Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration secured the release of the 47th unjustly detained American citizen since taking office 100 days ago.
Youras Ziankovich was released without a prisoner swap this week and brought to neighboring Lithuania by a team of American officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Chris Smith, CNN reported. Ziankovich was detained in Moscow in 2021 and brought to Minsk, Belarus, where he was accused of being involved in a planned United States-backed coup against Belarus’s dictator, Alexander Lukashenko.
“Thanks to<a href="https://x.com/POTUS" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> @POTUS</a>&#8216;s leadership, Belarus has released another wrongfully detained U.S. citizen,” Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1917610906944499821">tweeted</a>. “No president has done so much, so quickly, to keep Americans safe abroad.”
The 47 unjustly detained Americans were released from countries including Afghanistan, Russia, and Venezuela through high-level diplomatic efforts, according to Rubio.
“I knew this day would come. It took 1,480 days, but he survived and is on his way home to me and to America,” Ziankovich’s wife, Alena Dzenisavets, said, reported CNN. “I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Special Envoy Boehler and the SPEHA staff. I also want to express my appreciation to Rep. Morgan Luttrell and the nonprofits Global Reach and the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation for their help advocating for Youras.”
The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-administration-secures-release-of-american-citizen-wrongfully-detained-in-belarus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously negotiated</a> the release of two other Americans from Belarus, one who wishes to remain anonymous, and Anastasia Nuhfer.
“We have one American citizen, which is a huge win and a response to President Trump’s peace through strength agenda,” Smith said when the unnamed American was released in February. “The Belarusians are responding to this and we are going to keep working until we get all Americans out.”
The release comes after the Trump administration secured the freedom of two Americans from Russia who caught national media attention, including American <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-is-a-hero-marc-fogel-welcomed-at-white-house-after-release-from-russian-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">schoolteacher Marc Fogel</a> in February and Russian-American amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina in April.
Fogel, sentenced to 14 years in 2021 for possessing medical marijuana, was welcomed at the White House upon his return and called Trump “a hero.” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-administration-secures-release-american-ballet-dancer-wrongfully-detained-russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karelina was arrested</a> in 2024 while visiting her grandmother and sentenced to 12 years for treason after donating $51.80 to Razom, an American charity providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Donald Trump

Trump Admin Secures Release Of 47th Wrongfully Detained American Citizen Abroad

Hostages

Marco Rubio

Russia

As Israel marks its 77th Independence Day and President Donald Trump completes his first 100 days in office, my heart is somewhere else entirely: in the darkness of Gaza, where my son Bar remains in captivity — frail, frightened, and forgotten by far too many.
Bar Kupershtein is 23 years old. He was abducted by Hamas terrorists at 9:15 a.m. on October 7, 2023, from the Nova Music Festival. Just three hours earlier, at 6:30 a.m., Bar called to check in on his grandmother as sirens sounded across Israel. He assured her that he was ok and would soon be returning home. He never made it. Instead of running, Bar stayed and helped others flee the area. He provided medical aid to the wounded, organized the evacuation of thousands, and — despite opportunities to run for his life — chose to remain behind to save lives. Survivors have testified to his heroism.
<div id="attachment_913445" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913445" class="size-large wp-image-913445" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-1024x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Kupershtein family. Bar Kupershtein." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-10-42-AM-2184-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Kupershtein family.</div>
That decision, one rooted in bravery and selflessness, led to his capture.
This is who Bar is: a caregiver, a leader, a young man of tremendous character.
I myself was seriously injured in 2019 while volunteering as a medic, on my way to resuscitate a 4-year-old girl. A terrible car accident left me disabled and struggling to speak. This is where Bar really stepped up. He moved in with his grandparents to make space for my caregiver and began working at the festival to help support our family, including his four siblings. He became the pillar of our family.
Now, that pillar is crumbling in an underground tunnel beneath Gaza.
In a recently released video by Hamas, used as psychological propaganda, Bar appears gaunt, drastically thinner, his eyes hollow, and his body weak. He did not speak, we did not hear his voice. He looks like a different person — one shaped not by time, but by torment.
Our entire family is struggling to maintain hope. I am learning to speak again so I can be Bar’s voice, calling out from the silence of the tunnels. My father, Bar’s grandfather, is a Holocaust survivor — he has suffered two strokes since Bar’s abduction. My mother is battling bowel cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. The pain has seeped into every corner of our home and yet nothing is as severe as painful as longing for Bar’s release.
<div id="attachment_913447" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-913447" class="size-large wp-image-913447" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-1024x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Kupershtein family. Tal Kupershtein speaks at a rally on behalf of his son, Bar." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-29-Apr-2025-09-44-AM-9910-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Kupershtein family.</div>
President Trump, your first 100 days have shown boldness and decisiveness on many fronts. You have demonstrated strength and urgency during this period. I implore you now to bring that same resolve to this urgent humanitarian crisis. The United States has long prided itself as a beacon of moral leadership. You have the power to rally the international community. You have the influence to pressure Hamas. You have the ability to make a deal happen. Please use it.
Now I ask you — beg you — to apply that same determination to the ongoing hostage crisis. Use your influence to rally international partners. Press every available lever. Show the world that America stands for life, for freedom, and for human dignity.
To the global community: do not let these hostages fade from view. Their suffering continues every day as negotiations stall and the world grows quieter. Bar and the 58 others held in Gaza are not just numbers — they are our children, our parents, our friends, and loved ones.
If your child were held underground in darkness, I’m sure you would not stop short of anything to bring them home. So I will never stop! The world must never stop until they all come home!
My son is still alive. But we are running out of time. Let these 100 days be remembered not just for politics, but for courage — for choosing life over fear, action over delay, hope over silence. And please help me hug my son again!
I promise, when Bar finally returns — when I see him again — I will summon every bone in my broken, wheelchair-bound body to rise. I will teach myself to walk again, if only to take one step closer to my son. To hold him. To remind him that he was never alone.
Bring my Bar home.
* * *
Tal Kupershtein is the father of Bar Kupershtein who was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOSTAGES

