Israel delays prisoner release after chaotic hostage handover

Israel delays prisoner release after chaotic hostage handover
Israelis celebrate the release of Agam Berger, held captive in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants, in Tel Aviv on Jan. 30, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 30 January 2025
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Israel delays prisoner release after chaotic hostage handover

Israel delays prisoner release after chaotic hostage handover
  • Arbel Yehud, 29, looked fearful and struggled to walk through a surging crowd as armed militants handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene
  • The mother of one of the Thais watched a livestream of the scene anxiously from her home in the northeastern Udon Thani province

CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Hamas handed over three Israelis and five Thai hostages in Gaza on Thursday, but Israel delayed the expected release of Palestinian prisoners after chaotic scenes at one of the handover points, where large crowds swarmed around the captives.
Arbel Yehud, 29, abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, looked fearful and struggled to walk through a surging crowd as armed militants handed her to the Red Cross in a tense scene in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Another Israeli hostage, Gadi Moses, 80, was also released along with five Thai nationals working on Israeli farms near Gaza when the militants burst through the border fence, the Israeli military said.
The mother of one of the Thais watched a livestream of the scene anxiously from her home in the northeastern Udon Thani province.
“Please, let my son walk out now, I want to see his face,” Wiwwaro Sriaoun, 53, said as the footage on her phone showed a vehicle moving slowly through the crowd.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the sight of their handover amid the swarming crowds was shocking and threatened death to anyone hurting hostages. He urged mediators to ensure the scene would not be repeated.
A total of 110 Palestinian prisoners were expected to be freed on Thursday as part of the phased agreement that halted fighting in the shattered coastal territory earlier this month. An Israeli official involved in the operation said buses carrying the detainees had been instructed to return to prisons in an apparent response to the chaotic handover.
Earlier, in Jabalia in northern Gaza, an Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, wearing an olive green uniform, was led through a narrow alley between heavily damaged buildings and over piles of rubble before being handed to the Red Cross.
“Our daughter is strong, faithful, and brave,” a statement from her family said. “Now Agam and our family can begin the healing process, but the recovery will not be complete until all the hostages return home.”
A video released by Netanyahu’s office showed a pale Berger crying and smiling while sitting on her mother’s lap.
Netanyahu has faced criticism in Israel for not having sealed a hostage deal earlier after the security failure that enabled the Oct. 7 Hamas assault.

HAMAS DEFIANCE
Hamas, which Israel has vowed to obliterate, still has a strong presence in Gaza despite heavy bombardment from the Middle East’s most advanced military over more than 15 months and the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Al-Sinwar.
“The killing of leaders only makes the people stronger and more stubborn,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said of Sinwar, filmed by an Israeli drone badly wounded throwing a piece of wood at the device in his final defiance of Israel.
The release in Khan Younis took place near the bombed ruins of Sinwar’s house.
The Palestinian prisoners, who include 30 minors and some convicted members of Palestinian groups responsible for deadly attacks that killed dozens of people in Israel, had been expected to be taken to the West Bank or Gaza later in the day.
Israelis gathered in what has become known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, cheering and crying as they watched the release on a giant screen. The hostages will be taken to hospital for treatment.
Some people cheered as US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at the square, in apparent gratitude for his role in securing the ceasefire deal. He shook hands with some people, including family members of hostages.
Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were abducted in the Hamas attack in Israel, the bloodiest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Israel’s military response has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and laid waste to the enclave of 2.3 million people, who face severe shortages of medicine, fuel and food.
Around half the hostages were released the following month during the only previous truce, and others have been recovered dead or alive during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans, most displaced repeatedly during the conflict, have returned to their neighborhoods in the north, where the fighting was most intense. Many have found their homes to be uninhabitable and basic goods in short supply.
Israel still lists 82 captives in Gaza, with around 30 declared dead in absentia.
In the course of the war triggered by the Hamas attack, Israel has killed other leaders of Hamas as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, striking major blows against Iran’s network of proxies in the Middle East. The fall of Iran-backed Syrian president Bashar Assad was also a boost for Israel.
Israeli forces have stepped up operations in another Palestinian territory, the West Bank, since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, saying they are targeting militants there.


Depleted Australia face uphill battle at Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan

Depleted Australia face uphill battle at Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan
Updated 2 min 39 sec ago
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Depleted Australia face uphill battle at Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan

Depleted Australia face uphill battle at Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan
  • Australia’s ‘Big Three’ pacemen are not participating in the tournament for injuries and personal reasons
  • The team will be playing opening match against rivals England on Saturday as they face each other in Lahore

