Tag: The Israel Hamas War

BBC Rolls Out New Guidelines: Criticise Israeli Government, Not Zionists
The BBC’s new antisemitism training course says people who “have no intention to offend Jewish people” should not “criticise Zionists”.

The training, rolled out to BBC staff last week and seen by Middle East Eye, says: “Antisemites frequently use the word ‘Zionist’ (or worse, ‘Zio’), when they are in fact referring to Jews, whether in Israel or elsewhere.

“Those claiming to be ‘anti-Zionist, not antisemitic’, should do so in the knowledge that many Jewish people consider themselves to be Zionists.”

The training adds: “If these individuals mean only to criticise the policies of the government of Israel, and have no intention to offend Jewish people, they should criticise ‘the Israeli government’, and not ‘Zionists’.”

The course was made by the BBC Academy in conjunction with the Jewish Staff Network, the Antisemitism Policy Trust and the Community Security Trust (CST).
The CST, which monitors antisemitic hate crimes and works with the government and police, has previously claimed that pro-Palestine marches in London were “disrupting the peace and the basic rights of Jews” and called for them to end.

The BBC training also incorporates the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which the British government has adopted but which legal experts have warned could lead to a “curtailment of debate”.

The definition says that claiming that the existence of the state of Israel is a “racist endeavour” is an illustration of potential antisemitism.

Its critics say it conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism, or with criticism of policies that led to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in modern-day Israel.
‘Against any form of discrimination’
Asked for comment, the BBC directed MEE to comments previously made by outgoing director general Tim Davie.

In an email to BBC staff on 4 December, Davie said that the “BBC is for everyone, and we are clear that everyone working here should feel they belong. As an organisation we stand united against any form of discrimination, prejudice, or intolerance”.

“In response to this, the BBC Academy has spent the last few months developing new anti-discrimination training. We’re starting with e-learning modules on antisemitism and Islamophobia, which we expect staff across the BBC to complete,” he added.

Davie said that the “module on antisemitism is available from today, while the Islamophobia module is just being finalised, to launch in February”.

Davie resigned last month amid a row over the broadcaster’s editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump on 6 January 2021 for the BBC’s Panorama show.

The public broadcaster has also been embroiled in several scandals over its coverage of Israel and Gaza.
MEE reported last month that the BBC’s online Middle East editor Raffi Berg said in 2020 that it was “wonderful” to be in a “circle of trust” with current and former Mossad agents while writing a book on the Israeli intelligence agency, and that the Mossad’s “fantastic operations” make him “tremendously proud”.

A study published in June by the Muslim Council of Britain-linked Centre for Media Monitoring (CFMM) claimed the BBC’s coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza is “systematically biased against Palestinians”, according to an analysis of over 35,000 pieces of content.

The study found that the BBC gives Israeli deaths 33 times more coverage than Palestinian ones, uses emotive terms four times as much for Israeli victims and applies “massacre” 18 times more to Israeli casualties than Palestinian ones.

The BBC pulled a documentary on children in Gaza, Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone, in February after it emerged that the boy who narrated the film, Abdullah al-Yazuri, was the son of a deputy minister in Gaza’s government.
This followed an intense campaign by pro-Israel groups and the Israeli embassy in London.

The BBC then came under fire in June for dropping a second film on Gaza, this one on doctors, after delaying its broadcast for months.

Officials at the broadcaster said that “broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC”.

The film was aired instead by Channel 4 and other news organisations.
December 17, 2025
Outgoing BBC Boss Tim Davie Rolls Out Anti-Discrimination Training Post-Resignation
The BBC has ordered staff to complete mandatory anti-Semitism training following a series of scandals at the broadcaster.

Tim Davie, the outgoing director-general, has told staff they have six months to complete the new course, which aims to end “any form of discrimination, prejudice, or intolerance” at the corporation.
It follows the publication by The Telegraph last month of an internal memo which revealed anti-Israel bias in the BBC’s news coverage, and prompted Mr Davie to resign.

The broadcaster has also been embroiled in controversy over a Gaza documentary, and its decision not to cut anti-Semitic chants from its coverage of rap act Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set.

