How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children

Special How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children
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Palestinian teacher Doha al-Attar, a mother of four from Rafah, runs a class for children in a school destroyed during Israeli strikes in Khan Yunis. (AFP)
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Updated 27 January 2025
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How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children

How war’s toll on schools is creating a bleak future for millions of children
  • War has kept 18 million children in Sudan and 658,000 in Gaza out of school for nearly two years, with no immediate hope of returning
  • School closures in conflict zones, experts warn, put children at greater risk of exploitation, abuse, and mental health challenges

LONDON: In wartime, the destruction of a school is more than collateral damage — it represents the theft of a child’s future. The past year has been especially bad in this regard, with one in three children in conflict zones or fragile states deprived of schooling.

With wars taking place in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere around the globe, the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, described 2024 as “one of the worst years” in its history for children in conflict.

“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history — both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said Catherine Russell, the agency’s executive director.

“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home — too often repeatedly — compared to a child living in places of peace.

“This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”

Nearly one in six children worldwide live in conflict zones, with more than 473 million enduring the highest levels of violence since the Second World War, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo.




Infographic courtesy of Save the Children

In contexts like Gaza and Sudan, where many educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed by fighting and where teachers have been forced to flee, learning and play have been replaced by trauma and loss.

In Gaza, at least 658,000 school-aged children remain out of classrooms for the second consecutive academic year, with around 96 percent of school buildings damaged or destroyed since October 2023, despite their protected status under international humanitarian law.

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which saw 1,200 killed and 250 taken hostage, triggered the devastating war in Gaza, which killed at least 47,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 percent of the population, according to Gazan officials.

Despite the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached earlier this month, a return to classrooms in Gaza remains a distant hope. UNICEF said in November that at least 87 percent of the enclave’s schools will require extensive reconstruction before they can reopen.




Palestinians inspect the debris after an Israeli strike near a UN-run school in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on October 21, 2023. (AFP)

Although Israel says it does not deliberately target civilian infrastructure, few educational institutions have been spared damage, including UN-run schools sheltering displaced civilians.

UN experts voiced concern last year over what they considered the systematic destruction of education in Gaza, not only through the crippling of schools and colleges but also the arrest and killing of teachers.

“It may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as scholasticide,” the UN experts said in a joint statement.

“These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society,” the statement added, lamenting that “when schools are destroyed, so too are hopes and dreams.”




People inspect the damage following an Israeli strike on the UNWRA-run Al-Majda Wasila school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on December 14, 2024. (AFP)

By September last year, at least 10,490 school and university students and more than 500 schoolteachers and university lecturers had been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Education.

In October alone, the UN documented at least 64 Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza, averaging almost two attacks per day.

“Schools should never be on the front lines of war, and children should never be indiscriminately attacked while seeking shelter,” UNICEF’s Russell said in early November.

“The horrors we are seeing in Gaza are setting a dark precedent for humanity, one where children are hit with bombs at record numbers while looking for safety inside classrooms. Trauma and loss have become their daily norm.”




A man inspects the damage at the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the Musa bin Nusayr School in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

The situation is equally dire in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has wrought havoc on civilians and critical infrastructure since April 2023, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 11.4 million, according to UN figures.

Attacks on schools, which Save the Children reports have increased fourfold since the conflict began, have forced most institutions to close, leaving more than 18 million of the country’s 22 million children without a formal education for more than a year.

Such attacks, Save the Children says, include airstrikes on schools, the abduction, torture, and killing of teachers, and sexual violence against students inside education facilities.

Other violations include armed groups occupying schools, using them to store weapons, and fighting battles on school grounds.




People fleeing violence in Sudan reside at the Hasahisa secondary school in Jazira state (AFP photo)

Adil Al-Mahi, MedGlobal’s Sudan country director, believes that even if the violence ends, a full return to normal education is unlikely in the near future.

“Cities controlled by the Rapid Support Forces are badly damaged, including education facilities in those areas,” Al-Mahi told Arab News.

By early 2024, the paramilitary RSF had seized most of the capital, Khartoum, and much of Al-Jazirah state, Sudan’s agricultural heartland.

