Hostage Deal

Israel was unprepared for 10,000 Palestinian security prisoners during war, report finds

Overcrowded prisons and the sudden release of senior Hamas figures during the Gaza war reportedly harmed Israeli security and delayed legal proceedings for October 7 attacks.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Protesters gather outside Sde Teiman detention facility after some of them broke in, after Israeli military police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, in southern Israel, July 29, 2024.
PEOPLE HOLD signs and Palestinian flags as they protest the arrest of former Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil and show support for Palestinians during a "Fight for Our Rights" demonstration at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, on March 15, 2025.

Seattle cultural festival applauds Palestinian terrorist speaker released in October 7 deal

Raed Abduljalil told participants of the Palestinian Cultural Resistance Festival, that their actions were "an essential part of the battle we are waging against the occupation and its supporters."

|ByMICHAEL STARR
Israa al-Jaabis (L), a 32-year-old Palestinian woman who detonated a small bomb on October 11, 2015 on the highway leading from the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem, arrives for her sentencing hearing at the District Court in Jerusalem on November 7, 2016.

Failed car bomber released in October 7 deal gave video speech at Berkeley classroom

Jaabis was released in November 2023 as part of a ransom for 26 hostages captured by Gazans during the October 7 Massacre, according to the BBC.

|ByMICHAEL STARR
Finance Minister and Head of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026.

Smotrich, Netanyahu quarrel over law banning release of senior terrorists during exchange deals

The absence of such a law places "every Israeli citizen, at home and abroad, under a real threat of abduction," argued Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

|ByAVI SOLOMON

Starved, blindfolded, beaten: Ex-hostage Rom Braslavski recalls torture in captivity

Braslavski's captors significantly worsened his situation in March 2025, after the second ceasefire deal concluded.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025ByDARCIE GRUNBLATT, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Released Israeli hostage, Rom Braslavski, during an interview for Channel 13.

IDF confirms that hostage remains returned last night belong to 'man of the land' Lior Rudaeff

"Lior was a man of the land, family, and community. A volunteer, a neighbor, and a true friend who was always there for everyone," Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak wrote in a statement.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sgt.-Maj. (Res.) Lior Rudaeff.

'Today you are finally home': Oz Daniel laid to rest after two years in Hamas captivity

Thousands of people, including family, friends, and military officials, gathered Thursday for Sergeant Major Oz Daniel's funeral. Attendees included President Herzog, MK Benny Gantz, Gal Hirsch.

NOVEMBER 7, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Family and friends attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Oz Daniel, at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba, February, 2024.

US convenes UNSC, submits resolution regarding Gaza force, Israel not informed beforehand, NSC says

The resolution, submitted by the US with the objective of establishing the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, has not yet been discussed in Israel.

NOVEMBER 5, 2025ByAMICHAI STEIN, AVI SOLOMON, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US Ambassador to United Nations Michael Waltz, September 23, 2025.

WATCH: IDF confirms death of Hamas terrorist who held six hostages

Zaid Zaki Abd al-Hadi was killed during a strike conducted on October 29, 2025, thanks to a joint operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet.

NOVEMBER 5, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

IDF denies it has information linking slain hostage Lt. Goldin to Rafah tunnel holding terrrorists

According to the report, this is the main reason why the IDF and Israel's leadership have refrained from striking that position.

NOVEMBER 5, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sec.-Lt. Hadar Goldin.

Hostage remains identified as Itay Chen, last Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza

Notably, this leaves Hadar Goldin as the last remaining murdered hostage who was taken during active IDF service.

NOVEMBER 4, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Staff-Sergeant Itay Chen.

From captivity to community: The heartfelt homecoming of Bar Kupershtein - opinion

Beyond the headlines: A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

NOVEMBER 3, 2025BySIVAN RAHAV MEIR
A rally in Bnei Brak celebrating the return of Kuperstein.

Sahar Baruch, Amiram Cooper laid to rest after over two years of war in Gaza

"You were at the beginning of your life, and the thought of you breaks our hearts into a million pieces," Sahar Baruch's aunt Rebecca Manor said.

NOVEMBER 2, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Mourners lay slain hostage Amiram Cooper to rest on November 2, 2025.

Remains returned to Israel by Hamas not of hostages, says Institute of Forensic Medicine

Hamas handed over the remains on Friday night to Red Cross intermediaries, but had not specified which remains it was returning.

OCTOBER 31, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Red Cross transports the remains of a deceased hostage, who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023, attack, after it was handed over by Hamas as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, October 27, 2025.