The documentary, called Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, prominently featured the son of a Hamas official, whose identity was not disclosed to viewers at the time. The revelation later led to it being pulled from the airwaves.

Abdullah al-Yazouri, the documentary’s teenage narrator, was revealed to be the son of a Hamas official

A Palestinian boy called Zakaria poses alongside a Hamas fighter in the BBC documentary
Meanwhile, BBC staff did not cut away from chants of “death, death to the IDF” during Bob Vylan’s set, and were criticised for allowing the broadcast to go ahead despite knowing it was “high risk”.

In a company-wide memo about the new discrimination training, staff have now been told that “anti-Semitism has no place at the BBC” and that the module “provides a framework of understanding for staff to spot and call out anti-Semitism”.
Staff have been told that the module involves “real world examples” of how anti-Semitism can appear in society, with a warning that this “understandably may be upsetting for some colleagues”.

Another module on Islamophobia will be made available to staff from February, they were told.

Mr Davie said: “The BBC is for everyone, and we are clear that everyone working here should feel they belong…the BBC Academy has spent the last few months developing new anti-discrimination training.”

The memo revealed that BBC’s Arabic news service chose to “minimise Israeli suffering” in the war in Gaza so it could “paint Israel as the aggressor”.

It also found that BBC Arabic had given a platform to journalists who had made extreme anti-Semitic comments, including one contributor who was featured 217 times despite describing a Palestinian who killed four Israeli citizens as a “hero” in 2022.

The announcement of the training was welcomed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, whose president Phil Rosenberg said there was an “urgent need for change in both culture and content at the corporation”.

The BBC Academy course on anti-Semitism was made in conjunction with the Jewish Staff Network, the Anti-Semitism Policy Trust and the Community Security Trust (CST).

The Telegraph’s publication of the memo also led to the resignation of the broadcaster’s head of news, Deborah Turness.

Last year, Sir Michael Ellis, the former attorney general, told MPs that the BBC was “institutionally anti-Semitic”, and that its reporting of the Israel-Hamas war had contributed to attacks on British Jews.

In February, Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, wrote to Mr Davie to complain about BBC Arabic’s coverage, describing it as a “platform for terrorists” that was promoting “appalling anti-Semitism” to millions of viewers.