INNUMBERS

25 million Children in 22 conflict-affected countries who are out of

103 million Children in 34 conflict-affected countries denied schooling in 2024.

(Source: Save the Children)

However, in January, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced they had advanced into Omdurman, Sudan’s second-largest city, located in Khartoum state, reclaiming some areas previously held by the RSF.

Schools in these areas have been “used by the RSF as warehouses for military equipment,” and therefore many have been targeted by the air force, Al-Mahi said. “Around 70 percent of the facilities might not be safe for children’s education.”




A teacher invigilates middle school students during their end-of-year exams in the northern Sudanese village of Usli on November 24, 2024. (AFP)

Aid agencies warned in May that Sudan is on the brink of the world’s worst education crisis. Displacement has compounded the already dire situation, even in areas where schooling remains relatively accessible.

With no formal camps for internally displaced persons, many families have sought refuge on school grounds, disrupting the education of local children, said Al-Mahi.

In the eastern coastal city of Port Sudan, for example, “some schools have reopened,” but they face significant challenges as “the schools themselves were used as shelters for IDPs arriving from the conflict area.”




Students walk at the beginning of the new the academic year in Sudan's Red Sea State, at Wahda School west of Port Sudan, on September 16, 2024. (AFP)

Al-Mahi said the situation has created tensions with local communities, who wanted to reclaim the spaces and reopen the schools.

A similar issue emerged in the River Nile state. However, according to Al-Mahi, “the problem was resolved to get the families out of the classrooms and have them in proper tents in the open areas within the school — the playgrounds — and then have the schools also operate.”

Nevertheless, facilities in these areas continue to struggle with overcrowding. “Most of the cities that received IDPs have seen their populations increase three or fourfold, making it very difficult to accommodate children, even if the school is no longer housing IDPs,” Al-Mahi said.




Aisha Yesufu, a leader of Nigeria's Bring Back Our Girls movement, delivers a speech on April 14, 2019, during the 5th Year Commemoration of the abduction of the 276 Chibok Schoolgirls by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014 in Chibok, Borno state. (AFP)

The disruption of formal learning in conflict zones has cast a shadow over children’s futures, leaving many with mental health issues and at an increased risk of child labor and child marriage.

“Education is lifesaving,” James Cox, Save the Children’s global education policy and advocacy lead, told Arab News.

“School protects children from things like child labor, early marriage and pregnancy, recruitment into armed forces, and helps build critical thinking, healthy social relationships, and mental wellbeing.

“Children being denied their right to education on any scale has significant implications for society as well as the individual children. Studies have shown that in low- and middle-income countries, the probability of conflict has almost tripled when the level of educational inequality doubled.”




A Rohingya refugee woman teaches language at a school in Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladeshon August 10, 2022. (AFP)

It also impacts economic prosperity. UNESCO estimates that by 2030, the annual global social costs of children who leave school early will reach $6.3 trillion — or 11 percent of global gross domestic product.

Cox also warned that “when children are prevented from attending school for a long period, learning is significantly impacted — and can often regress.”

He said: “The longer children are out of school, the greater the risk that they never return — and, without the right support, of dropping out for those who try to return.”

For school-age children in conflict zones, the mental health impact can be immense. Jeeda Al-Hakim, a specialist counseling psychologist at City University of London, described being out of school as “an emotional wound that goes beyond missed lessons.

“School offers much-needed stability, a sense of normalcy, and a safe space to form friendships and express themselves,” she told Arab News. “Without it, children are left isolated and burdened by uncertainty, often grappling with feelings of fear, loss, and despair.”




Children attend class at a makeshift school set up in a camp for internally displaced Syrians, in the village of Haranabush, Idlib province, on September 29, 2024. (AFP)

Many of those children “are thrust into adult responsibilities — caring for siblings or finding ways to survive — while their own emotional needs are sidelined,” she said.

“Premature adultification can lead to profound feelings of loneliness and anxiety, as children miss out on the freedom to simply be children.”

Stressing that “the emotional cost of these experiences cannot be understated,” Al-Hakim said: “While informal learning or community support can provide glimmers of hope, nothing replaces the emotional security and opportunities that come from a stable environment.