Bring My Son Home: A Father’s Plea To President Trump And The World

Bring My Son Home: A Father's Plea To President Trump And The World

Gaza

Hamas

Israel

Nova festival

October 7

Opinion

President Trump

Auburn University men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl, who led his team to the NCAA Final Four earlier this month, is taking on a new role off the court — chairman of the board of directors for the pro-Israel nonprofit, U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA).
His new role comes after he used his team&#8217;s successful season to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote</a> the release of the 59 hostages still in Hamas captivity, including 21-year-old American Edan Alexander. Pearl will replace former Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019 and was the ranking member until 2021.
“I’ve dedicated much of my life to teaching young people about the importance of leadership, values, and understanding different perspectives,” Pearl said in a statement. “My work with USIEA aligns with those principles, and I’m excited to continue building a bridge of understanding between these two great nations.”
<div id="attachment_891963" style="width: 938px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-891963" class="size-large wp-image-891963" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg" alt="This photograph taken on January 21, 2025, shows a poster bearing a portrait of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. (Photo by AFP)" width="928" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg 928w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-300x186.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-768x477.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" />Israel-American Edan Alexander was taken hostage by Hamas during the terror group&#8217;s October 7, 2023, massacre. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Pearl led the Auburn Tigers to the program&#8217;s first-ever Final Four appearance and has been a <a href="https://auburntigers.com/staff/bruce-pearl">head coach</a> for 29 seasons, with his teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament 22 times.
He and his wife, Brandy, first became acquainted with USIEA when he went on the group’s 2019 Partners Tour to Israel, during which participants had high-level briefings on Israeli defense, artificial intelligence, and U.S.-Israel foreign policy.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-heats-up-ground-offensive-in-gaza-in-effort-to-pressure-hamas-to-return-hostages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISRAEL HEATS UP GROUND OFFENSIVE IN GAZA IN EFFORT TO PRESSURE HAMAS TO RETURN HOSTAGES</a>
“My experience in Israel was transformative,&#8221; Pearl said. &#8220;I felt it was my responsibility to become more involved in the mission of USIEA and educating senior government leaders in America on the importance of supporting Israel.” 
The 2025 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-ap-coach-of-year-1e4d079d3caaab71ad3d9d6848f6f7de">Associated Press</a> College Basketball Coach of the Year — an award he shared with St. John&#8217;s head coach, Rick Pitino — is expected to help USIEA educate and assist government leaders who are involved in advancing U.S.- Israel relations.
<div id="attachment_900387" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900387" class="size-large wp-image-900387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2207690199-864x576.jpg" alt="Bruce Pearl alongside the court while wearing his Auburn University sweater." width="864" height="576" />Auburn University men&#8217;s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has called for the release of 59 hostages held captive by Hamas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)d</div>
“Since Coach Pearl and Brandy’s involvement with USIEA, we’ve experienced significant growth and interest in our organization, benefiting from the respect and recognition he commands in both the sports world and the broader community,” USIEA Founder and CEO Heather Johnston said. “But most of all, we’ve been inspired by his generosity, passion for Israel, and unwavering commitment to our mission.”
Johnston added that Pearl’s commitment to Israel and love of America are “at the core of his personal beliefs, topics he frequently addresses in interviews.” 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-apologizes-for-inaction-after-students-antisemitic-abuser-pleads-guilty?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=University+Apologizes+For+Inaction+After+Student’s+Antisemitic+Abuser+Pleads+Guilty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNIVERSITY APOLOGIZES FOR INACTION AFTER STUDENT’S ANTISEMITIC ABUSER PLEADS GUILTY</a>
Pearl said he has shared his journey of advocating for Israel with his team, including having Auburn University become the first Division I basketball team to play against a professional Israeli team. Pearl described the game as “marking a historic moment in both college athletics and U.S.-Israel relations.”
Pearl, who has been wearing a “Bring Them Home” dog tag as a necklace, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?row=0&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened</a> a postgame press conference last month by drawing attention to Alexander. 
“I just felt compelled to say his name when I knew everybody was listening and have the discussion,” Pearl <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bruce-pearl-uses-final-four-spotlight-for-american-hostage-edan-alexander-nobody-knows-his-name?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bruce+Pearl+Uses+Final+Four+Spotlight+For+American+Hostage+Edan+Alexander%3A+%E2%80%98Nobody+Knows+His+Name%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire.</a>
“It just bothers me tremendously that people are gonna pay attention to a basketball coach winning a basketball game when we have an American held hostage in Gaza, named Edan Alexander, and nobody knows his name,” he added.
<div id="attachment_808863" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808863" class="size-large wp-image-808863" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg" alt="Edan Alexander with Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump at the grave of the leader of the Chabad Lubavitcher movement." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Edan Alexander&#8217;s family has met with leaders and influential people around the world, including President Donald Trump and Ben Shapiro. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)</div>
Edan was born in Rockville, Maryland, before moving to New Jersey. He joined the Israel Defense Forces after high school and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-american-held-by-hamas-adi-alexander-shares-sons-story-at-cpac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken captive during</a> Hamas’s October 7 massacre while at a small outpost by Kibbutz Nir Oz. He has been seen in Hamas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-teases-release-of-last-living-american-hostage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">propaganda videos</a>.
Pearl said that he hopes President Donald Trump is close to crafting a deal that will bring home the remaining hostages still in Hamas captivity.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yarden-bibas-describes-hamas-brutality-thanks-trump-in-first-interview-since-release?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yarden+Bibas+Describes+Hamas+Brutality%2C+Thanks+Trump+In+First+Interview+Since+Release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YARDEN BIBAS DESCRIBES HAMAS BRUTALITY, THANKS TRUMP IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RELEASE</a>
Following the remarks, Pearl was connected to Alexander’s father, Adi, and learned that his other son, Roy, was a basketball fan.
“He called me and told me just how much it meant to him,” Pearl recalled. “I said, ‘I’d just love to meet you, I don’t know what else I can do for you.’”
Pearl said he decided to bring him to a basketball game that weekend in Atlanta and invited the whole family as his guests.
“I just wanted to spend time with him and just to let him know that they’re not alone,” Pearl said. “There are so many, so many people, including so many American Jews that are praying for him and his family to bring his son home.”