In his email, sent to staff on Thursday, Mr Davie added: “I know that everyone will be committed to the training, ensuring the BBC is a role model as an inclusive and tolerant workplace.”
December 4, 2025
Israel and Hamas Reach Agreement on Hostage Release, Marking Step Toward Peace
WASHINGTON – In a triumph of American diplomacy and unyielding resolve, President Donald Trump has brokered a historic breakthrough between Israel and Hamas, securing agreement on the first phase of a comprehensive peace plan that promises the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza and a long-overdue ceasefire in the war-torn enclave. Announced late Wednesday on Truth Social, the deal – hammered out in the sun-baked halls of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt – stands as a testament to Trump’s deal-making prowess, where previous administrations’ hand-wringing gave way to his bold 20-point blueprint for Middle East stability.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump declared in a midnight post, his words crackling with the optimism of a man who promised – and is delivering – peace through strength. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
The agreement, set for formal signing in Egypt on Thursday, October 9, 2025, envisions Hamas freeing the estimated 20 living hostages and the remains of over two dozen others – victims of the barbaric October 7, 2023, terror rampage that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and ignited a conflict that has claimed more than 66,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences, and pull back troops to a pre-agreed line, allowing a surge of humanitarian aid into the devastated strip – a move that pauses the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) operations in Gaza City while preserving Israel’s ironclad right to self-defense.
Some people are just waking up to this, and waiting to find out when a truce might come into effect. © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government faces a Thursday cabinet vote to ratify the accord, hailed it as “a great day for Israel” in a Telegram post, pledging to “convene the government tomorrow to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home.” “With the help of the Almighty, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors,” he added, crediting the IDF’s relentless pressure – not weak-kneed negotiations – for forcing Hamas to the table. Even as hardliners like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decry the plan as a “tragedy” echoing the failed Oslo Accords, broad swaths of Israel’s political spectrum, from centrist Yair Lapid to nationalist Avigdor Lieberman, have rallied behind it, with hostage families tearfully calling it a “historic turning point” after two years of agony.
Hamas, the Iran-backed terror outfit designated by the U.S. and EU, issued a rare nod to Trump in its Telegram statement, appreciating “the efforts of US President Donald Trump” alongside mediators Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for “ending the war on Gaza, ensuring the withdrawal of the occupation forces, allowing the entry of aid, and facilitating a prisoner exchange.” Yet, in a reminder of the group’s duplicitous nature, it vowed to “never relinquish our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” while urging guarantors to “compel the occupation government to fully implement its obligations.” Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed the pact covers “all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase,” with details forthcoming.
President Trump announced the agreement, the Israeli military reminded residents of the Gaza Strip in a statement in Arabic that Israeli troops continued to occupy the territory and that they were still fighting a war. © UGC/Reuters
From the White House, the drama unfolded like a scene from Trump’s reality-TV playbook. During a roundtable on Antifa threats – a nod to the domestic chaos sown by leftist radicals – Secretary of State Marco Rubio slipped the president a note: Deal imminent. “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’re going to need me pretty quickly,” Trump quipped to reporters, wrapping up early to greenlight his triumphant Truth Social blast. In a Fox News sit-down with Sean Hannity, Trump eyed Monday for the hostages’ return – “probably” including the deceased’s remains – and floated a trip to Egypt, Israel, and perhaps a Knesset address: “They want me to give a speech at the Knesset and I will definitely do that if they want me to.” “Gaza is going to be a peaceful, much safer place,” he assured, envisioning a “Council of Peace” – chaired by himself, with figures like Tony Blair aboard – to oversee reconstruction and a technocratic interim government, deradicalizing the strip and barring Hamas forever.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from Cairo huddles, were the on-the-ground architects, building on Trump’s October 3 ultimatum: Release hostages by Sunday or face annihilation. This isn’t the limp diplomacy of Joe Biden’s era, where endless talks yielded endless rockets; it’s Trump channeling Reagan’s “peace through strength,” pausing IDF strikes at his behest to create breathing room while keeping the hammer poised. The plan’s genius: Hamas disarms for amnesty, Gaza demilitarizes under a U.S.-led board, and the Palestinian Authority – reformed – paves a path to statehood, sans terror tunnels or Iranian puppets. “No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return,” the accord stipulates, a humane flourish amid the rubble.
In Tel Aviv, people chanted ‘Nobel prize to Trump’ after the ceasefire deal was confirmed by the US president. © AP
Skeptics like Arab Center’s Yousef Munayyer warn of fragility – thorny issues like full Hamas disarmament and governance loom large – but Trump’s track record, from Abraham Accords to North Korea summits, silences the naysayers. Netanyahu’s far-right allies, like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, threaten to bolt if Hamas survives, but the premier’s bipartisan buy-in and hostage families’ pleas – “After almost two years of unimaginable anguish, we stand at a historic turning point” – drown out the din. Even Tony Blair, tipped for the peace board, called it “bold and intelligent,” offering “the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering.”
Globally, reactions pour in like applause at a MAGA rally. Bipartisan U.S. leaders, from Rubio to hawks in Congress, hail the “fantastic day”; Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Turkey – key mediators – see a ripple toward broader Arab-Israeli normalization. On X, the buzz is electric: “Trump Secures Israel-Hamas Deal for Hostage Release and Gaza Ceasefire,” posts one aggregator, echoing the sentiment that this is “a great day for the world.”
The war’s toll – Houthi disruptions in the Red Sea, Israeli strikes on Lebanon, U.S. hits on Iran’s nukes – has scarred the region, but Trump’s vision resets the board: A terror-free Gaza as a launchpad for prosperity, not peril. As he eyes Walter Reed Thursday morning before jetting east, one truth endures: In the art of the deal, no one’s better than Donald J. Trump. If this holds, the Nobel whispers won’t be whispers for long.
October 8, 2025
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Israel Demanding End to Gaza War