“To truly support these children, we must prioritize ending the conflicts that strip them of both their childhoods and their futures.”
 

 


Security Council condemns death of UN aid worker in Houthi detention

Security Council condemns death of UN aid worker in Houthi detention
Updated 8 sec ago
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Security Council condemns death of UN aid worker in Houthi detention

Security Council condemns death of UN aid worker in Houthi detention
  • Members say threats against humanitarian workers are unacceptable, call for unconditional release of all those detained in Yemen
  • Ahmed, an employee of the World Food Programme, died on Feb. 10; Houthis recently detained 6 aid workers in Saada governorate

NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned the death of Ahmed, a World Food Programme employee, who died in Houthi captivity on Feb. 10.

Council members also denounced the ongoing detention of UN staff, as well as workers from national and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups, and diplomatic missions.

They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees held by the Houthis and reiterated that threats against workers delivering humanitarian aid are unacceptable.

The detention of aid workers by the Houthis prompted the UN on Monday to temporarily suspend all operations and programs in Yemen’s Saada governorate, where six people were recently detained.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the decision was a response to the ongoing detention of UN staff by the Houthis, which has compromised the “necessary security conditions and guarantees” for the continuation of UN operations in the area.

It comes as the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with an estimated 19.5 million people in the war-ravaged country requiring humanitarian assistance and protection services, an increase of 1.3 million people compared with 2024.

During a Security Council meeting this week, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that 17.1 million people in Yemen, 49 percent of the population, suffer from food insecurity and nearly as many do not have access to enough water for their basic daily needs.

Council members expressed deep concern over the rapid and severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. They highlighted the critical need for humanitarian personnel, including UN staff, to be granted unimpeded access so that they can provide life-saving aid for civilians in need.

They also expressed alarm at the growing risks to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and called on the Houthis to uphold international humanitarian law by ensuring safe, rapid and unimpeded access for aid operations. They reaffirmed that all efforts must be made to guarantee that assistance reaches those who are most vulnerable.

The Security Council underscored the fact that in the absence of a political solution to the conflict in Yemen, the humanitarian crisis in the country will continue to worsen. Members reiterated their commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, and said they stand firm in support of the country’s people.

The council also renewed its support for the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and endorsed his ongoing efforts to help reach a negotiated, inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement. This process, they added, must be grounded in the agreed references and consistent with Security Council resolutions.


UN chief calls for end to flow of weapons into Sudan

UN chief calls for end to flow of weapons into Sudan
Updated 14 February 2025
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UN chief calls for end to flow of weapons into Sudan

UN chief calls for end to flow of weapons into Sudan
  • Antonio Guterres: ‘This flow is enabling the continuation of tremendous civilian destruction and bloodshed’
  • UN, along with national and international partners, will launch major humanitarian plans next week

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an end to the external flow of weapons into Sudan, which is “enabling the continuation of tremendous civilian destruction and bloodshed.”

He also called for the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers, and for unrestricted access to aid in areas of need.

“Let’s (be) clear about basic principles,” said Guterres. “Civilians, including humanitarian workers, must be protected.

“Rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access must be facilitated in all areas of need.

“The external support and flow of weapons must end. This flow is enabling the continuation of tremendous civilian destruction and bloodshed.”

Guterres was speaking in Addis Ababa at a high-level meeting on Sudan, where he emphasized that the country’s crisis, which has displaced millions and caused widespread suffering, requires an unprecedented response.

Next week the UN, along with national and international partners, will launch two major humanitarian plans to assist those affected by the conflict: the 2025 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, and the 2025 Sudan Refugee Response Plan.

They collectively aim to raise $6 billion to support an estimated 21 million people in Sudan and up to 5 million refugees in neighboring countries.

Guterres called for urgent international action to alleviate the deepening humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country.

“Now the international community must show the same level of support to the Sudanese people in their moment of despair as the Sudanese people once showed to their neighbors in distress. “Your pledges today, in this room, will be the expression of that support,” he told donors.

