Elderly Israel woman shakes hands with Hamas operative after being freed from hostage; Video viral
Gaza: In a recent development, the Palestinian group Hamas released two elderly Israeli hostages, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, late last evening. The release, facilitated through mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt, was attributed to "compelling humanitarian" reasons.
A video released by Hamas depicted the moment when the two hostages were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Notably, before departing, one of the released hostages extended her hand to a masked Hamas operative, exchanging a greeting of 'shalom'.
Following their release, Cooper and Lifshitz were airlifted to an Israeli hospital, where they are set to be reunited with their families on Tuesday. This development comes after Hamas had earlier released two American nationals, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan. Hamas announced its collaboration with Qatar and Egypt in efforts to release its "civilian" hostages, hinting at the possibility of further releases in the near future.
The recent hostage situation unfolded on October 7 when Hamas operatives stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in the capture of 222 hostages. The Israeli government emphasized the urgency of the situation, as many captives had medical conditions requiring immediate care, and some were elderly. Reports have emerged suggesting that Hamas might release an additional 50 hostages in the coming days.
Addressing the ongoing crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Monday that discussions about a Gaza ceasefire could only occur if Hamas releases all hostages captured from Israel during the October 7 attack. "We should have those hostages released, and then we can talk," President Biden affirmed during a White House event when questioned about supporting a potential "hostages-for-ceasefire" arrangement.
The October 7 attack resulted in a toll, with at least 1,400 people, primarily civilians, losing their lives, many on the first day of the raid. Subsequently, Israeli forces conducted relentless bombardments across the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of more than 5,000 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, in the ongoing conflict.
🇮🇱 govt:
— Propaganda and co (@propandco) October 23, 2023
“Hostages are being raped and tortured”
🇮🇱 hostage: salam shalom *shakes hand* pic.twitter.com/ApWv7P9LZN
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Fan tries to die by suicide over Nikhil Kumaraswamy's bypoll loss
Bengaluru: Channapatna JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who lost the byelection to C.P. Yogeshwar of Congress, on Sunday consoled a fan who reportedly attempted to end his life and requested him not to repeat such acts.
Manjunath, fondly called Abhi, had even penned a letter before taking the dangerous step. Nikhil, who called on Manjunath at the latter’s home in Kudloor in Channapatna, expressed shock and sadness over the incident.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy reassured Manjunath, expressing his support during the difficult time. He told him that he was deeply troubled to learn of this incident and emphasised that he would stand by him. Nikhil also promised to offer assistance in any way he could, including helping him secure employment opportunities in the future, as reported by the Deccan Herald.
He also reminded Manjunath of the importance of his children’s well-being, urging him to focus on their future. “Please, look at the faces of your growing children. Even I have a three-year-old son. The children are young, let us take care of their future also. I will arrange some job opportunities for you. I might not be an MLA but this is a challenge. I will get you employed,” he said.
Nikhil told media persons that he is extremely hurt more by Manjunath’s attempt to die than by his loss in the election. “At 7:30 a.m., we got a message that in Valetoopu, Manjunath had consumed poison yesterday. In Channapatna, our workers and leaders have built this party with zeal. Let the admiration be there in your hearts but if it crosses the line, your families get hurt and we get very pained by it,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.
Speaking of his byelection loss, Nikhil reiterated that the JD(S) had got its traditional votes, but that the votes of a particular community went against the party.
“Deve Gowda gave reservation to a community. We tried our last attempt to take that community into confidence. But they conveyed to us that they do not require us. In future, we will take other communities into confidence,” he remarked in a veiled reference to Muslims.
Nikhil lost the election by a margin of 25,413 votes to Congress candidate C.P. Yogeshwar.
