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Empty strollers in London call attention to child hostages in Gaza as families head to the UN
(JTA) — Empty strollers in London and Shabbat tables with empty seats in at least half a dozen cities represent the latest efforts to bring attention to the hundreds of Israelis held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7 through striking visuals in public spaces.
Hamas released two hostages, a mother and daughter who were American citizens, on Friday night. Since then, number known to be held hostage has risen, from 203 to 222. Dozens of the hostages are children, including several thought to be held alone after their families were murdered during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
On Sunday, two weeks after the attack, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with family members of 80 hostages, vowing to “do everything to bring your loved ones home.”
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, is flying with representatives of the families to New York City, where he is scheduled to speak at the United Nations on Tuesday. Among those traveling with him are Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, whose U.S.-born son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted from the site of the outdoor party where 260 people were killed.
Hundreds of Jerusalemites gathered outside the home of Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents to farewell them to the US on their journey to seek his freedom
Few dry eyes
pic.twitter.com/8jgBX8YN9P
— Ittay Flescher (@ittay78) October 23, 2023
The United States has reportedly urged Israel to refrain from a ground invasion in Gaza while negotiations, through a third party in Qatar, are underway to secure the release of additional hostages, particularly those with foreign passports.
Activists with the #BringThemHome movement — which aims to make sure the hostages are not forgotten as Israel strikes back against Hamas and leaders discuss humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza — have bought billboards in city centers and plastered public walls with “Kidnapped” posters showcasing the people known to be held hostage.
In New York City, where the posters tend to be removed quickly, often by pro-Palestinian activists, a kosher barbecue company covered its food truck with them before a festival on the Upper West Side Sunday. “Real estate billboards in New York City are a fortune,” Wandering ‘Que wrote on Instagram. “Today we are taking full advantage of every square foot we have.”
Less than a mile away on Sunday, as part of the advocacy efforts, Israeli singer David Broza played a free concert at B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue, which is collecting 201 pairs of used shoes to represent the hostages.
An empty Shabbat table for 200, with high chairs for the toddlers known to be held hostage, drew worldwide attention after it was set outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art on Friday. Similar tables appeared in Australia and Rome and were subsequently set in other locations, including Paris; Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill; and Los Angeles.
A Shabbat table for the Israeli hostages appears in Washington, D.C., Oct. 20, 2023. (Courtesy Scott Lasensky); a similar table, showcasing the names and faces of the hostages, appears in Paris, Oct. 22, 2023. (Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.