Having served as the UN high commissioner for refugees, Guterres shared his personal experiences of working in Sudan, where he witnessed the hospitality of Sudanese people toward internally displaced populations as well as refugees from countries such as Eritrea, Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

He also praised the efforts of countries hosting Sudanese refugees, noting that 3.3 million Sudanese have sought refuge in these nations despite their own challenges.

War has been raging for 19 months between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

A report by the Sudan Research Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine puts the number of deaths in Khartoum state alone at 61,000.

Of these, 26,000 were directly caused by violence, while the leading cause of death across Sudan was preventable disease and starvation.

The death toll is even higher in other parts of the country, particularly in Darfur, where reports of atrocities and ethnic cleansing have been widespread.

Aid workers have warned that the conflict in Sudan has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with thousands more at risk of famine.

The UN and other aid organizations have cited 20,000 confirmed deaths, but due to the ongoing fighting and disorder there has been no consistent tracking of casualties.

Last May, US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said some estimates suggested as many as 150,000 people may have been killed.

Guterres warned that Sudan’s crisis continues to be “of staggering scale and brutality” and is worsening by the day, with violence spilling over into neighboring regions and humanitarian access remaining a major obstacle.

The Sudanese people “are crying out for an immediate ceasefire” and protection from further harm, he said.

Guterres assured attendees that the UN special envoy for Sudan is actively engaged with the warring parties to implement measures that could help achieve these objectives, including through the full execution of the Jeddah Declaration, which was signed by the US, Saudi Arabia, and representatives of both warring sides on May 20, 2023.

It was intended to facilitate a week-long ceasefire and the distribution of humanitarian aid in Sudan, but a day after it came into effect, clashes erupted again.

With Ramadan fast approaching, Guterres appealed to the international community to take decisive action, invoking the holy month’s spirit of peace, compassion and solidarity.

He urged leaders to provide generous support to the humanitarian response, advocate for respect of international law, and push for an immediate cessation of hostilities to help bring peace to Sudan.

“We must do more — and do more now — to help the people of Sudan out of this nightmare,” he said.


Hariri returns to politics, backs PM Salam, calls for unity

Hariri returns to politics, backs PM Salam, calls for unity
Updated 14 February 2025
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Hariri returns to politics, backs PM Salam, calls for unity

Hariri returns to politics, backs PM Salam, calls for unity
  • This comes after a three-year suspension of his political engagement and that of his party
  • Hariri affirmed that the party, founded by his late father, “will continue, rooted in adherence to the Taif Constitution, state-building, reconstruction, and institutional development”