Bruce Pearl and wife Brandy

Star NCAA Coach Bruce Pearl Takes New Role In Pro-Israel Advocacy Group

Alabama

Celebrities

College basketball

U.S.

On Monday, American victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of more than 1200 people in Israel filed a lawsuit against a U.S. billionaire who<a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-845379" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> reportedly advised</a> the Trump administration envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, accusing the billionaire of aiding Hamas in the October 7 attack. Boehler was negotiating directly with the terrorist group Hamas in March.
Billionaire Bashar Masri, who lives in Washington D.C., “is portrayed in the lawsuit as a central figure who leveraged his cultivated image as a peace-building entrepreneur to secure funding while covertly supporting Hamas,” attorney Marina Medvin, who represented some of the January 6 defendants, noted, adding, “His alleged background includes participation in the First Intifada and ties to Qatari investors linked to Hamas. His companies PADICO, PRICO, PIEDCO, and Massar International are accused of being under Masri’s control and instrumental in owning, operating, and integrating the properties into Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Interesting new lawsuit filed today in DC by American October 7 victims against Bashar Masri, a US billionaire, accusing him of aiding Hamas in the October 7 attack.
Masri advised Trump admin on Hamas negotiations, specifically advising Adam Boehler, who conducted unprecedented…
&mdash; Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1909244462431125631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
“Masri and the companies he controls including Defendants Palestine Development &amp; Investment Company (&#8220;PADICO&#8221;), Palestine Real Estate Investment Company (&#8220;PRICO&#8221;), and Palestinian Industrial Estate Development Company (&#8220;PIEDCO&#8221;) developed and operated prime properties in Gaza for outwardly legitimate purposes. But in reality, they were also used to construct and conceal Hamas&#8217;s attack tunnels, store and launch its rockets at Israel, host Hamas leadership and foot soldiers, train Hamas naval commandos-and even to produce electricity for Hamas&#8217;s attack tunnel infrastructure,&#8221; the lawsuit <a href="https://x.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1909245945616667022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>. “Just prior to the October 7 Attack, Masri even installed an individual closely tied to Hamas as Chairman of PIEDCO.”
“As far back as 2014, Al Mashtal Hotel, adorned with large UN and EU signage on its roof, hosted a significant network of Hamas attack tunnels used to launch rockets into Israel and served as a command center for Hamas&#8217;s leaders during its conflict with Israel that summer,” the lawsuit <a href="https://x.com/MarinaMedvin/status/1909246611936412095">continues</a>. “The IDF eventually struck the launch sites and damaged the hotel. In the following years, Defendants worked closely with Hamas to renovate and refurbish the hotels, including electrical upgrades used to power Hamas&#8217;s tunnel network beneath them, and to restore and enhance the rocket launching sites positioned near the hotels, which Hamas deployed on October 7, 2023, and thereafter. Hamas&#8217;s terrorist tunnel network not only ran under Masri&#8217;s hotels, but the tunnels were accessible directly from guest rooms and other facilities inside the hotels.”
While Boehler was meeting with Hamas, he made <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/meet-adam-boehler-trumps-complacent-confused-and-dangerously-naive-hostage-envoy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statements</a> in which he referenced Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and said he could see members of Hamas being “nice guys,” stating:
<blockquote>
I spoke with Ron, and I’m sympathetic. He has someone that he doesn’t know well, making direct contact with Hamas. Maybe I would see them and say, “Look, they don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us. They’re pretty nice guys.
</blockquote>
Boehler also said he “wanted to say to Hamas, what is the endgame that you want here? Not the dream endgame, but what do you think is realistic at this point?” Asked whether he “realistically” thought “that Hamas would eventually agree to lay down its weapons and not be part of Gaza’s political future,” he immediately replied, “I do believe that.”
Boehler later <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hostage-envoy-adam-boehler-50f28c5b58a0e585df526d0b2da13856" target="_blank" rel="noopener">withdrew</a> his nomination for special presidential envoy for hostage affairs but is still involved in hostage negotiations.

TOPSHOT-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT

October 7 Victims File Suit Against Arab Billionaire Who Reportedly Advised Trump Hostage Negotiator