TEL AVIV, Israel — Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets across the country on Sunday, August 17, 2025, demanding an immediate end to the war in Gaza and a deal to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas. The protests, which swept through Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and other cities, marked a significant escalation in public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government amid growing frustration over the ongoing conflict.
Organizers, including the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, claimed that over one million people participated in hundreds of demonstrations nationwide, though The NYBudgets could not independently verify these figures. Images and videos showed packed streets and squares, with protesters blocking highways, lighting bonfires, and gathering outside politicians’ homes and military headquarters. The Israeli police reported multiple arrests, stating on X, “Officers have arrested multiple individuals engaging in unlawful behavior and will continue to act wherever public safety or freedom of movement is at risk.” They emphasized that while “the right to lawful protest” is a cornerstone of democracy, actions like burning tires or endangering public safety are unlawful.
The Israel Police views the right to lawful protest as a fundamental cornerstone of democracy. Actions that violate the law, such as burning tires, blocking highways, or endangering public safety, are not considered lawful protest.

Officers have arrested multiple individuals… pic.twitter.com/rVWQP5tUqK
— Israel Police (@israelpolice) August 17, 2025
The protests reflect deep divisions over Netanyahu’s handling of the war, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists launched a deadly attack from Gaza, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages. Israel’s response—an aerial bombing campaign followed by a ground offensive—has resulted in 61,900 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza. A ceasefire in January 2025 led to a partial Israeli troop withdrawal, but the conflict persists, with 50 hostages still in Gaza, 30 of whom are believed to be dead.
Families of hostages and supporters hold photos of hostages during a demonstration calling for an hostages deal in Tel Aviv, Israel on Aug. 17, 2025. © Amir Levy/Getty Images
Netanyahu, addressing a government meeting on Sunday, defended his strategy, arguing that ending the war without defeating Hamas would embolden the group and jeopardize Israel’s security. “Those who are calling for an end to the war today without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas’s stance and pushing off the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of the October 7 will recur again and again,” he said. “Together, we have had great achievements against our enemies on all fronts. Together we will fight and with God’s help, together we will complete the victory and end the war.”
On August 8, Netanyahu announced a Security Cabinet-approved plan to retake Gaza City, disarm Hamas, and secure the release of all hostages. The five-point plan also seeks to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, restore Israeli security control, and establish a new civil administration independent of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures and hostage families. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on X, “This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to be trapped in the field without a goal, without defining the picture of the day after, in a useless occupation that no one understands where it is leading.”
Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod remains a hostage, expressed anguish over the government’s priorities, telling The Epoch Times, “We live between a terrorist organization that holds our children and a government that refuses to release them for political reasons.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich labeled the protests “a bad and harmful campaign that plays into Hamas’s hands, buries the hostages in the tunnels and attempts to get Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardize its security and future.”
People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war, the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 16, 2025. © Mahmoud Illean/AP
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing relatives of those still held, thanked the public for their support, posting on X, “Throughout the day, over one million people participated in hundreds of actions held across the country. The hostage families wish to tell the people of Israel: ‘Thank you! From here, we will only intensify our efforts. Stay with us until the last hostage is returned!’”
The planned Gaza City offensive, which will likely require mobilizing thousands of reservists, has yet to be scheduled, adding to public uncertainty. Critics argue that Netanyahu’s focus on military victory risks prolonging the war and delaying hostage releases, while supporters insist that neutralizing Hamas is essential for Israel’s long-term security. As tensions mount, the demonstrations underscore a nation grappling with the human and strategic costs of a conflict that shows no immediate end.
August 18, 2025