SYDNEY: An Australia team struggling for confidence and missing the wealth of experience that has long been the backbone of their success face a daunting task to win a first Champions Trophy title since 2009.
The World Cup holders are without their “Big Three” pacemen — Pat Cummins (ankle), Josh Hazlewood (hip) and Mitchell Starc, who has opted out for personal reasons.
It is a giant hole to fill with the trio sharing 525 ODI wickets across a combined 308 games.
Add in the absence of all-rounders Mitchell Marsh (back) and Marcus Stoinis (retired), and half of their regular team is missing.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa is the only frontline bowler still standing for the tournament in Pakistan and Dubai.
The depleted side suffered a heavy 2-0 ODI series defeat last week in Sri Lanka, who failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, and have now gone four 50-over games without a win.
Their death bowling is looming as a major concern.
The seamers Australia have selected — Spencer Johnson, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis and all-rounder Aaron Hardie — have just 52 ODIs in total, for a sum of 56 wickets.
Ahead of their opening Champions Trophy match against old rivals England on Saturday in Lahore, chief selector George Bailey is adamant they have enough ammunition to do the job.
“We have a range of options to shape the playing XI within the tournament depending on the opposition and conditions we face,” he said.
Drawn in Group B, they also face South Africa and Afghanistan.
Johnson will likely fill Starc’s new-ball strike role, tasked with making the early breakthroughs that have become a hallmark of the veteran quick.
“It’s obviously something I’ve pictured in my mind, to come in and play a similar role to him (Starc),” Johnson said.
“Hopefully I can replicate some of the stuff he’s done.”
Australia have twice lifted the Champions Trophy, in 2006 and 2009, and Steve Smith has been tasked with replicating the feat with regular skipper Cummins missing.
Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis join him in a potentially explosive batting order.
But Marnus Labuschagne is badly out of form and Australia are still struggling to fill the shoes of David Warner at the top of the order.
Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short have so far been underwhelming, but one will be given another crack to open alongside Head.
Smith said the sobering Sri Lanka series was “another learning curve” while admitting Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc would “certainly be missed.”
“But it gives some guys an opportunity and I thought some of the guys who had an opportunity in the last two games (against Sri Lanka) bowled really nicely,” he said.
Despite his distinguished career Smith has never before played ODI cricket in Pakistan, and is unsure exactly what conditions they will encounter.
But he is confident the batters will rise to the occasion.
“The ball skids on probably a little bit more (in Pakistan),” he said. “So it’s potentially better for batting, but you’ve got to rock up and assess it and play to the conditions on the day.
“We’ve got a 15-man squad, quite a few batters in that squad we can choose from and we’ll pick whatever we feel is best for each scenario we face.”
 


Pakistan tells UN India using militant proxies amid surge in violence

Pakistan tells UN India using militant proxies amid surge in violence
Updated 11 min 16 sec ago
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Pakistan tells UN India using militant proxies amid surge in violence

Pakistan tells UN India using militant proxies amid surge in violence
  • Pakistani diplomat accused New Delhi of running a ‘global terrorism syndicate’ reaching North American shores
  • He says Indian administration is conducting ‘demographic engineering’ in the part of Kashmir under its control

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan accused India of employing militant groups as proxies to target Pakistan citizens and security forces at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, as it said New Delhi was conducting “demographic engineering” in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir under its control.
The statement by Pakistani diplomat Asif Khan came amid a surge in militant violence within Pakistan, particularly in the western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. These regions, bordering Afghanistan, have experienced increased attacks from groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and separatist factions like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Pakistan has frequently accused Afghanistan’s interim administration of sheltering these armed factions and facilitating their attacks, allegations that Kabul has consistently denied. However, the recent accusation against India was articulated by Khan during his right of reply, following remarks from an Indian delegate concerning Kashmir and militancy.
“We heard the Indian delegate raising the bogey of terrorism to divert attention and for diplomatic point-scoring,” the Pakistani diplomat said. “It is most ironic that India, which is committing the worst form of state terrorism in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, is portraying itself as the victim.”
“It is India which supports and finances terrorism against Pakistan by using its proxies such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Majeed Brigade and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA),” he added. “The country is insensitive to the tragic human dimension of terrorism.”
He accused India of insensitivity to the tragic human dimension of terrorism and described the country as running a “global terrorism syndicate,” saying it had gone from regional to global and even reached North American shores.
Addressing the Kashmir issue, Khan said India was undertaking demographic engineering since August 5, 2019, when it unilaterally revoked the region’s special constitutional status and decided to integrate it with the rest of the Indian union.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part since their independence.
 


German voters prepare to elect a new parliament. Here’s what to expect on and after election day

German voters prepare to elect a new parliament. Here’s what to expect on and after election day
Updated 14 min 29 sec ago
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German voters prepare to elect a new parliament. Here’s what to expect on and after election day

German voters prepare to elect a new parliament. Here’s what to expect on and after election day
  • Preelection polling shows a mainstream conservative bloc with about 30 percent support and the far-right Alternative for Germany with around 20 percent.
  • Germany is a leading member of NATO and the second-biggest weapons supplier to Ukraine