Adam Boehler

Courts

World

Coach Bruce Pearl says he&#8217;s using the spotlight of the Auburn Tigers Final Four run to draw attention to the last American hostage believed to be alive in Hamas captivity.
“It just bothers me tremendously that people are gonna pay attention to a basketball coach winning a basketball game when we have an American held hostage in Gaza, named Edan Alexander, and nobody knows his name,” Pearl told The Daily Wire.
Pearl, who has been wearing a “Bring Them Home” dog-tag as a necklace, opened a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?row=0&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four&amp;category=News">press conference</a> viewed by millions after Auburn’s victory over Creighton last month by drawing attention to 21-year-old Alexander. 
“I just felt compelled to say his name when I knew everybody was listening and have the discussion,” Pearl said.
Edan was born in Rockville, Maryland, before moving to New Jersey. He joined the Israeli Defense Forces after high school and was taken captive during Hamas’s October 7 massacre while at a small outpost by Kibbutz Nir Oz. He has been seen in Hamas propaganda videos.
Pearl said that he hopes President Donald Trump is close to crafting a deal that will bring home the remaining 59 hostages in Hamas captivity. 
Following the remarks, Pearl was connected to Alexander’s father, Adi, and learned that his other son, Roy, was a basketball fan.
“He called me and told me just how much it meant to him,” Pearl recalled. “I said ‘I’d just love to meet you, I don’t know what else I can do for you.’&#8221;
Pearl said he decided to bring him to a basketball game that weekend in Atlanta, and invited the whole family as his guests.
“I just wanted to spend time with him and just to let him know that they&#8217;re not alone,” Pearl said. “There are so many, so many people, including so many American Jews that are praying for him and his family to bring his son home.”
Despite having a different religion from the majority of his athletes, Pearl said they all connect over being children of Abraham and talk about God “every single day.”
“Most of my student athletes are Christian and I&#8217;m a coach, so my job is to bring people together—that&#8217;s what I do. And religion, unfortunately, sometimes has found ways to separate people to create division and divide,” Pearl said, adding that he prefers finding common ground.
“What I tell my players, about 95% of whom are African American, is, yes, there are absolutely obstacles to success and yes, there are obstacles to success being Jewish. There are obstacles to success being African American. But there are not road blocks,” Pearl said. “ I don&#8217;t want to hear that. You can&#8217;t do it because of this or because of that. I don&#8217;t want to hear it.&#8221;
Pearl said that his success and the success of two of the other coaches in the final four who are Jewish is proof that America is the “greatest country in the world where there is opportunity for everybody.”
&#8220;It can be done and Todd Golden and John Scheyer and Bruce Pearl are great examples of what can be done,” Pearl said, referencing the other two Jewish head coaches in the Final Four. 
Pearl credited his team&#8217;s success to God.
“The only way I can explain it, is it&#8217;s a God thing, like God&#8217;s got his hand all over this. Why me and why us? God reminds me all the time who I am, where I came from, and my love of my country, and my love of my faith and my ancestral homeland, Israel, means as much to me as, as life itself,” Pearl said. “I&#8217;ve been in this work for a long, long time, but it&#8217;s just that maybe more people are noticing now because we&#8217;ve had some more success.”
Looking forward to the upcoming games, Pearl said his team will have to play the best two games of the season in order to win the national championship. 
“I&#8217;m so proud of our guys,” Pearl said. “We will have to play the two best games of the year against Florida and the winner of the Houston-Duke game if we&#8217;re gonna be crowned national champion, but there&#8217;s only four teams left in the country that are still playing for the National Championship, and Auburn is one of them.”

Michigan State v Auburn

Bruce Pearl Uses Final Four Spotlight For American Hostage Edan Alexander: ‘Nobody Knows His Name’

Basketball

Freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas spoke publicly Sunday for the first time since his release and the funeral for his wife, Shiri, and two young sons. Ariel and Kfir.
Bibas and other freed hostages spoke about their experiences on <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/freed-israeli-hostages-call-for-ceasefire-with-hamas-return-of-gaza-captives-60-minutes-transcript/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 Minutes</a>. Bibas said he chose to do his first interview with an American outlet because he wanted to get the attention of President Donald Trump, whom he credits for saving him and says is the only person who can stop the war.
“Please stop — stop this war and help — help bring all the hostages back,” Bibas said as his message for Trump. “I know he can help. I&#8217;m here because of Trump. I&#8217;m here only because of him. I think he&#8217;s the only one who can stop this war again.”
Bibas believes ending the war is the only way to free the remaining hostages home, including his childhood best friend, David Cunio. Cunio was kidnapped with his wife, Sharon, and two children, who were released in the November 2023 hostage exchange deal.
“We did everything together. He was with me in every big thing in my life. He was in my wedding. And now I&#8217;m having the — probably the — the hardest thing I have to move with my life, and David is not with me. I lost my wife and kids. Sharon must not lose her husband.&#8221;
Bibas said it was frightening to hear IDF airstrikes while being held in Hamas’ terror tunnels.
“It&#8217;s scary,” Bibas said. “You don&#8217;t know when it&#8217;s gonna happen. And when it happens, you&#8217;re afraid for your life. The whole earth would move like an earthquake, but underground.”
“Everything could collapse any moment,” he added.
Israel eliminated more than a dozen Hamas leaders in the week after the ceasefire collapsed following Hamas’s refusal to release more hostages or agree to multiple extension proposals.
Speaking about his wife and sons, Bibas said they were murdered in “cold blood” with “bare hands,” a claim supported by forensic assessments of the bodies.
“They were murdered in cold blood, bare hands,” Bibas said. “[Hamas] used to tell me — ‘Oh, doesn&#8217;t matter. You&#8217;ll get a new wife. Get new kids. Better wife. Better kids.’”
American hostage Keith Siegel, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-hostage-to-be-released-tomorrow-from-gaza-six-remain-in-captivity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was freed</a> in February, opened up about his time in captivity, claiming that Hamas sexually assaulted female hostages in front of him.
Siegel, who was originally held with his wife, Aviva, and other female and child hostages until her release after 51 days, said there was constant abuse in captivity.
“I witnessed a young woman who was being tortured by the terrorists. I mean literal, you know, torture, not just in the figurative sense,” he said. “I saw sexual assault with female hostages.”
Following Aviva’s release, Siegel said conditions became worse. He was often beaten and starved.
Siegel quickly put interviewer Lesley Stahl in her place after she asked if Hamas actually starved Siegel, or if the terrorists simply didn’t have food themselves.
“No, I think they starved me and they — they would often eat in front of me and not offer me food,” Siegel said.
Siegel also said that Hamas shaved all the men’s heads and genitals to humiliate them.
“I think they thought it was maybe it amused them or, you know, humiliating. I felt humiliated,” Siegel said.
Bibas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yarden-bibas-delivers-heartbreaking-eulogy-at-funeral-of-his-wife-and-sons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delivered a heartbreaking</a> eulogy for Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir last month after their bodies were returned from Hamas terrorists and officially identified.
“Shiri, this is the closest I’ve been to you since October 7th, and I can’t kiss or hug you, and it’s breaking me,” Bibas said, fighting back tears.
Bibas asked for forgiveness for what happened to the family on October 7. Shiri, 32, was taken hostage by Hamas and killed while in captivity, along with their sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were just four years old and eight months old when abducted by the terrorists.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The fully translated euology of Yarden Bibas to his wife Shiri, and sons Kfir and Ariel.
&#8220;Mi Amor&#8221;
I remember the first time I said &#8220;mi amor&#8221; to you. It was at the very beginning of our relationship. You told me to only call you that if I was certain I loved you, not to say it… <a href="https://t.co/x7laGqM91T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/x7laGqM91T</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1894723970001207734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, I asked if we should ‘fight or surrender.’ You said fight, so I fought. Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have fired.”
The bodies of Ariel and Kfir were handed over last month, along with the corpses of Oded Lifshitz and an unknown Gazan woman that Hamas claimed was Shiri, after Hamas paraded them on stage in front of cheering crowds in a propaganda spectacle. Shiri’s body was later returned after an uproar over Hamas returning the wrong body.
The news of the death of the Bibas boys has sparked international outrage and brought the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bibas-brothers-join-count-of-55-israeli-children-killed-since-october-7-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">total number of children</a> from Israel who have died in the fallout of the October 7 attacks to 55.
Footage of Shiri’s terrified face while holding the two redheaded boys went viral after October 7, making the family a symbol of the horror Hamas terrorists inflicted on Israeli civilians that day.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-HOSTAGES-BIBAS