BEIRUT: Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Friday, the 20th anniversary of the assassination of his father Rafic Hariri, also a former PM, the “return of the Future Movement to political activity in all upcoming milestones and events.”
This comes after a three-year suspension of his political engagement and that of his party.
Hariri affirmed that the party, founded by his late father, “will continue, rooted in adherence to the Taif Constitution, state-building, reconstruction, and institutional development. We ask for nothing but a normal state where no weapons exist outside the authority of the state.”
Speaking before crowds that had gathered since the morning from Beirut, Bekaa, and the north, waving Lebanese flags in Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut and chanting his name, Hariri stated: “The supporters of Rafic Hariri remain here, and your voices will be heard in every upcoming national milestone. Everything comes in its own time.”
In what politicians have described as a “responsible, non-provocative, and unifying speech,” Hariri emphasized: “We now have a president, a government, and new hope, which was expressed in the inaugural speech and the statement of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. This is a golden opportunity, and our decision is to support it and reject any attempt to circumvent it.”
Addressing the residents of the south, Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs — who suffered the brunt of the Israeli war against Hezbollah — Hariri said: “You are partners in this opportunity, and without you, it cannot be realized. You must break the previous impression that you are a force of obstruction, domination, and arms. You are partners in building bridges with Arab brothers and in reconstruction. You are key partners in restoring the legitimacy of the state, which alone — through its army, security forces, and institutions — can protect all Lebanese citizens.”
Hariri added: “Demanding a normal state means a state where weapons are exclusively in the hands of the national army and legitimate security forces, where the economy is free, productive, and provides jobs and a dignified life for all Lebanese. It means a state where the judiciary is independent, laws are upheld, freedoms are protected, and justice is served for the martyrs, the wounded, and those affected by the Beirut port explosion.”
He praised citizens who opened their homes to those forced to flee their communities.
“From the south to the Bekaa, from Beirut to its southern suburbs, we honor all those we have lost. The same unity that carried us through conflict must now heal the unified Lebanese body and drive our reconstruction,” he said, calling for a coordinated effort to rebuild affected areas.
“We fully back the presidency and government in their efforts to build a functioning state,” Hariri said, emphasizing the importance of restoring Lebanon’s regional role and maintaining healthy relationships with both Arab nations and the international community.
Hariri expressed strong support for state institutions and the Lebanese army, particularly in their efforts to implement UN Resolution 1701 and ensure complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied villages.
“Twenty years ago, you demanded justice and, through your determination, removed Bashar Assad’s criminal regime from Lebanon. Now after 20 years, and before that, 30 years of sectarian rule, suffering, injustice, murder, imprisonment, torture, and brutality, the heroic Syrian people have risen and expelled this criminal from Syria. Perhaps this marks not just the beginning of justice, but its ultimate triumph.”
Hariri stressed: “We stand firmly with the Syrian people’s aspirations and their right to self-determination. Our vision is clear: a stable, rebuilt Syria engaging with Lebanon as an equal partner, where both nations’ sovereignty and independence are fully respected.”
Addressing regional issues, Hariri reaffirmed his commitment to Palestinian rights and the two-state solution.
He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approach saying that “the problem with Netanyahu is his evasion of responsibility and peace in favor of war.”
He warned against attempts to resolve the conflict at the expense of neighboring Arab states including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
President Joseph Aoun paid tribute to Rafic Hariri, calling him “a statesman par excellence.” He highlighted that “his political stance played a crucial role in strengthening national unity, safeguarding civil peace, and implementing the National Reconciliation Document endorsed by the Taif Conference.”
The ceremony, held near Hariri’s tomb, drew tens of thousands of Lebanese, including supporters of the Future Movement.
The event coincided with Israeli warplanes flying over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese and Iranian foreign ministries worked to facilitate the return of Lebanese passengers from Tehran after Lebanese authorities denied a plane from the Iranian capital permission to land at Beirut airport under Israeli pressure.
Youssef Rajji, Lebanon’s foreign minister, said on Friday that “the Lebanese and Iranian ministries are in communication through the Lebanese ambassador in Tehran to ensure the return of the Lebanese citizens to Beirut.”
On the same day, all roads leading to Beirut airport were reopened following the army’s intervention, ending hours of protests on Thursday night.
Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters had taken to the streets, setting tires ablaze in protest and accusing “the Lebanese state of yielding to Israeli and American demands.”
Avichai Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli army, posted a claim alleging that “the Quds Force and Hezbollah are using Beirut airport to smuggle funds intended for arming Hezbollah on civilian planes.”
Following a directive from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at Beirut airport informed Tehran airport that it would temporarily refrain from receiving the Iranian aircraft.
In a statement, the directorate explained that additional security measures would be implemented to ensure the safety of Beirut airport, Lebanese airspace, and passengers, in coordination with airport security authorities.
These measures align with international aviation standards, but their full implementation would require additional time for certain airlines to comply.
Consequently, flight schedules — including those from Iran — have been temporarily adjusted until Feb. 18.
A political source linked the incident to intelligence suggesting that the plane was carrying funds for Hezbollah, raising security concerns.
Given the airport’s heightened surveillance, authorities have taken precautionary measures to mitigate any potential risks.
Hezbollah, through its deputy Ibrahim Al-Moussawi, accused Israel of repeatedly violating Lebanese sovereignty with US complicity.
He urged the state to stand firm against Israeli threats, regardless of the circumstances.
On Jan. 3, an Iranian plane was searched after an Iranian diplomat on board refused to comply with security procedures.
However, the Iranian Embassy later clarified that the funds in the diplomat’s possession were intended for the embassy’s operational expenses.