Hamas Releases Disturbing Video of Hostage Digging His Own Grave in Tunnel
Hamas-held hostage Evyatar David is filmed charting his meager food consumption and digging what he says he fears will be his own grave in a tunnel in Gaza, in a Hamas propaganda video that his family cleared for publication on August 2, 2025.
In a harrowing video released Friday by Hamas and approved for publication by his family the following day, Israeli hostage Evyatar David is seen pale, emaciated, and trembling, forced to dig what he fears may be his own grave inside a Gaza tunnel. The shocking footage, combined with desperate pleas from his family and mounting international pressure, has cast renewed urgency on stalled hostage negotiations and raised grave questions about the treatment of captives held by terror groups since the brutal October 7, 2023 massacre.
David, a young Israeli man abducted from the Nova music festival near Re’im during Hamas’s unprecedented assault on southern Israel, appears barely alive in the footage. His ribs protrude through his skin, his eyes are sunken, and his voice is frail. “This is the grave I think I’m going to be buried in,” he says at one point. “Time is running out. You are the only ones who can end this.”
His family, visibly distraught, released a statement on Saturday: “We are forced to witness our dear son and brother Evyatar being deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza — a living skeleton buried alive. Our son has only a few days left to live in his current condition.”
David’s footage paints a bleak portrait of conditions in Hamas captivity. In scenes inside a cramped tunnel — barely tall enough for him to stand — David is seen crossing off dates on a makeshift calendar etched into the wall, marking the sparse days when he received food. He describes eating only beans and lentils, sometimes going multiple days without a single meal. At one point, he is handed a small can. “This can is for two days. This whole can is for two days so that I don’t die,” he says with eerie composure.
His voice grows fainter as he states: “I haven’t eaten for a few days in a row. I am in very, very difficult conditions… You can see how thin I am.”
The family has called on President Donald Trump, the Israeli government, and the global community to intervene immediately:
“We are begging the government of Israel, the people of Israel, every nation of the world, and especially President Trump: You must do everything in your power, by any means necessary, to save Evyatar and the rest of the hostages.”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, sent by President Trump to handle hostage negotiations, addressed hundreds at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday after the release of the video. “We now need to bring all of them home. We are very close to ending the war,” he said. “No more piecemeal deals. That doesn’t work. And we’ve tried everything.”
Witkoff pledged that hostage recovery is the top priority of the Trump administration:
“This is the most important thing President Trump asked me to work on, and I will work on it until my last breath,” he said. “We will get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part.”
He also claimed that the U.S. believes all remaining hostages in Gaza are alive — a powerful message meant to assure families holding out hope.
Deliberate Starvation Campaign?
According to a Channel 12 report, a senior Israeli source confirmed that Hamas is not lacking food, but is intentionally starving the hostages. “We know from testimony of returned hostages and our own intelligence that the captors themselves are well-fed. This is deliberate. It’s psychological warfare.”
Evyatar’s family echoed this sentiment:
“Hamas is using our son as a living experiment in a disgusting hunger campaign. Our Evyatar is being starved for propaganda purposes. There is no limit to the pain the Hamas terror group causes the hostages and the residents of Gaza.”
A Nation in Mourning: “Second Holocaust” and Mass Protest
The chilling footage of David, alongside a similarly disturbing video of hostage Rom Braslavski, ignited anguish across Israel. Hundreds gathered in Hostages Square on Saturday, where families erected a barbed wire protest camp to symbolize their loved ones’ captivity.
“Our children are undergoing a Holocaust,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker. “Jews are becoming skin and bones because of political survival. If we don’t free them now, they won’t survive much longer.”
Anat Angrest, mother of a captive soldier, called the crisis a “complete failure” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“My father survived the Holocaust, and now his grandson is living through one — in color, on video. The 2025 Holocaust is being carried out by inaction.”
Hamas’s Narrative vs. Israel’s Defense
Hamas released the videos in conjunction with inflammatory statements blaming Israel for starvation in Gaza. The UN and several humanitarian agencies have expressed concern about hunger in the territory, while Israel has forcefully denied orchestrating any starvation campaign.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they have increased humanitarian corridors and implemented 10-hour ceasefires in various regions to allow aid distribution. Still, the Gaza Health Ministry — run by Hamas — claims over 60,000 deaths in the Strip, although this figure cannot be independently verified and includes both fighters and civilians.
