Hamas launches war on Israel

[Jimbuna]

Hamas says American-Israeli hostage will only be freed if ceasefire is implemented

The Hamas terrorist group said Saturday that it will only release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander if Israel implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Alexander, 21, is the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

A senior Hamas official told the Associated Press that long-delayed talks over the ceasefire’s second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days. Israel would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Hamas called it an "exceptional deal" aimed at getting the truce back on track, per the official, who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.

Hamas is also demanding the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, the official said.

Hamas on Friday agreed to release Alexander along with the bodies of four other hostages following a deal offered by mediators. He has now been held captive for 526 days as of Saturday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

It comes as talks are ongoing in Qatar to establish the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 1.

The office of Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, and the National Security Council said in a joint statement that "President Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price."

Witkoff and Eric Trager, National Security Council senior director for the Middle East and North Africa, presented a ‘bridge’ proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene his ministerial team on Saturday to receive a detailed report from negotiators and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas-...re-implemented

[mapuc]

Trump Orders Attacks on Militant Sites in Yemen and Issues a Warning to Iran
The air and naval strikes on targets controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi fighters were intended to open up international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/u...k-houthis.html

Markus

[Jimbuna]

US launches wave of air strikes on Yemen's Houthis

The US has launched a "decisive and powerful" wave of air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Donald Trump has said, citing the armed group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea as the reason.

"Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies," Trump wrote on his Truth social platform, adding that their "piracy, violence, and terrorism" had cost "billions of dollars" and put lives at risk.

The Houthi-run health ministry said at least 31 people were killed and 101 others were injured in the strikes.

The group - which began targeting shipping in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza - said its forces would respond to US strikes.

The Houthis reported a series of explosions on Saturday evening in Sanaa and in the northern province of Saada - the rebels' stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian-backed rebel group, which considers Israel its enemy, controls Sanaa and the north-west of Yemen, but it is not the country's internationally-recognised government.

Unverified images show plumes of black smoke over the area of Sanaa's airport - which includes a military facility.

In a statement, the Houthis blamed the US and the UK for "wicked" aggression targeting residential areas in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The UK did not participate in Saturday's US strikes against the Houthi targets but it did provide routine refuelling support for the US.

These attacks, Trump said, "will not be tolerated".

He added: "We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective."

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US government had "no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy".

"End support for Israeli genocide and terrorism," he posted on X on Sunday. "Stop killing of Yemeni people."

The Houthis have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c05mvr3j3yro

[Jimbuna]

British daughter of Gaza hostage says burying father 'incredibly meaningful'

A British-Israeli woman whose father died in captivity after being taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen on 7 October has said the return of his body last month has been "incredibly meaningful".

"Bringing back my dad and being able to bury him was one of the most profound things," Sharone Lifschitz said, after the family were finally able to hold a funeral for 83-year-old Oded Li********z.

Both her father and her mother were taken hostage from their home by Palestinian gunmen, but while her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was released in late October 2023, Oded was held for 503 days.

When his body was returned in February the Israeli government said he had been murdered in captivity over a year earlier.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Oded "was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization."

"It's not the outcome we were hoping for," Sharone told the BBC on Sunday.

"But it's a relief to know that he is not suffering. We were so worried about his well being and his suffering, and he suffered before he died, and he died in the most horrific circumstances possible."

Sharone spoke to BBC News at a memorial event at the JW3 Community Centre in London.

Hundreds of people came to pay their respects, including MPs, Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, the Chief Rabbi and other British-Israeli families whose relatives were murdered on 7 October or taken hostage.

Sharone said that "being able to say goodbye" showed how important it was that all families were reunited with their relatives, both those still alive and the bodies Hamas is still holding.

The first phase of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas ended on 1 March and saw Hamas release 25 living Israeli hostages and eight dead hostages that it had captured during its attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

In return, Israel released about 1,900 prisoners and detainees from Gaza.

Talks to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages have so far failed to reach an agreement.

"Receiving my father's remains back, and being able to say goodbye to him has really has been incredibly meaningful to me, more than I could ever imagine, to bring him back to us, away from such horrific events that he was part of in his last days," Sharone said.

"It's very hard to reconcile the fact we weren't there for him. But at least we know now that he is back with us. I hope he knows how much we love him.

"Experiencing what it is to close it, to know that my father is dead and buried, really brings to the fore how important it is to return everybody, the living and the dead hostages, so that all the families can bury their loved ones."

She said he had been held alive and injured in Gaza for a few weeks after he was captured but that "he didn't give up on his humanity."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrv2v4zg6o

[Exocet25fr]

Genocide is Growing...........!

Israel strikes Gaza, breaking ceasefire: Israeli warplanes launched a massive assault across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday morning, killing at least 404 people, including many children, and injuring numerous others.

Israeli attacks targeted various areas across the Gaza Strip, from north to south, including Jabalia, Beit Hanoon, Gaza City, Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. Areas that had been designated as safe humanitarian zones, including the al-Mawasi zones, were also attacked.

Israel violated the ceasefire numerous times from January 19 to March 17, killing at least 170 people in Gaza, averaging nearly three deaths a day. Gaza authorities have documented more than 350 violations by Israel, including military incursions, gunfire, air raids, intensified surveillance and the obstruction of aid. The latest attacks come during the second half of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

More than 60,000 killed, 112,000 wounded, On February 3, the Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, noting that thousands of Palestinians missing under the rubble were presumed dead.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/gaza-tracker

[Jimbuna]

Israel launches waves of strikes on Gaza with more than 400 reportedly killed

The Israeli military says it is carrying out "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting more than 400 Palestinians have been killed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was attacking what it called "terror targets" belonging to Hamas. The strikes are continuing and the IDF has issued fresh evacuation orders for many areas.

Mahmoud Abu Wafah, deputy interior minister in Gaza and the territory's highest-ranking Hamas security official, is among the dead. Three other senior officials were later reported killed.

This is the largest wave of air strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Talks to extend it have failed to reach an agreement.

Many people were having their pre-dawn meal, part of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when explosions started in Gaza, witnesses say.

They described a nightmarish situation, with fires and bodies everywhere, and wounded people desperate for treatment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz ordered the strikes on Tuesday morning, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

"This follows Hamas's repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators."

"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," it added.

Israel says Hamas is still holding 59 hostages - all but one who were taken on 7 October 2023. Twenty-four of the hostages are believed to still be alive.

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, warned Hamas to release all the hostages, stating "we will show no mercy on our enemies".

But a group representing hostages' families said the Israeli government "chose to give up the hostages".

The statement by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed shock and anger at what it called the "deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones".

The group later issued an emergency call for a protest in Jerusalem, saying the hostages were "in grave danger".

The Israeli air force attacked targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis in the early hours of Tuesday.

Ramez Alammarin, 25, told AFP news agency how he carried children to hospital south-east of Gaza City.

"They unleashed the fire of Hell again on Gaza," he said of Israel, adding that "bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the wounded cannot find any doctor to treat them".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vy3k4dpz0o

[Jimbuna]