Hostage

Former hostage condemns UN special rapporteur's silence on Hamas's October 7 sexual violence

"Your report speaks about violence against women. Why is there no mention of Hamas?" Gritzewsky demanded from the Special Rapporteur, Reem Alsalem.

Ilana Gritzewsky speaking at the United Nations Security Council, August 27, 2025.
Civil Commission’s chairwoman Dr. Cochava Elkayam-Levy (bottom), and Merav Israeli-Amarant, CEO. (Photos: Chen Schimmel)

Silenced no more: The Israeli women who documented Hamas's October 7 sexual crimes

Guy Gilboa-Dalal speaks to First Lady Michal Herzog on his experiences with sexual assault during Hamas captivity, June 18, 2026.

'I have a mission': Guy Gilboa-Dalal recounts sexual violence he experienced in Hamas captivity

Former Taliban commander Haji Najibullah, previously accused of kidnapping an American journalist, appears on charges related to murdering three US troops in Afghanistan in 2008 during a court hearing in New York, US, October 15, 2021 in this courtroom sketch.

US sentences former Taliban commander to 42 years in prison for terrorism, taking hostages


Bakersfield Chase Bank locked down as police respond to hostage situation

A man barricaded himself inside a Chase Bank in Bakersfield with hostages, making bomb threats. Police, SWAT, and federal teams are on scene working for a safe resolution.

Signage is displayed outside of a Chase Bank branch in Redondo Beach, California, on March 13, 2023.

Brother of murdered Hamas hostage criticizes PM advisor Yonatan Urich

Danino, who comes from the haredi education system, added that he is "not disconnected" from the issue of haredi enlistment.

 Ori Danino.

IDF confirms death of Hamas military chief following Gaza strike

Izz ad-Din al-Haddad was the highest-ranking military commander of Hamas and the last leader of the October 7 massacre remaining in the Gaza Strip.

A fire burns in a residential apartment after Israeli shelling, according to the Ministry of Health, in Gaza City May 15, 2026.

'You killed the people of Israel!' Former hostage calls on all Knesset members to resign

"I call on all Knesset members, everyone - just resign. Take responsibility and get out of our lives," Braslavski said.

Former hostage Rom Braslavski attends a press conference in the Knesset, calling for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7, May 11, 2026.

Finding meaning in dark times: A Viktor Frankl exhibition in Tel Aviv

A Tel Aviv exhibition brings Viktor Frankl’s ideas to life, exploring how meaning can be found even in times of crisis and suffering.

(L to R) Exhibition initiator-organizer Janet Belleli Goodvach, researcher Emma  Zucker, and graphic designer Lorien Tova Balofsky.

Op. Red Heart: Fallen soldier’s mother reveals son was killed in op. tied to Bibas rescue attempt

The disclosure came more than two years after the soldiers’ deaths and after Israel later learned that Shiri Bibas and her children had already been killed in captivity. 

 Pictures of Shiri Bibas and her children Kfir and Ariel, in Jerusalem, February 20, 2025

Police shoot suspect dead after six killed in Kyiv shooting where Russian-born man held hostages

A shooting in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district left six dead, including a hostage, after a Russian-born man opened fire on passersby before barricading himself in a supermarket, where police killed him.

A Rapid Operational Response Unit member stands by an armoured vehicle outisde a supermarket, where Ukrainian police killed a man who opened fire in a city district and barricaded himself into the supermarket on Saturday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, in Kyiv, April 18, 2026.

IDF kills Hamas terrorists involved in hostage-taking on October 7

Those killed include Ali Sami Mohammad Shakra, a Nukhba unit commander who took part in the kidnapping of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alon Ohel, Eliya Cohen, and Or Levy.

Hamas terrorist Mohammad Fuad Jaser Sayyid seen inside an underground tunnel in Gaza alongside Israeli hostage Avinatan Or in a photo released by the IDF on April 12, 2026.

US arrests Iranian family tied to 1979 Iran hostage crisis at US embassy

Seyed Eissa Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, the infamous spokeswoman for the Islamist militants who overran the US Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis.

Then-vice president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoumeh Ebtekar delivers a speech during the opening session of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, November 30, 2015.

Attack on Nigeria church leaves five dead, army rescues 31 civilians taken hostage

The army said the attack had taken place during an Easter church service in Ariko village in the Kachia local government Area. Troops were in pursuit of the attackers, it added.

Nigerian Army soldiers patrol near the scene after a deadly gunmen attack in Yelwata, Benue State, Nigeria, June 16, 2025.