Witkoff said Hamas has “expressed willingness to demilitarize,” although the group later issued a statement rejecting the idea:
“We will not disarm as long as the occupation exists,” Hamas declared, while also condemning U.S. efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces a fractured government, with far-right members calling for the complete razing of Gaza City and opposing any ceasefire-hostage deal. Critics allege the Prime Minister is delaying resolution for political gain.
In the midst of war, propaganda, and political calculations, Evyatar David’s haunted face, his trembling voice, and his forced shovel scraping the earth beneath him, have cut through the noise. His cry — and that of his family — now echoes across borders:
“This isn’t fiction. This is real.”
August 3, 2025
Israel says it’s pausing fighting in parts of Gaza to allow aid in
© DAWOUD ABU ALKAS/REUTERS
Tel aviv, Israel – Under mounting international pressure, Israel has implemented daily tactical pauses in military operations across select areas of Gaza, establishing designated “safe routes” to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. The move comes amid escalating reports of a horrific hunger crisis, described by the UN as reaching famine-like levels in parts of the enclave.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed daily pauses from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time in parts of Gaza City, Deir al‑Balah, and Al‑Mawasi. Secure corridors for aid convoys, operating from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., were also introduced, ensuring land-based deliveries can proceed with reduced risk. These measures were coordinated with the UN, WFP, UNICEF, and international aid organizations seeking immediate relief access.
Palestinians at a lentil soup distribution point in Gaza City. © Omar Al-Qattaa/Getty Images
Israel emphasized that while these pauses allow aid to flow, combat operations continue in other areas and it categorically denied accusations that it is using starvation as a weapon—labeling them propaganda.
According to the World Food Programme, over a third of Gaza’s population—some 700,000 people—are going days without food. Approximately 1.25 million face life-threatening hunger (IPC Phase 5). Nearly 100,000 women and children suffer from severe acute malnutrition and require urgent treatment. The Gaza Health Ministry records at least 133 deaths from malnutrition in July alone, including 87 children, as official aid remains insufficient. The WHO reports 21 children under age 5 have already died from starvation and malnutrition-related illnesses in 2025—and malnutrition centers lack supplies. UN staff in Gaza report that many humanitarian workers have fainted from hunger and exhaustion in the last 48 hours. Since May, aid convoys and distribution points—including those run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—have seen over 1,000 Palestinian deaths in chaotic, often violent crowding and shooting incidents.
© DAWOUD ABU ALKAS/REUTERS
©DAWOUD ABU ALKAS/REUTERS
Despite the new pauses, aid flow remains far below what’s needed:
UN agencies estimate Gaza requires at least 120 aid trucks daily—but only a fraction of that number is entering, leaving relief piles stuck at crossing points in Jordan and Egypt. Aid delivered so far includes limited air-drops, such as airdrops of flour, sugar, and canned foods, plus joint efforts by Jordan and the UAE. Still, those methods are widely criticized as inefficient and.
UN officials and humanitarian leaders described the situation as apocalyptic, warning that the humanitarian pauses are a start—but not a solution: full corridors and sustained access are urgently needed. Some international leaders, including India, have called for a permanent ceasefire and immediate access for relief convoys, branding current conditions a breach of international law. Israeli officials blame UN inefficiency and attribute starvation claims to Hamas propaganda, while maintaining the responsibility for food distribution rests with international agencies—not the IDF.
Hamas fighters are deployed in Rafah ahead of the planned release of two among six Israeli hostages set to be handed over to the Red Cross, Gaza Strip, on February 22, 2025. © AP/Jehad Alshrafi
From the UN’s perspective, this pause is a critical but insufficient step:
“Until we have that stability of assistance, this is going to be really difficult to control the situation on the ground,” WFP’s Ross Smith emphasized, warning that food assistance is currently the only lifeline for Gaza populations facing famine-like conditions.
Israel’s tactical pause in parts of Gaza marks a significant shift—but it’s being overshadowed by the scale of the crisis on the ground. With hunger spreading rapidly and thousands already dead, the measures fall far short of addressing Gaza’s catastrophic needs. Humanitarian leaders caution that only sustained, full access can save lives before famine crosses irreversible thresholds.
July 27, 2025
Hamas freed the last remaining American hostage held in Gaza
