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Netanyahu’s Office: List of Hostages Published by Media Submitted by Israel in July
Israelis protest against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
A list of 34 hostages to be released as part of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement that was published by foreign media on Monday was submitted by Jerusalem to mediators in July, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
“The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024,” the PMO said.
“As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list. Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages,” added the statement.
Israel’s Channel 12 News reported earlier Monday that Hamas had agreed in principle to the list but was refusing or unable to confirm whether the designated captives are alive.
Saudi daily al-Sharq had previously published what it claimed are the names on the list. An anonymous Hamas official told the outlet that it would take about a week to determine the condition of each captive, a process the terrorist group is reportedly insisting it will undertake only after a ceasefire is in effect.
The list’s publication had caused distress among the hostages’ families, according to Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“The families of the hostages are deeply shaken and distressed by the list published this morning,” the forum said. “We call on the media and the public to show sensitivity and responsibility in handling this information and any further developments that may emerge before and during any agreement negotiation,” the statement continued.
“The time has come for a comprehensive agreement that will bring back all hostages — we know more than half are still alive and need immediate rehabilitation, while those who were murdered must be returned for proper burial. We have no more time to waste.”
The Directorate of Abductees and Missing Persons, led by Gal Hirsch, issued a statement saying, “This morning, the Directorate of Abductees, Returnees, and Missing Persons in the Prime Minister’s Office updated the families of the abductees regarding the list reported in the media. This ‘humanitarian’ list, submitted by Israel to mediators several months ago, includes women, children, individuals over 50, as well as the sick and wounded.”
“Hamas has not provided any response regarding the status of the abductees on this list. Negotiations are ongoing, and we are making every effort to bring back all abductees, both living and deceased. The directorate urges the public and media to act responsibly by refraining from publishing names or rumors that could harm the families or the efforts to secure the abductees’ return.”
Mossad chief David Barnea was scheduled to arrive in Doha on Monday for continued ceasefire negotiations, foreign sources involved in the talks told Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster on Sunday night.
US Special Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and other top American officials were expected to join as well, according to Ynet.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned senior ministers for an “urgent security discussion,” according to Hebrew media reports.
The discussion included Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and came amid reported progress in the ceasefire negotiations.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich oppose the proposals being reported in recent weeks, and Netanyahu has emphasized that Israeli forces will return to fighting after any ceasefire deal until Jerusalem’s war goals are achieved.
According to Israeli estimates, there are 100 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 96 abducted during the terror group’s massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 251 people were taken.
Of those, 155 have been returned or rescued, and Hamas is believed to be holding 36 bodies, 34 of them taken on Oct. 7 and the remaining two being IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were kidnapped in 2014.
According to Ynet, Jerusalem is insisting on the release of several hostages before agreeing to a one-week ceasefire to allow Hamas to verify the status of 34 captives listed for potential release.
The main sticking point in the negotiations remains the number of live hostages to be freed. Israel has reportedly pushed for at least 24 hostages to be released in the deal’s initial phase, including injured male hostages under 50, as part of a humanitarian exchange.
Hamas, however, has rejected this demand, claiming it was not part of the original agreement. Instead, Hamas is demanding the release of additional high-profile terrorists or a larger number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the younger hostages.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism on Monday about the likelihood of a ceasefire agreement, though it might not materialize until after President Joe Biden’s term ends on Jan. 20.
Speaking to reporters in Seoul, Blinken stated, “If we don’t finalize it within the next two weeks, I’m confident it will be completed eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later. When it does, it will be based on the plan President Biden proposed.”
President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 31 reiterated his call for the Israelis in Gaza to be released before he takes office.
An interlocutor asked Trump about the captives, at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, noting that Trump had warned “there will be hell to pay” unless they are freed by the time he is sworn in.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump replied. “They better let the hostages come back soon.”
The post Netanyahu’s Office: List of Hostages Published by Media Submitted by Israel in July first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Newsom Calls Trump’s $1 Billion UCLA Settlement Offer Extortion, Says California Won’t Bow
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference, accompanied by members of the Texas Democratic legislators, at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, California, U.S., August 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Saturday that a $1 billion settlement offer by President Donald Trump’s administration for UCLA amounted to political extortion to which the state will not bow.
The University of California says it is reviewing a $1 billion settlement offer by the Trump administration for UCLA after the government froze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over pro-Palestinian protests.
UCLA, which is part of the University of California system, said this week the government froze $584 million in funding. Trump has threatened to cut federal funds for universities over anti-Israel student protests.
“Donald Trump has weaponized the DOJ (Department of Justice) to kneecap America’s #1 public university system — freezing medical & science funding until @UCLA pays his $1 billion ransom,” the office of Newsom, a Democrat, said in a post.
“California won’t bow to Trump’s disgusting political extortion,” it added.
“This isn’t about protecting Jewish students – it’s a billion-dollar political shakedown from the pay-to-play president.”
The government alleges universities, including UCLA, allowed antisemitism during the protests and in doing so violated Jewish and Israeli students’ civil rights. The White House had no immediate comment beyond the offer.
Experts have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the Republican president’s threats. The University of California says paying such a large settlement would “completely devastate” the institution.
Large demonstrations took place at UCLA last year. Last week, UCLA agreed to pay over $6 million to settle a lawsuit by some students and a professor who alleged antisemitism. It was also sued this year over a 2024 violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters.
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Trump Nominates State Dept Spokeswoman Bruce as US Deputy Representative to UN
FILE PHOTO: U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations.
Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January.
In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority.
During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory.
Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years.
She has also authored books like “Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda” that criticized liberals and left-leaning viewpoints.
In a post after Trump’s announcement, Bruce thanked him and suggested that the role was a “few weeks” away. Neither Trump nor Bruce mentioned an exact timeline in their online posts.
“Now I’m blessed that in the next few weeks my commitment to advancing America First leadership and values continues on the global stage in this new post,” Bruce wrote on X.
Trump has picked former White House national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his U.N. envoy. Waltz’s Senate confirmation for that role, wherein he will be Bruce’s boss, is still due.
Waltz was Trump’s national security adviser until he was ousted on May 1 after he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides on military strikes in Yemen. Trump then nominated Waltz as his U.N. ambassador.
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Iran Says IAEA Official to Visit for Talks, No Access to Nuclear Sites Planned
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
A senior official from the U.N. nuclear watchdog will fly to Iran for talks on Monday, but no visit to nuclear sites is planned, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
Since Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been unable to access Iran’s facilities, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31, which led the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, said it remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“Negotiations with the IAEA will be held tomorrow to determine a framework for cooperation,” Araghchi said on his Telegram account.
“A Deputy Director General of Grossi will come to Tehran tomorrow, while there are no plans to visit any nuclear sites until we reach a framework.”
Last month, Iran enacted a law passed by parliament suspending cooperation with the IAEA. The law stipulates that any future inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council.