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‘The Israeli People are The Strongest People in The World’: Fauda Star Released from Hospital
Israeli actor Idan Amedi at a press conference Wednesday, Jan. 24, after being released from the hospital. Source: Twitter/X
Idan Amedi, an actor on the hit Israeli T.V. show “Fauda,” was released from the hospital on Thursday, more than two weeks after he was seriously injured in the Gaza Strip during battle against Hamas terrorists.
“I have a long recovery ahead of me, I was seriously injured. The very fact that I’m standing in front of you is a miracle,” the actor and acclaimed singer said at a press conference at the Sheba Hospital in central Israel. “A shrapnel that entered my body in the throat miraculously didn’t damage the spinal cord. My body and soul are indeed damaged, but my spirit is stronger than ever. I will return to create, to sing, I will return to play,” he said.
Amedi, who plays an elite soldier named Sagi in the critically acclaimed Israeli television series, was among the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who jumped to service on October 7, after Hamas terrorists stormed southern Israel, massacring 1,200 and taking hostage over 240. A reservist in the combat engineering corps, he was reported in serious condition on January 9 in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip.
At the time, his father said Amedi was stable but urged the public to pray from his son’s recovery. Well wishes for Amedi came from all sectors of Israeli society, including his co-star’s on the series.
Amedi had posted videos of his time in Gaza, telling his fans in a social media post “I am ready not to perform or sing a song for a year. We must not abandon the citizens of the south and the north. We will not stop fighting [until] the elimination of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.”
“The Israeli people are the strongest people in the world.” Israeli singer-songwriter and actor Idan Amedi, who was injured in #Gaza 17 days ago while heroically defending the people of #Israel, sends a powerful message as he is set to be released from the hospital. Am Yisrael… pic.twitter.com/wVwlYGjqjT
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) January 25, 2024
At the press conference on Thursday, the well-spirited Amedi added “My spirit is strong thanks to the people of Israel who wrapped me in love, this thing is not taken for granted. It will also take me time to contain the amount of love I received, thank you all.”
He also sent condolences to those who lost soldiers, “Sending a hug to the bereaved families, I know there are no words that will comfort the heart, it is important to me that you know that the sons and daughters are my heroes until the end of my days. In certain moments we allowed ourselves to cry together, they meant a lot.”
Amedi described the moment when he was injured, saying “It’s the kind of moment where you just think you want to live, there’s not much more. At the moment of the explosion, after I landed on the ground, the only thing was to signal that I was alive and that they would come and take care of me. You think about your home, your family… We were already at the end of the mission, and a few hours before we entered, another ammunition depot exploded there. I made sure where all the fighters were, and then quite by surprise the explosion happened.”
The cause of the explosion is not currently known, but two of his fellow soldiers died during the blast. In tears, he honored his fallen comrades “The late Major General Gabriel Blum and the late Major General Akiva Yasinski. Gavri was a professional fighter, inquisitive and strong person. I had the privilege of knowing him in the war and fighting alongside him. He was a beloved person. Akiva and I have known each other since the age of 19, we were accepted together into the patrol team, we were trained together, we fought together in many operations and in the various wars.”
Remorseful, he sought to take blame for their deaths, directing to their families and the fallen, saying “I’m sorry I didn’t live up to my mission as a commander to return them home safely, this pain will accompany me like a sign of Cain until my last day.”
Amedi gave remarks for the future, saying “We have a mission as a nation to remain united, not to fall apart. To prove to those who sacrificed their lives for us that their sacrifice was not in vain… Although I was seriously injured, my spirit is strong. I will return to sing and act, and with God’s help, I will return to fight for my country. The Israelis are the strongest in the world, when we are united we are invincible. It will take time but we will win this war, we have no other choice. Thank you all for coming, the nation of Israel lives.”
The post ‘The Israeli People are The Strongest People in The World’: Fauda Star Released from Hospital first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.