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How the World Must Respond to the Murder of Six Israeli Hostages
Our hearts are shattered. The bodies of six Israeli and American hostages were found on Saturday — murdered by Hamas. These were our daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers — our hopes, our prayers. We held on to every shred of faith, every flicker of hope, believing they would come home alive. But instead, we face the horror of their loss.
This is not just a tragedy; it is a wound that cuts deep into the soul of every Jew, every person who still believes in humanity.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and their supporters do not merely want to destroy Israel — they openly celebrate our death. They revel in our pain. We are exhausted by a world that turns away while our people are hunted, by the endless battles against a militant terrorism that wishes to eradicate Israel and kill every last Jew. Yet, when we run on fumes of exhaustion, it is the hope and togetherness of Jews and allies that fuels us further — it is taking action and putting in effort for the sake of our families, friends, communities, and people, and the understanding that we are in a massive war for our existence.
We are still here, Am Israel Chai, clinging to hope — even as the Islamist terrorists murder us and dance on our graves.
America and Israel must do more — more to save the innocent, more to uproot this evil, more to call out the supporters of terror who dare to justify our suffering. This is not just a fight for Israel; it is a fight for all who believe in the sanctity of life, in the right to live without fear.
Those who said “All eyes on Rafah” should be forced to look there now. Rafah is where our people were tortured, where they were brutally murdered, their bodies hidden in tunnels built for terror.
Rafah is where the world’s silence screamed loudest, and hate overshadowed humanity.
The IDF fights on the frontlines of this war for our survival, risking everything to protect our people, our home, and our right to exist. Each fallen soldier, each wounded soul — they are our heroes, bearing the weight of a fight no one should have to carry alone.
The hostages are heroes, who do all they can to live, amidst horrendous terror, torture, sexual violence, starvation, and brutalization in captivity. These hostages managed to live, until they were executed by Hamas — which knew the IDF was near.
We cannot stand by. We must fight back in every way we can. Share the truth. Counter the lies. Stand against the sea of hatred that threatens to drown us all. Misinformation and disinformation are spread wildly. It is up to each of us to share true facts, to represent our people, to own our own narrative, and to fight against the revisionist erasure of our people and our plight.
We must fight for our rights, for our people, and for the future we are determined to protect. We fight because we must. Giving up means losing everything we hold dear.
The battles on Israel’s border, the battles in public spaces in major cities across the world, on college campuses, on social media, at the United Nations, and the political systems that are meant to represent and protect Jews, too — the battles are everywhere — and we are all part of this war.
Together, with unity and resilience, we will stand strong against terror. We will fight for peace — until our last breath. Am Israel Chai.
Yuval David is an Emmy and Multi-Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker, Journalist, and Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and advisor. A creative and compelling storyteller, on stage and screen, news and across social media, Yuval shares the narrative of Jewish activism and enduring hope. Follow him on Instagram and X.
The post How the World Must Respond to the Murder of Six Israeli Hostages 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.