Yarden Bibas Describes Hamas Brutality, Thanks Trump In First Interview Since Release

60 Minutes

After the terrorist group Hamas ignored a Saturday deadline from Israel to release more of the 59 hostages they hold, Israel said on Sunday it would cut off supplying electricity to Gaza.
Doron Arbely, chairman of the Israel Electric Corporation, <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>, “Today there is no electricity line leading from Israel into Gaza, and we are not responsible for the electricity network there at all. Most of the electricity supplied to Gaza is from solar panels and generators.”
“We will use all the means at our disposal to ensure that all the hostages return, and I hope that Hamas will not be in Gaza the day after,” Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-to-cut-electricity-in-gaza-immediately-energy-minister-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> on Sunday, adding on <a href="https://x.com/elicoh1/status/1898756463222260177" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>, “I have now signed an order to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip immediately. Enough with the talk, it&#8217;s time for action!”
Twenty-four of the hostages Hamas is holding from their murderous October 7, 2023 massacre of more than 1200 Israelis are believed to be still alive.
For decades, Israel has abided by its agreement in the Oslo Accords to supply five million cubic meters of water to Gaza annually.
“Israel built two desalination plants in Gaza,” Stand With Us has <a href="https://www.standwithus.com/factsheet-waterfactsintheconflict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a>. “When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it gave the entire water system it had developed for Israeli settlements to the Palestinians, including 25 wells, storage reservoirs, and a well-developed transmission system. Despite aggression by the terrorist organization Hamas, Israel began treating sewage from Gaza in 2017 after the territory&#8217;s treatment facility was shut down.”
Last week, President Donald Trump made it clear where he stands vis-à-vis Hamas, writing on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114112015891353323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a>:
<blockquote>“Shalom Hamas” means Hello and Goodbye &#8211; You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don&#8217;t do as I say. I have just met with your former Hostages whose lives you have destroyed. This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!</blockquote>

Anti-Israel rally in Gaza City

Hamas Ignores Deadline To Release Hostages, Israel Cuts Off Electricity To Gaza

Electricity

Global Politics

President Donald Trump issued what he said would be his final warning to Hamas on Wednesday, saying &#8220;there will be hell to pay&#8221; unless they immediately release all remaining hostages.
Trump made the remarks after meeting with a group of hostages that had been recently released from Gaza after well over a year in captivity.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say&#8230; RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!&#8221; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/l5k5GU8nEy">pic.twitter.com/l5k5GU8nEy</a>
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1897412335423357110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;&#8216;Shalom Hamas&#8217; means Hello and Goodbye — You can choose,&#8221; Trump posted in a message to the Islamic terrorist group. &#8220;Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.&#8221;
&#8220;Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.&#8221;
Trump highlighted his meeting with the recently released hostages, saying that their lives have been &#8220;destroyed&#8221; because of the trauma they have experienced.
&#8220;This is your last warning!&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!&#8221;
&#8220;Make a SMART decision,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!&#8221;
The statement comes after Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/us-hamas-talks-gaza-war-israel">reported</a> earlier in the day that the administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas behind the scenes, the first time the U.S. has ever directly engaged with the terrorist organization, the report said.
The talks, which have taken place in recent weeks in Doha, are being led on the U.S. side by U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;&#8216;Shalom Hamas&#8217; means Hello and Goodbye &#8211; You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted! I am… <a href="https://t.co/88EjVAyWAe">pic.twitter.com/88EjVAyWAe</a>
— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1897408268982464524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2025</a></blockquote>

President Trump Announces TSMC Investment

‘This Is Your Last Warning!’: Trump Sends Message To Hamas

According to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/us-hamas-talks-gaza-war-israel">Axios</a>, the Trump administration has been speaking directly with the terrorist group Hamas, which committed the brutal October 7 massacre of over 1200 people in Israel.
U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, was reportedly involved in the talks, which took place in Doha. &#8220;The talks have focused in part on the release of U.S. hostages, which is within Boehler&#8217;s remit as hostage envoy. But they have also included discussions of a broader deal to release all remaining hostages and reach a long-term truce, the sources say,” Axios reported.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the &#8220;negotiations&#8221; on Wednesday, saying Boehler had been authorized to talk to the terrorist group and &#8220;Israel was consulted on this matter.&#8221;
On Sunday, the 42-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages; according to Israel Defense Forces, 35 are dead. Five of the hostages are American, including Eden Alexander, who is believed to still be alive.
There is no question President Donald Trump wants Hamas out of Gaza; he has spoken of the United States taking over Gaza and resettling its population while making sure Hamas does not stay in power. Former Ambassador to Israel David Friedman stated last month, “Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region.
&mdash; David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidM_Friedman/status/1886938132509045137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Arab nations have offered an alternate plan that would permit Gaza to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts that ignored Hamas and the atrocities the terrorist organization has committed, which the United States and Israel rejected.
On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes<a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404879"> reiterated</a> Trump’s insistence that Hamas be deposed, saying, “President Trump has been clear that Hamas cannot continue to govern Gaza. While the president stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza, he welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region. It’s clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis.”
In mid-February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403902">said</a> the U.S. would consider other proposals but added, &#8220;All these countries say how much they care about the Palestinians, but none of them want to take any Palestinians. None of them have a history of doing anything for Gaza.&#8221;
President Trump has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-and-ending-funding-to-certain-united-nations-organizations-and-reviewing-united-states-support-to-all-international-organizations/">banned</a> funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which <a href="https://www.unwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/UNW-129-%E2%80%94-The-Unholy-Alliance-%E2%80%94-2025-01-09-%E2%80%94-Web-%E2%80%94-Singles.pdf">employed</a> hundreds of Hamas and other terrorist members.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-ECONOMY-CLIMATE-ENERGY

