.
Families of hostages have been protesting in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding that their loved ones be returned. Marciano’s mother, Adi Marciano, had traveled around the world to lobby for her release along with family members of the other captives held in Gaza, who include children and the elderly.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and families of hostages met with the head of the International Red Cross, which has been advocating for the well-being and release of the captives, in order to plead for their help. Hamas has forbidden the Red Cross from entering where the hostages are being kept and ensuring their safety.
Hamas has said it would release the hostages in exchange for Israel handing over all Palestinian prisoners sitting in Israeli jails. So far, Hamas has released only four hostages in two separate occasions.
Israel also announced last month that an IDF private, Pvt. Ori Megidish, held hostage by Hamas was liberated during ground operations in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group based in Gaza, released a hostage video last week of two Israelis being held in Gaza. The group said in a statement that it is willing to release the pair, Hanna Katzir, 77, and Yagil Yaakov, 12, both of Kibbutz Nir Oz, for “humanitarian reasons.”
The vast majority of the roughly 240 hostages in Gaza are believed to be in the hands of Hamas, but Islamic Jihad, a smaller and allied terrorist group in the Palestinian enclave, has said previously it held at least 30 captives.
The post IDF Soldier Held Captive by Hamas in Gaza Confirmed Dead first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Attacks US Base in Qatar With Missiles, Doha Says No Casualties
Traces are seen in the sky after Iran’s armed forces say they targeted The Al-Udeid base in a missile attack, as seen from Doha, Qatar, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Iran launched multiple missiles against the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar on Monday, retaliating for American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend.
In a post on X, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced the country had successfully intercepted Iranian missiles, noting there were no casualties, but condemned the strikes as “brazen aggression.”
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. We consider this a flagrant violation of sovereignty,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a statement.
“We reassured that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles,” he continued.
Shortly after the attack, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also released a statement confirming it had carried out the strike on Qatar.
“The base that was targeted in the attack by the powerful Iranian forces was far from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar,” the statement reads. “This action did not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar, and its noble people.”
The post Iran Attacks US Base in Qatar With Missiles, Doha Says No Casualties first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Daycare Run by Israel’s Oldest and Largest Food Charity Damaged in Iranian Missile Attack
Illustrative: Israeli soldiers work at an impact site following Iran’s missile strike on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, Israel, June 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A daycare center that is part of the oldest operating charity in Israel and the country’s largest food security non-governmental organization was among the sites damaged by the series of cluster bombs Iran launched at the Jewish state on Friday morning.
Colel Chabad’s daycare center in Be’er Sheva with hit with shrapnel that resulted in glass being scattered across the facility’s play areas and torn classroom walls, among other damage seen in photos shared on the daycare’s website. Colel Chabad said the building “suffered serious damage.” The daycare center was empty at the time and has been closed since the Iranian missile attacks began on June 13.
No one was injured in the missile strike. Surveillance camera footage shared by Colel Chabad show the exact moment the Iranian missile hit the daycare center.
Chabad is a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism that operates globally and is headquartered in New York City.
Colel Chabad was established in 1788 by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Rebbe of Chabad. The daycare is part of the Ohr Chaya and Larisa Blavatnik chain of daycares and is one of 18 early childhood centers for underprivileged families across Israel that is operated by Colel Chabad.
“In our 230-year history, we have faced many challenges. Through our faith in G‑d, we find the strength to continue. This daycare will be repaired and reopened as soon as it is safe to do so,” said Colel Chabad Director, Rabbi Sholom Duchman, according to Chabad.org. “This building will once again be filled with laughter, learning, and the strength it provides to families in Be’er Sheva. It is our sacred duty — and we will not falter.”
Leaders at Colel Chabad are working to secure a different site for the daycare in anticipation for when security conditions allow it to reopen, Chabad.org reported.
“To see it torn apart by an act of war is devastating,” said Leah Blau, who is the director of the damaged daycare center. “We thank G‑d that no one was injured, but our work must continue — rebuilding not just walls, but a sense of security for our children.”
Colel Chabad’s soup kitchens have been closed since the Israel-Iran war began on June 13 due to safety concerns, but it has expanded its meal delivery services, particularly for elderly residents. The organization has also distributed emergency relief cards, which act like debit cards, worth 4,000 shekels each ($1,100) to those impacted by the war to help them buy basic necessities such as clothing and food. Colel Chabad said some 3,000 families have been displaced in areas including Ramat Gan, Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, and Rishon Letzion.
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‘Not Appropriate’ for Scottish Band Accused of Hezbollah Support to Perform at Glastonbury, Says British PM
Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh and performing under the name of Mo Chara, walks outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted he does not think it would be “appropriate” for the Scottish hip hop trio Kneecap to perform at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival after one band member was charged for allegedly expressing support for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The Belfast-formed band is scheduled to perform on Saturday at the music festival, which takes place from June 25-29 at Worthy Farm in Pilton, located in Somerset, England.
In May, Kneecap member Liam O’Hanna – who goes by the stage name Mo Chara – was charged with a terrorism offense in the United Kingdom for displaying a flag in support of Lebanon-based Hezbollah during a concert in November 2024. During the same show, the 27-year-old also shouted “up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” allegedly expressing support for both UK-designated terrorist organizations in violation of the UK’s Terrorism Act of 2000.
Wearing a keffiyeh around his neck, O’Hanna appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month along with his band members. Together they urged supporters to watch their performance at Glastonbury and declared “free, free Palestine.” O’Hanna was released on unconditional bail until his next court hearing on Aug. 20. Kneecap claimed they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah.
When asked over the weekend by The Sun if he thought Kneecap should still perform at Glastonbury, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this. I won’t say too much, because there’s a court case on, but I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Kneecap responded to the prime minister’s remarks on Saturday in a social media post.
“You know what’s ‘not appropriate’ Keir?! Arming a f–king genocide,” they wrote, referring to Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Anti-Israel activists have falsely accused the Jewish state of perpetrating a genocide during its efforts to dismantle Hamas and rescue the hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group.
In its statement, Kneecap used an expletive against The Sun and expressed support for a group called Palestine Action, which describes itself on Instagram as a “direct action network dismantling British complicity in Israeli apartheid.” British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she will proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws after members of the group on Friday broke into a Royal Air Force base in central England, where they damaged and vandalized two planes used for refueling and transport.
On Saturday, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged the BBC not to air Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury. “The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda,” she wrote in a post on X. “One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. As a publicly funded platform the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.”
Several UK government leaders and Members of Parliament, Jewish organizations, and pro-Israel supporters in the entertainment industry have also urged Glastonbury organizers to remove Kneecap from the festival’s lineup of performers because of their anti-Israel comments at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in May, alleged support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and incitement of violence against British MPs. The controversy surrounding Kneecap during the last several months has resulted in a number of their concerts being cancelled by organizers.
A BBC spokesman said decisions about what it will and will not broadcast from Glastonbury “will be made in the lead up to the festival,” as cited by The Sun.
The post ‘Not Appropriate’ for Scottish Band Accused of Hezbollah Support to Perform at Glastonbury, Says British PM first appeared on Algemeiner.com.