After nearly seven months in captivity, U.S.-Israeli dual national Edan Alexander was released from Hamas custody on Monday, marking the final release of a living American hostage held in Gaza. His freedom, brokered through a rare multi-party diplomatic channel led by former President Donald Trump, is being hailed in Washington as a major humanitarian victory—but has drawn sharply mixed reactions across the Israeli political spectrum.
The 20-year-old New Jersey native, who was serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when he was captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2024, cross-border assault, was handed over to Red Crescent representatives near the Rafah crossing and transferred to Israeli security officials before being flown to a hospital in central Israel. According to Israeli medical staff, Alexander is in “relatively good health” and is undergoing debriefing and physical evaluation.
Watching a video of Mr. Alexander’s release at the square in Tel Aviv. Unlike most other hostages, he was freed without a formal cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. (Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)
“Edan is finally coming home,” said his mother, Sigal Alexander, at a press briefing in Teaneck, New Jersey. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude—for every official who worked to bring him back, and for the people who prayed for our son.”
The deal was brokered over several months through behind-the-scenes negotiations involving Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. But it was the intervention of former President Trump—currently the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 election—that ultimately secured the breakthrough, according to senior officials briefed on the matter.
Trump reportedly used backchannel communications with Qatari leadership and Egyptian intelligence to pressure Hamas into releasing Alexander without further preconditions. He also offered undisclosed incentives involving future reconstruction aid and prisoner exchange flexibility.
“This is what leadership looks like,” Trump declared in a campaign rally in Michigan shortly after news of the release broke. “When I say I’ll bring our people home, I mean it.”
The Biden administration offered a more measured response. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the State Department was involved in parallel efforts but declined to comment on Trump’s role, stating only: “We are deeply relieved Edan Alexander is safe and reunited with his family. Every American life matters.”
While Alexander’s release was celebrated by his family and community, the method—and timing—of the agreement has sparked controversy in Israel, where the war against Hamas continues amid rising domestic tensions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a terse statement welcoming Alexander’s return, but sources close to his coalition expressed frustration over being “circumvented” in what they called an “external, unilateral diplomatic maneuver.”
Critics within the Israeli government worry that the release may come at a strategic cost—potentially emboldening Hamas by rewarding it with global legitimacy without a broader hostage deal for the remaining Israeli captives, living or deceased.
A gathering in Mr. Alexander’s hometown, Tenafly, N.J., on Monday. He grew up in New Jersey and moved to Israel after high school to join the military. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
“This is a dangerous precedent,” said Benny Gantz, opposition leader and former Defense Minister. “No release should occur without coordination with the Israeli government. Edan’s freedom is a blessing—but we must ask at what cost.”
As of today, Israel confirms 27 hostages remain unaccounted for in Gaza, most presumed dead. Several negotiations for broader exchanges have stalled amid Hamas’s demands for a full ceasefire and prisoner release, and Israel’s continued military campaign in southern Gaza.
The release also casts a spotlight on the shifting geopolitical dynamics of hostage diplomacy. Trump’s direct involvement in the negotiations—without official government authority—has raised questions about private diplomacy during an election cycle.
Some analysts view it as a Trump campaign maneuver designed to undercut President Biden’s foreign policy credentials.
“This is Trump’s Benghazi moment in reverse,” said Dr. Aaron David Miller, former State Department Middle East adviser. “He turned a hostage crisis into a campaign win—and Biden was caught flat-footed.”
Others warn it could open a dangerous path for foreign actors to use hostages as bargaining chips in American politics.
“When non-state actors see that political figures can negotiate independently of the government, it adds volatility to an already fragile equation,” said Ilan Goldenberg, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
Edan Alexander’s release may have closed one chapter in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but it opens others: How many more hostages remain? Can further releases be secured without political fragmentation? And will American politics now play an even bigger role in Middle East diplomacy?
For now, one family is whole again. But for Israel and the broader region, the questions—and the conflicts—persist.
May 13, 2025