Hostages freed from Gaza painfully piece together a changed world

Hostages freed from Gaza painfully piece together a changed world
Updated 14 February 2025
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Hostages freed from Gaza painfully piece together a changed world

Hostages freed from Gaza painfully piece together a changed world
  • Hostages freed as part of a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza are confronting a flood of information about loved ones and destroyed communities
  • Their families are grappling with how to fill them in on what they missed without potentially deepening their trauma

RAMAT GAN, Israel: After 484 days of captivity in Gaza, Keith Siegel had many questions. Was his 97-year-old mother still alive? Which of his neighbors was killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack? Why did it take so long to free him?
With minimal access to media, the dual American-Israeli citizen only learned months after he was captured that his son had survived the attack that launched the war in Gaza. He had heard that his family and others’ were advocating for hostages’ freedom. But beyond that, he knew very little about life outside his confines in Gaza.
“He really wanted to know everything as soon as possible, just to put all the question marks away and to know what happened,” said his daughter, Elan Siegel.
Hostages freed as part of a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza are confronting a flood of information about loved ones and destroyed communities, and are still figuring out their place in a changed world. Their families are grappling with how to fill them in on what they missed without potentially deepening their trauma.
Experts say it is important to be cautious.
“The information is definitely traumatic so you have to really be sensitive, careful and monitor the pace in which you expose the information,” said Einat Yehene, who heads the rehabilitation division at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Paraded by Hamas, then by shattered reality
For many freed captives, catching up has been excruciating.
Eli Sharabi, 52, had no exposure to media during his 16-month ordeal, according to his brother, Sharon Sharabi.
Forced to speak at a staged Hamas ceremony before his release, a gaunt Sharabi told a crowd of masked militants and journalists that he was looking forward to seeing his wife and two teenage daughters back in Israel.
Then he learned the crushing reality shortly after his arrival in Israel: all three had been killed at home during the Oct. 7 attack.
“Beyond the emotional burden and difficult experiences he faced in captivity, he had to bear this horrible loss on the first day that he left from there,” his brother told Israeli Army Radio.
Or Levy, 34, was dealt a similar blow upon being freed. That is when he learned that his wife, Einav, was killed on Oct. 7.
“For 491 days, he held onto hope that he would return to her,” his brother, Michael Levy, told reporters.
Levy was reunited with his young son, who hit key developmental milestones, like being potty trained, while his father was in captivity. “It took you a long time to come back,” the 3-year-old told his father, according to Israeli media.
Facing uncertainty even after being freed
The first person Keith Siegel asked about upon returning home was his mother, Gladys. When his wife’s eyes welled up, he immediately understood she had died, his daughter recounted.
Siegel picked up some information about his family while in captivity. Months into the war, he heard his daughter on the radio, speaking about how his son had survived Hamas’ attack. Other freed hostages have also reported hearing messages from their families through the news media.
Yarden Bibas, who was freed earlier this month, was told by his captors that his wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were dead. But he was also told they were spotted in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media.
Now that he is out, he still lacks clarity. They remain in Gaza, and the Israeli government has said it has “serious concern” for their lives.
A relentless need to know more
Beyond their personal lives, freed hostages are also taking in more than a year’s worth of world events: President Donald Trump is back in the White House; Israel and Iran engaged in their first direct attacks; Israel killed the longtime chief of the militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
Keith Siegel’s family is sharing information sparingly, as one might with a child. “You answer only what he asks and not more than that,” his daughter, Elan, said.
But the questions are relentless.
Siegel wanted to know what happened to his community of Kfar Aza. Was anyone watering the plants? Who was killed in Hamas’ attack?
“We asked him if he’s sure that he’s ready. And he said ‘yes,’ that he just wants to know. So I read him the list of 64 people” who were killed, his daughter said. She said his reaction to the news has been muted because “it’s almost like he forgot how to feel” while in captivity.
Siegel’s photo has been a mainstay at protests and on banners highlighting the plight of hostages, making him recognizable across Israel. Ahead of his release, dozens of Israelis posted videos of themselves on social media making his favorite pancake recipe.
Siegel’s wife, Aviva, who was freed from captivity in the early weeks of the war, prepared a book for him that includes notes from the important figures she had lobbied on his behalf — from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to former US President Joe Biden.
Siegel was especially befuddled by the revelation that world leaders knew about his captivity.
His daughter, Elan, recalled him saying: “If they knew, how can it be that I was there for so long?”


