The Iran-backed Houthi insurgency in Yemen has abducted another nine United Nations employees, raising the total number of U.N. personnel detained by the group over the past four years to 53. The Houthis, known for their hostility toward Western nations and Israel, have not explained the latest round of kidnappings or revealed where the employees are being held.
Actress Jennifer Lawrence used a press conference at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Friday to accuse Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, while failing to acknowledge the brutal Hamas terror attacks of October 7, 2023, or the dozens of hostages still held in captivity.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard stirred controversy Tuesday during an interview on CNN International, where she sharply criticized the Israeli government’s handling of hostage negotiations. While affirming that Hamas must release all hostages, Callamard accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration of obstructing potential deals, saying that the war will not end while Israel “keeps playing games on the back of its own Israeli citizens.”
The Israeli Hostage and Missing Families Forum has sharply condemned the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for formally recognizing a Palestinian state while there are still Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The move, made by these Commonwealth nations as part of a broader diplomatic shift, comes amid intense criticism from those who argue recognition should be conditional on the safe return of all captives.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stark warning Wednesday, August 7, stressing that global attention on Gaza’s humanitarian situation is dangerously eclipsing the urgent need to rescue hostages held by Hamas.
On Tuesday’s PBS NewsHour, Matan Eshet, cousin of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, said Hamas is emboldened when the international community ignores the terrorist group’s theft and exploitation of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Grammy-nominated artist John Ondrasik, best known as the frontman of Five For Fighting, is calling for renewed global pressure on Hamas to release remaining Israeli hostages in the wake of U.S. military action targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
The Pakistani military confirmed Wednesday that 21 hostages were killed after separatist militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a train in the southwestern province of Balochistan. The BLA, claiming responsibility for the attack, asserted that it had killed 50 people.
FBI Director Kash Patel pledged to bring home American hostages during the State Department's U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag Raising Ceremony.
