hostage

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Israeli Hostage Details Sexual Assault by Hamas

Amit Soussana tells 'NYT' she was forced into sexual act at gunpoint, beaten, tortured

(Newser) - President Biden has condemned the sexual violence said to have been perpetrated by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and late last year, the New York Times provided a detailed account of the systemic use of sexual abuse the militant group is said to have carried out. Then,...

Freed Israeli Hostage Gives Raw Account of Her Captivity

Sharon Aloni Cunio says she and dozens of others were held in a Gaza hospital

(Newser) - An Israeli woman held captive by Hamas in Gaza for two months says she was kept in a small room of a hospital and visited by a nurse, who "went along with it." Sharon Aloni Cunio was released from captivity at the end of November along with her...

Woman Held Hostage by Hamas Recounts Constant Fear
Freed Hostage Describes Ordeal

Freed Hostage Describes Ordeal

Mia Schem, 21, says she wrestles with guilt over those still held by Hamas

(Newser) - An Israeli woman who recently returned from captivity in the Gaza Strip says she was groped by her Palestinian kidnapper and lived in constant fear throughout the weeks she was held hostage. Mia Schem, a 21-year-old dual citizen of Israel and France, was attending a music festival in southern Israel...

US Citizen on List of Hamas Hostages Is Dead

Gadi Haggai is now thought to have died on Oct. 7

(Newser) - A dual US-Israeli citizen who was believed to be among the hostages held by Hamas was actually killed on Oct. 7, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum said Friday. Gadi Haggai, 73, and his wife were reportedly taken during the Hamas attack; the two were said to be on...

4-Year-Old American Girl's Release Called a 'Miracle'

Family of Abigail Edan relieved but hope for safety of other Hamas hostages

(Newser) - Abigail Edan was 3 years old when Hamas militants seized her as a hostage. The American girl had a birthday in captivity and returns to a much different world as a 4-year-old upon her release over the weekend . The militants murdered both her parents, Roy and Smadar Edan, and she...

Israel: Body of 2nd Hostage Found Near Gaza Hospital

Israeli authorities say body of 19-year-old Noa Marciano was discovered

(Newser) - Israel Defense Forces troops in Gaza say they've found the body of yet another hostage taken during the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, reports the BBC . The Daily Beast identifies this hostage as 19-year-old Noa Marciano, whose body "was found and extracted by IDF troops adjacent...

In Hamburg Airport, 'the Hostage Situation Is Over'

Man holding his 4-year-old daughter hostage surrenders with no one injured

(Newser) - The hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended Sunday afternoon, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his 4-year-old daughter inside, authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed, reports the AP . Hamburg police tweeted that "...

Israeli Hostage Details Her Ordeal: 'I Went Through Hell'

Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, released with Nurit Cooper, says she was beaten with sticks during abduction

(Newser) - Two elderly Israeli women who were held for more than two weeks by Hamas after being abducted on Oct. 7 have been released , and one of them is speaking about her experience. Haaretz and the Times of Israel report that 79-year-old Nurit Cooper and 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, who were both...

Hamas Releases Video of Young Hostage

Mia Schem, 21, is seen in Gaza being treated for an arm injury

(Newser) - Hamas has released video of one of the nearly 200 people taken hostage in its attack on Israel, a 21-year-old woman named Mia Schem, reports the Jerusalem Post . In the clip posted on the Hamas Telegram channel, the French-Israeli national is seen being treated for an arm wound and says...

Report: 6 Soldiers Killed in Search for Captured Pilot

Indonesian military says troops were attacked by separatist rebels in Papua province

(Newser) - Separatist gunmen attacked Indonesian army troops who were deployed to rescue a New Zealand pilot taken hostage by the rebels in Papua province, leaving at least six dead and about 30 missing, officials said Sunday. Military reports seen by journalists said 21 soldiers fled into the jungle after an attack...

Kidnapped in 2016, US Aid Worker Is Freed

Jeff Woodke was held hostage in Niger by unknown group

(Newser) - An American aid worker who was kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger more than six years ago has been released from custody, the Biden administration said Monday. "I'm gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in...

Biden: US Prisoner Swap Required 'Difficult Decisions'

US frees Afghan drug lord in exchange for American Mark Frerichs

(Newser) - Update: The White House acknowledged and hailed the release of American hostage Mark Frerichs from Afghanistan on Monday. "Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly," said President Biden in a statement, per USA ...

Syria Issues First Statement on Austin Tice Since 2016

Country's foreign ministry denies 'it has kidnapped or is hiding any American'

(Newser) - On Tuesday, the New York Times reported on the apparent "revival" of a multinational effort to bring home US journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared a decade ago in Syria. On Wednesday, Syria made clear it's not part of that effort. In what CNN reports is its first statement...

On 10-Year Anniversary of Tice Abduction, a Message From Biden

President says 'we know with certainty' Syria has US journo, calls on Syria to 'help us bring him home'

(Newser) - Austin Tice was abducted in Syria 10 years ago this week, and no government or group has claimed responsibility or admitted to detaining him since. But on Wednesday, President Biden said "we know with certainty" that Syria has the 41-year-old US freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran in captivity,...

Biden Signs Order Meant to Deter Hostage Taking

Some families of detained Americans say it doesn't go far enough though

(Newser) - President Biden signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at increasing the flow of information to families of Americans detained abroad and at imposing sanctions on the criminals, terrorists, or government officials who hold them captive. It is unclear if the new order will result in bringing home more Americans jailed...

Cops: Woman Rescued After Adding Note to Grubhub Order
At This Eatery, a Grubhub
Order Stopped Workers Cold
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At This Eatery, a Grubhub Order Stopped Workers Cold

Cops say hostage was rescued after writing on her order: 'Please call the police'

(Newser) - Usually in the "additional instructions" field on Grubhub orders, customers specify food allergies or ask for extra condiments. Cops say for one New York City-area woman, that section on the app became a place to plead for help, and helped lead to her rescue. ABC7 reports that an order...

Cops: Kidnapped Woman Is Helped by Bank Employees

She asked for a 'help loan,' and police were soon on the scene in Pennsylvania

(Newser) - Police in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, say a woman being held against her will managed to signal to bank employees that she needed help—and those employees picked right up on the plea. As WNEP reports, police say Wilson Medina-Garcia began holding the woman captive in her home on Tuesday, threatening to...

ISIS Captive's Letter to Dad Leaves Courtroom in 'Tears'

Peter Kassig, killed in 2014, wrote that his last thought would be of the love of his parents

(Newser) - If Peter Kassig was true to his word, the only thought running through his mind as he was beheaded by Islamic State terrorists was how much his parents loved him. Ed Kassig, the father of the US aid worker who was taken hostage in Syria in 2013 and killed a...

Police: Apple Store Hostage Forced a Breakthrough

Amsterdam police say man fled, and the suspected gunman chased after him

(Newser) - Update: In the aftermath of a hostage situation at an Apple Store in Amsterdam, details are emerging about the alleged gunman and a man police are framing as a hero. The AP cites Police Chief Frank Paauw as describing the suspect as an armed 27-year-old who demanded he be paid...

Biden to Taliban: Release US Hostage

On 2nd anniversary of Mark Frerichs' kidnapping, president issues call for his release

(Newser) - President Biden on Sunday called for the release of US Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, reports the AP , who was taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Ill., was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul. He is believed to...

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