Israel says received names of 3 hostages to be freed Saturday

Israel says received names of 3 hostages to be freed Saturday
Updated 14 February 2025
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Israel says received names of 3 hostages to be freed Saturday

Israel says received names of 3 hostages to be freed Saturday
  • One of them is being held by Hamas’s militant ally Islamic Jihad
  • Israel had warned Hamas that it must free three living hostages this weekend or face a resumption of the war

JERUSALEM: Israel said Friday it had received the names of three hostages to be freed by militants this weekend, after a crisis in the ceasefire threatened to plunge Gaza back into war.
The hostages due for release Saturday are Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
One of them is being held by Hamas’s militant ally Islamic Jihad, which participated in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Israel had warned Hamas that it must free three living hostages this weekend or face a resumption of the war, after the group said it would pause releases over what it described as Israeli violations of the Gaza truce.
The January 19 ceasefire has been under massive strain since President Donald Trump proposed a US takeover of the territory, under which Gaza’s population of more than two million would be moved to Egypt or Jordan.
Arab countries have come together to reject the plan, and Saudi Arabia will on February 20 host the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for a summit on the issue.
The releases of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as agreed under the terms of the truce, have brought much-needed relief to families on both sides of the war, but the emaciated state of the Israeli captives freed last week sparked anger in Israel and beyond.
“The latest release operations reinforce the urgent need for ICRC access to those held hostage,” the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has facilitated the exchanges, said in a statement Friday.
“We remain very concerned about the conditions of the hostages.”
Following Hamas’s handover ceremony last week, during which the captives were forced to speak, the ICRC appealed for future handovers to be more private and dignified.
Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel, who was released in a previous exchange nearly two weeks ago, described mistreatment during his captivity in a video message.
“I am a survivor. I was held for 484 days in unimaginable conditions, every single day felt like it could be my last,” he said.
“I was starved and I was tortured, both physically and emotionally.”
Trump, whose proposal to take over Gaza and move its 2.4 million residents to Egypt or Jordan sparked global outcry, warned this week that “hell” would break loose if Hamas failed to release “all” remaining hostages by noon on Saturday.
Israel later insisted Hamas release “three living hostages” on Saturday.
“If those three are not released, if Hamas does not return our hostages, by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end,” said government spokesman David Mencer.
If fighting resumes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said it would not just lead to the “defeat of Hamas and the release of all the hostages,” but also “allow the realization of US President Trump’s vision for Gaza.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the ceasefire after attending the Munich Security Conference, where he will hold talks on Ukraine.
Katz last week ordered the Israeli army to prepare for “voluntary” departures from Gaza, and the military said it had already begun reinforcing its troops around the territory.
Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group said despite their public disputes, Israel and Hamas were still interested in maintaining the truce and have not “given up on anything yet.”
“They’re just playing power games,” she said.
Arab countries have put on a rare show of unity in their rejection of Trump’s proposal for Gaza.
After the Riyadh summit, the Arab League will convene in Cairo on February 27 to discuss the same issue.
Trump has threatened to cut off a vital aid lifeline to long-standing allies Jordan and Egypt should they refuse to come on board.
Jordan is already home to more than two million Palestinian refugees. More than half of the country’s population of 11 million is of Palestinian origin.
Egypt put forward its own proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza under a framework that would allow for the Palestinians to remain in the territory.
Palestinians in Gaza have also voiced opposition to the plan.
For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the “Nakba,” or catastrophe — the mass displacement of their ancestors during Israel’s creation in 1948.
“Who is Trump? Is he God almighty? The land of Jordan is for Jordanians, and the land of Egypt belongs to Egyptians,” said Gaza City resident Abu Mohamed Al-Husari.
“We are here, deeply rooted in Gaza — the resilient, besieged and unbreakable Gaza.”
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 73 remain in Gaza, including at least 35 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,239 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the UN considers reliable.