BERLIN: German voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament that will determine how the country is run for the next four years.
Europe’s biggest economy is the 27-nation European Union’s most populous nation and a leading member of NATO, as well as the second-biggest weapons supplier to Ukraine, after the United States, following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Germany’s next government will be central to Europe’s response to an assertive new US administration.
Here’s a look at what to expect for Sunday and beyond.
What happens on election day?
Polls are due to open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.. Germans can also vote by postal ballot, but their ballot must arrive by the time polling stations close on election day to be counted.
Exit polls will come and vote-counting will begin immediately after voting ends, and the general picture of the outcome should be clear very quickly. A final official result is expected early Monday.
Who are the contenders?
Four candidates are running to be Germany’s next leader: incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the center-left Social Democrats; Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union party; current Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, of the environmentalist Greens; and Alice Weidel, of the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
Preelection polls have put Merz’s Union bloc in the lead with support of about 30 percent, ahead of AfD, with around 20 percent. Scholz’s Social Democrats and Habeck’s Greens are further back.
Merz is favored to replace Scholz as chancellor, but it’s not yet clear what governing coalitions will be possible after the election. How easy it is to form a government may depend in part on how many parties are in the new parliament. Opinion polls show three parties hovering around the 5 percent of the vote needed to win seats.
All mainstream parties say they won’t work with AfD.
What’s up for grabs?
At least 59.2 million people in a country of 84 million are eligible to vote for the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament. It is the 630-member Bundestag that will elect the next chancellor, Germany’s equivalent of a prime minister.
There are 29 parties on the ballot, but it’s likely that between five and eight of them will get enough votes to win seats in parliament. In most cases, parties must win at least 5 percent of the vote to get a share of the seats.
What happens after polls close?
Germany’s electoral system rarely gives any party an absolute majority and opinion polls suggest that no party is anywhere near one this time. The country has no tradition of minority governments at national level, which means that two or more parties will most likely form a coalition.
There is no formal referee for the process of forming a new government, and no set time limit. Parties hold exploratory talks to determine who they have most common ground with, and one combination of parties then moves on to formal coalition talks.
Those negotiations typically produce a detailed coalition agreement setting out the new government’s plans. That will typically need approval at least from conventions of the parties involved. Some parties may choose to put it to a ballot of their entire membership.
Once that process is complete, the Bundestag can elect the new chancellor.
What’s at stake?
A strong German government would be important to Europe’s response to the new US administration and to turmoil in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Germany and neighboring France have traditionally been the motor of the EU, but both heavyweights have been consumed by domestic political instability in recent months.
This election is being held seven months earlier than originally planned because Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed in November as it argued about how to reinvigorate the economy, which has shrunk for the past two years. One of the new government’s most urgent tasks will be to find a coherent response to that problem.
Another challenge will be further reducing irregular migration, which has been a top issue in the campaign.
Merz has said he hopes to form a new government by mid-April if he wins. Scholz’s outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.


Kingdom’s civil aviation authority launches integrated digital platform, new brand identity

Kingdom’s civil aviation authority launches integrated digital platform, new brand identity
Updated 10 min 51 sec ago
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Kingdom’s civil aviation authority launches integrated digital platform, new brand identity

Kingdom’s civil aviation authority launches integrated digital platform, new brand identity
  • Aim is to improve operational efficiency, transparency and GACA’s regulatory role

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority has launched a new integrated digital platform and brand identity.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation’s changes, which includes an updated website, was announced at its headquarters in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The new platform, named Ajwaa, provides all civil aviation services, ensuring quick and efficient access for users and creates a fully digital environment for stakeholders, the SPA reported.

The aim is to improve operational efficiency, transparency, and GACA’s regulatory role, the report stated.
 

The event was attended by Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Arabia’s transport minister and chairman of GACA’s board, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, president of GACA, vice presidents, CEOs, and other officials.

Al-Duailej said the slogan for the Ajwaa platform is “Together for New Horizons.”


The geological wonders of Riyadh’s King Khalid Royal Reserve

The geological wonders of Riyadh’s King Khalid Royal Reserve
Updated 20 February 2025
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The geological wonders of Riyadh’s King Khalid Royal Reserve

The geological wonders of Riyadh’s King Khalid Royal Reserve
  • Rock formations hold geological records that reveal the environmental and climatic changes the region has experienced over time
  • Formerly known as the al-Thumamah Wildlife Park, the royal reserve is less than an hour's drive from Riyadh city center

RIYADH: The King Khalid Royal Reserve boasts rock formations shaped over thousands of years by natural erosion and fluctuating climatic conditions, sculpting its varied terrain into one of Saudi Arabia's most significant and captivating nature reserves.

Formerly known as the al-Thumamah Wildlife Park, the royal reserve located northeast of national capital is less than an hour's drive from the city center.

Among the main geological features in the reserve are the Al-Urumah mountains, known for their striking rock formations, including natural caves, rock columns, and stone bridges.

With the arrival of winter and cooler temperatures, the reserve becomes a perfect destination for ecotourism and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. (SPA)

Stretching over 700 kilometers, the dramatic landscape provides an ideal destination for photography and adventure enthusiasts, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Yet, these landscapes are not just an aesthetic marvel; within their layers, they hold a geological record that reveals the environmental and climatic changes the region has experienced over time.

With the arrival of winter and cooler temperatures, the reserve becomes a perfect destination for ecotourism and outdoor adventure enthusiasts.

Visitors can hike among towering rocks, enjoy picnics, cycle along scenic trails, stargaze on clear nights, and experience an exceptional environment for astronomical observation.

The preservation of these rock formations is crucial for protecting geological diversity and promoting environmental sustainability, while responsible practices contribute to the safeguarding of natural landmarks for future generations, SP said.