Trump Administration Meeting With Hamas Over Hostages: Report

Politics

Trump Administration

Israel identified the bodies of four murdered Israeli hostages on Wednesday, bringing the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to an end.
The hostages were Tsahi Idan, 49, Ohad Yahalomi, 49, Itzik Elgarat, 68, and Shlomo Mantzur, 85. 
Hamas turned the hostages over to the Red Cross, which returned the bodies to Israel. Following a forensic and identification process by the Israeli Defense Forces, the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine, and the Israel Police, it was concluded that Idan, Yahalomi, and Elgarat were murdered while captive, while Mantzur was murdered on October 7. 
All 33 hostages slated to be returned during the first phase of the ceasefire are now in Israel. The fate of the 59 remaining hostages will be determined in later phases.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#8217;s office announced on Thursday that he instructed his negotiating team to leave for Cairo on Thursday to continue the negotiations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for all 59 remaining hostages, including the last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, to be released immediately. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hamas returned the remains of four Israeli hostages. Those held captive in Gaza have faced unspeakable horrors. Hamas must return all 59 hostages – including Edan and the remaining 4 Americans &#8211; NOW!
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1894963710273134909?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In exchange for the hostages, Israel agreed to free 602 Palestinian prisoners. The prisoners&#8217; release had been delayed after Hamas paraded the bodies of three Israeli hostages on a stage and tried to pass off an unidentified Gazan woman&#8217;s body as the corpse of hostage Shiri Bibas.
At the time, Netanyahu’s office called Hamas’s actions a violation of the agreement.
<div id="attachment_883423" style="width: 932px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-883423" class="size-large wp-image-883423" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Tsahi-Idan-922x576.webp" alt="" width="922" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Tsahi-Idan-922x576.webp 922w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Tsahi-Idan-300x188.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Tsahi-Idan-768x480.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Tsahi-Idan.webp 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px" />Tsahi Idan (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)</div>
On October 7, Idan&#8217;s family took shelter in the safe room in their home at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Idan tried to hold the door shut as terrorists stormed their home.
Maayan, 18, was shot and killed in front of her parents, Tsachi and Gali, and her younger siblings, 11-year-old Yael and nine-year-old Shahar. The family was then forced outside at gunpoint as the parents tried to shield their children. The terrorists accessed Gali’s Facebook account and live-streamed the family as they mourned Maayan before taking Idan hostage.
Yael asked the terrorists not to take their father and kill him, according to Gali in an interview on Channel 13.
“They turned around and said, ‘He’ll be back, he’ll be back,’” said Gali. “They promised Yael that he would return.”
<div id="attachment_883425" style="width: 776px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-883425" class="size-large wp-image-883425" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/471142458_122206785080082649_2015330888238854284_n-766x576.jpg" alt="" width="766" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/471142458_122206785080082649_2015330888238854284_n-766x576.jpg 766w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/471142458_122206785080082649_2015330888238854284_n-300x226.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/471142458_122206785080082649_2015330888238854284_n-768x578.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/471142458_122206785080082649_2015330888238854284_n.jpg 1170w" sizes="(max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px" />Ohad Yahalomi (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)</div>
Yahalomi, who is a French-Israeli dual citizen, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz after he was shot in the leg during a firefight with the terrorists who invaded his home. Yahalomi decided to fight the terrorists after the handle of the safe room’s door — where his wife and children were hiding — was not working properly.  He sat outside the room, guarding his family with a handgun.
The terrorists took his wife, Batsheva, 12-year-old son Eitan, 10-year-old daughter Yael, and their two-year-old daughter away towards Gaza on mopeds. When the terrorists encountered two Israeli tanks, they reportedly split up and Batsheva, Yael, and the two-year-old were able to flee to freedom in pajamas and flip-flops.
Eitan was freed in the November 2023 hostage deal. Batsheva says he was beaten by Gazan civilians and held in a cell alone for 16 days. Terrorists reportedly forced him to watch films of October 7 and threatened him with a gun when he cried.
<div id="attachment_883433" style="width: 645px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-883433" class="size-large wp-image-883433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-26-at-8.32.51%E2%80%AFAM-1-635x576.png" alt="" width="635" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-26-at-8.32.51%E2%80%AFAM-1-635x576.png 635w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-26-at-8.32.51%E2%80%AFAM-1-300x272.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-26-at-8.32.51%E2%80%AFAM-1.png 728w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" />Itzik Elgarat (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)</div>
Elgarat, a Danish-Israeli dual citizen, was shot by terrorists through the door of his safe room before being taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Elgarat was on the phone with his brother Danny during the ordeal, shouting “Danny, this is the end, this is the end” before the call went dead. An hour later, at 12:10, Danny saw that his brother’s phone was in Gaza.
Hostages released in the 2023 ceasefire said that Elgarat had been treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. 
When it was announced that Elgarat would be released in the first phase, Danny said he believed his brother was dead and urged living hostages to be prioritized. 
“Leave the bodies there; bring back living people. My brother is there as a fallen soldier, and I am saying on my behalf that I am willing to leave him there for now if it means bringing back someone alive,” Danny said.
<div id="attachment_883435" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-883435" class="size-large wp-image-883435" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/shlomo-big--1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/shlomo-big--1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/shlomo-big--300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/shlomo-big--768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/shlomo-big-.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Shlomo Mantzur (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)</div>
Mantzur was the oldest hostage still in Gaza. He was killed on October 7 and had his body taken captive by terrorists from Kibbutz Kissufim and driven to Gaza in his own car, according to the IDF. Before being taken, Mantzur was tied up with his wife, Mazal, who was able to escape to a neighbor’s home.
Mantzur, who was born in Iraq, survived the persecution of Jews in the Farhud pogrom in Baghdad in 1941, where more than 180 Jews were killed, 1,000 were injured, and 900 Jewish homes were destroyed.
Mantzur helped found Kibbutz Kissufim, where he managed the chicken coop and worked in an eyewear factory. Members of the community described him as the “beating heart” of Kissufim. Mazal and Mantzur’s 60th wedding anniversary was on March 1, 2024.

