hostages

Three Israeli Hostages Released to Red Cross Team In a significant development amidst the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, three Israeli hostages have been handed over to a team from the Red Cross. This event comes as a flicker of hope in the protracted conflict between Israel and Gaza, which has seen its fair share of heart-wrenching stories and headlines that tug at our collective conscience. Picture this: families holding their breath, praying for the safety of their loved ones, while governments grapple…

The acting chief of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, recently expressed that any potential hostage-for-prisoners exchange deal with Israel hinges on the cessation of hostilities in the region. “A prisoner swap is off the table if the war continues,” Mr. Hayya articulated during a discussion on Al-Aqsa television. He reinforced the group's stance regarding the conditions necessary for the conflict's resolution. “If the aggression persists, why would Hamas, or any rational actor, relinquish a valuable bargaining chip while…

Left to right: Elia Toledano, Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman. Their remains were found on December 15, 2023. (Courtesy Photo) After months of denials, the Israeli military admits there’s a "high probability" that an airstrike they carried out led to the deaths of three Israeli captives in Gaza this past November. On Sunday, the military said they were unaware that the captives were in a tunnel in the Palestinian territory when the attack happened on November 10, 2023. The bodies of Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron…

Who negotiated the discharge of 4 hostages, together with Soumaïla Cissé and Sophie Pétronin, two weeks in the past in northern Mali? Among the many names circulating is the Mauritanian Moustapha Chafi, who for a very long time was the particular adviser to Burkinabé President Blaise Compaoré. Final Sunday, after 11 years of exile, Moustapha Chafi returned to his nation. On this event, he provides some confidentiality about his work as a…

A UN peacekeeping man was killed in northern Mali and one other severely injured after their automobile hit a roadside bomb on Thursday, the UN mission mentioned. The assault got here as officers within the capital Bamako protested in opposition to the federal government’s “selective launch” of overseas hostages in hostages.…

Last week, several Malian and international hostages were released in exchange for the release of several hundred prisoners. Among them are fighters involved in deadly attacks on the Malian army and two personalities considered leaders of the GSIM affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Sahel. For these releases, the discussions were bitter about certain names like Fawaz Ould Ahmed. Before he was arrested in 2016, this Mauretanian did a lot. Director of the al-Mourabitoune group, affiliated with Aqmi and founded by Mokhtar…

The release of the French hostage, Sophie Pétronin, put the spotlight on Westerners still being held in the Sahel. But next to them, there are also an unknown number of Malian and Sahelin hostages. Hostage participation of premises that are much less mentioned. This week, twenty people were kidnapped in the municipality of Farabougou, in the middle of the country. Nine of them were still selected this Sunday. These hostages, targeting anonymous Malians, are less talked about than Westerners or leading personalities such…

At least five Western hostages are still being held captive in the Sahel. Among them the Colombian Gloria Cecilia Argoti, with whom Sophie Pétronin spent most of her captivity, or the Australian Arthur Kenneth Elliot. Back in France, the former French hostage was able to provide news about the health of some other hostages.…

The recent release of hostages in Mali raises hopes that more hostages will be released. Several Malians and six Westerners are still in the hands of the jihadists in the Sahel. Among them is the Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Argoti, known as "Sister Gloria". The Colombian nun was abducted on February 7, 2017 in Karangasso, in the Sikasso region of southern Mali. She then appears in two videos, including one with French-Swiss Sophie Pétronin, who was released Thursday night. That was in September 2018. Since then, there is…

The release on Thursday night of the four hostages in Mali, Soumaïla Cissé, Sophie Pétronin and the two Italians, Nicola Chiacchio and father Pier Luigi Maccalli, came after long and difficult negotiations with a long uncertain outcome. A ransom would have been paid and many jihadists were released by the Malian authorities. A look back at what we know about the negotiations and the compensation required. with our correspondent in Bamako, On April 5, a few days after the kidnapping of Soumaïla Cissé, the then Prime…