RSS
Gadi Moses, Arbel Yehud and Agam Berger reportedly to be released Thursday, along with 5 Thai nationals
Ben Sales reports for JTA.
Hamas has reportedly informed Israel that it will free eight hostages on Thursday, including two Israeli women and an elderly Israeli man.
The Israeli hostages reportedly to be released are civilians Arbel Yehud, 29, and Gadi Moses, 80, as well as soldier Agam Berger, 20. In addition, Hamas will reportedly reportedly free five Thai citizens taken captive during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack whose names were not disclosed.
In exchange, Israel will release a larger number of Palestinian security prisoners.
Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday’s release—not initially required under the terms of the current ceasefire—to resolve a dispute over Yehud, who is being held by the terror group Islamic Jihad. Israel had expected her to be freed last Saturday. When she was not, the resulting disagreement threatened to derail the ceasefire.
Moses will be the first man, and the oldest hostage, released as part of the current ceasefire, which began on Jan. 19 and is slated to last at least six weeks. The grandfather of 12 was taken captive from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz. His partner Efrat Katz was later killed.
Hamas is expected to release three more hostages on Saturday. NBC reported recently that among that number could be American hostage Keith Siegel, 65, one of three American hostages thought to be alive. The others are Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander. Hamas is also holding the bodies of four other Americans.
Siegel is from North Carolina and was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7. Emily Damari, another captive from Kfar Aza who was freed at the beginning of the truce, reportedly asked Hamas to release Siegel instead of her, but the terror group rejected the request.
After Yehud is released, the only civilian women and children still in captivity will be Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. Hamas said in November 2023 that the three had been killed. Israel has not confirmed that allegation, but recently, an Israeli military spokesman said there were “grave concerns for their fate.”
In addition to the dozens of Israelis it is holding captive, Hamas is also holding eight Thai citizens hostage. Israeli media reported that five of them are expected to be released on Thursday.
The release will bring the total number of hostages still held in Gaza to 82. Of those, 18 more are expected to go free during the first phase of the hostage deal. Hamas has informed Israel that eight of those 18 hostages are dead, though it has not identified which ones.
The post Gadi Moses, Arbel Yehud and Agam Berger reportedly to be released Thursday, along with 5 Thai nationals appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
RSS
Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.