Netanyahu Hamas

First Phase of Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Concludes After Israel Identifies Four Hostage Bodies

Students at Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, took over a school building and prevented students from attending their classes on the same day the two murdered child hostages, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, were laid to rest in Israel.
Video footage shows the protesters banging drums and chanting the genocidal anti-Israel slogan “from the river to the sea.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Protestors <a href="https://twitter.com/BarnardCollege?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarnardCollege</a> have flooded the main building, chanting and drumming while trying to block public safety officers with their keffiyehs. The building is locked down and students cannot get to classes. 
And yes, this is inside an academic building during class time. <a href="https://t.co/xAJv2pIPJq">pic.twitter.com/xAJv2pIPJq</a>
&mdash; Elisha (Lishi) Baker (@LishiBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/LishiBaker/status/1894857931511693795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) told The Daily Wire that the campus administrators need to step up, or the Trump administration will.
“Anti-Semitism in any form is wrong, full stop,” said Ernst. “Campus administrators need to stop sitting on their hands and actually follow the law, or the Trump administration will hold them accountable. Jewish students should not be forced to risk their personal safety to pursue an education.”
A Barnard spokeswoman told The Daily Wire late Wednesday that protesters had until 9:30 p.m to vacate, and that if they didn’t, the school would “be forced to consider additional, necessary measures to protect our campus.”
“Barnard leadership offered to meet with the protesters &#8211; just as we meet with all members of our community &#8211; on one simple condition: remove their masks,” Robin Levine said. “They refused.”
Barnard student Shoshana Aufzien told The Daily Wire she was prevented from attending class because her professor and many classmates were stuck outside of the building due to the disruption. Aufzien later posted a screenshot of an email from her professor asking her if she was okay and explaining that class was canceled because they were not allowed in.
“By the time I arrived I and several other students were not able to get into the building (a very large gentleman instructed us otherwise),” the professor wrote. “We stood outside waiting to see if the situation would change. Soon, the students who couldn&#8217;t get inside came outside. When it looked like no one was being allowed in, I dismissed ‘class.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is the email I just got from my professor: <a href="https://t.co/f2bfSQTkUL">https://t.co/f2bfSQTkUL</a> <a href="https://t.co/T3faHbjwYd">pic.twitter.com/T3faHbjwYd</a>
&mdash; Shoshana Aufzien🎗️ (@shoshanaaufzien) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoshanaaufzien/status/1894873117123633429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Columbia student Elisha Baker shared a video showing another student being prevented from attending his class in the building by campus police, who told him he has to “wait until this is over.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/jonny_led?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonny_led</a> has class in the <a href="https://twitter.com/BarnardCollege?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarnardCollege</a> building that protestors now occupy. But Public Safety blocked him from entering, saying: “you have to wait until this is over.” 
The disruption of academics couldn’t be more clear cut. <a href="https://t.co/gb89WaVLCR">pic.twitter.com/gb89WaVLCR</a>
&mdash; Elisha (Lishi) Baker (@LishiBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/LishiBaker/status/1894868444186575271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The protesters handed out a list of demands, which included reversing the expulsion of two students who were disciplined for disrupting an Israeli history class at Columbia in January. The masked protesters delivered a speech during the class, advocating for a world where Israel does not exist.
“Israel is backed by the world’s most violent imperial forces, and they attempt to erase the truth from our collective consciousness to make this occupation seem moral and okay, to make it seem like a world without Israel can’t exist, but we know it can and has,” the protesters say in a video <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DGbAlcjpCyF/?img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted to Instagram</a>.
Both of the expelled students were reportedly second-semester seniors.
Columbia/Barnard Hillel Exec Director Brian S. Cohen praised the students&#8217; expulsion in a statement.
&#8220;When students have their right to get an education trampled on by masked protesters who burst into their classroom, those protesters need to be held accountable,” Cohen said. “We applaud Barnard College for taking decisive action, and hope Columbia follows suit with the other perpetrators who have infringed on student rights in the past year — from the encampments to the takeover of Hamilton Hall.”
Other demands include “amnesty” for all students who have been disciplined for their anti-Israel “action or thought,” a public meeting with school officials, and an “abolition of the corrupt Barnard disciplinary process and complete transparency for current, past, and future disciplinary proceedings.”
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Here&#39;s a clearer image of their handout: <a href="https://t.co/LPug3UQsHD">pic.twitter.com/LPug3UQsHD</a>
&mdash; Shoshana Aufzien🎗️ (@shoshanaaufzien) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoshanaaufzien/status/1894868005806579753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The flyer concludes with the students declaring there will be “disruption until divestment,” “resistance until return,” and “agitation until amnesty.”
The students said they will not stop until their demands are met.
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">A representative for the college later entered the building with a megaphone, announcing that the dean was willing to meet with the protesters under the following conditions: only three Barnard students could attend, they had to be unmasked, and video recording was prohibited. The students booed the spokesperson after hearing the demands. The spokesperson added that the dean did not have the authority to fulfill most of the protesters&#8217; demands but was open to receiving counter-demands.</div>
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BREAKING: A Columbia University spokesperson enters the building that terror supporting students took over to try and appease them, by offering concessions.
It is absolutely shocking that Columbia continues to allow these students to terrorize the campus. <a href="https://t.co/gi4CbRoRGt">pic.twitter.com/gi4CbRoRGt</a>
&mdash; Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/1894901264749609387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<div role="group" aria-label="Message actions" data-qa="message-actions">Jonathan Harounoff, Israel’s International Spokesperson to the United Nations and alumnus of Columbia Journalism School, said the protest happening on the same day members of the Bibas family were buried is disturbing.</div>
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“Today, Israel came to a standstill to bury Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir — the beautiful Bibas family brutally murdered by Hamas,” Harounoff told The Daily Wire. “To see Barnard students and faculty interrupt classes and once again call to ‘globalize the intifada’ on that very same day, while preventing students from going to class, is grotesque and deeply disturbing.”
Yarden Bibas delivered a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yarden-bibas-delivers-heartbreaking-eulogy-at-funeral-of-his-wife-and-sons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heartbreaking eulogy</a> for his wife, Shiri, and their sons on Wednesday after their bodies were returned from Hamas terrorists and officially identified.
“Shiri, this is the closest I’ve been to you since October 7th, and I can’t kiss or hug you, and it’s breaking me,” Yarden said, fighting back tears.
Yarden, who was freed in the first phase of the hostage and ceasefire agreement earlier this month, asked for forgiveness for what happened to the family on October 7. Shiri, 32, was taken hostage by Hamas and killed while in captivity along with the boys, who were four years old and eight months old when abducted by the terrorists.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, terrorists killed the Bibas brothers with their bare hands.
In January, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-sign-executive-order-to-deport-anti-semitic-foreign-students-and-protesters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed an executive order</a> that marshals all federal resources to combat anti-Semitism and demands the deportation of anti-Semitic demonstrators who violated American laws, including students on visas. The order directs agency heads to submit recommendations to the Trump administration within 60 days, outlining all of the available tools to combat anti-Semitism.
Under the order, the Justice Department is instructed to quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation by investigating and punishing “anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”
The order came in response to a rise in anti-Semitic protests following Hamas’ rape, murder, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. Many of these protests have taken place on college campuses, where students have been documented <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deeply-sick-over-30-harvard-university-groups-blame-israel-after-hamas-commits-atrocities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defending</a> Hamas’ attack, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-harvard-students-chant-palestine-is-arab-during-on-campus-protest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chanting ethnic cleansing slogans</a>, committing vandalism, and setting up encampments that have led to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/letter-from-harvard-community-calling-for-encampment-protesters-to-face-significant-consequences-passes-500-signatures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harassment and intimidation</a> of Jewish students.
Anti-Semitic incidents on campus have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-semitic-incidents-up-500-on-campuses-since-october-7-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surged</a> over 500% since the October 7 attack, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“The new Senate Republican majority is going to work with the Trump administration to enforce the law in the face of campuses that have fanned the flames of hate through inaction,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ernst-universities-that-ignored-anti-semitism-will-face-consequences-under-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ernst previously told The Daily Wire.</a> “Elite universities have made their bed, and they’ve got to lie in it, but not on the taxpayers’ dime.”
Robin Levine, Barnard spokesperson, responded to The Daily Wire’s queries, saying, “Earlier today, a small group of masked protesters forcibly entered Milbank Hall and physically assaulted a Barnard employee, sending them to the hospital. They encouraged others to enter campus without identification, showing blatant disregard for the safety of our community.”
“Barnard is a place of learning. Respect, inclusivity, and safety are non-negotiable. Violence and intimidation have no place here.”
“We have made multiple good-faith efforts to de-escalate. Barnard leadership offered to meet with the protesters &#8211; just as we meet with all members of our community &#8211; on one simple condition: remove their masks. They refused. We have also offered mediation.”
“At this time, masked protesters remain inside Milbank Hall. We do not know if all individuals involved are members of the Barnard community. If they do not agree to leave the building by 9:30 PM, Barnard will be forced to consider additional, necessary measures to protect our campus,” Levine concluded.
This piece has been updated to include a statement from Barnard College.

Pro-Palestinian protest

Barnard Anti-Israel Protesters Take Over Buildings, Disrupt Classes As Bibas Family Laid To Rest

Barnard Anti-Israel Protesters Take Over Building, Disrupt Classes As Bibas Family Laid To Rest

Columbia University

Yarden Bibas delivered a heartbreaking eulogy for his wife, Shiri, and sons, Ariel and Kfir, on Wednesday after their bodies were returned from Hamas terrorists and officially identified. 
“Shiri, this is the closest I&#8217;ve been to you since October 7th, and I can&#8217;t kiss or hug you, and it&#8217;s breaking me,” Yarden said, fighting back tears.
Yarden, who was freed in the first phase of the hostage and ceasefire agreement earlier this month, asked for forgiveness for what happened to the family on October 7. Shiri, 32, was taken hostage by Hamas and killed while in captivity along with sons Ariel and Kfir, who were 4 years old and 8 months old when abducted by the terrorists.
“Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, I asked if we should ‘fight or surrender.’ You said fight, so I fought. Shiri, I&#8217;m sorry I couldn&#8217;t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn&#8217;t have fired.”
Yarden also begged his deceased wife to give him strength to fight through the darkness of his new life without them.
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The fully translated euology of Yarden Bibas to his wife Shiri, and sons Kfir and Ariel. 
&quot;Mi Amor&quot;
I remember the first time I said &quot;mi amor&quot; to you. It was at the very beginning of our relationship. You told me to only call you that if I was certain I loved you, not to say it… <a href="https://t.co/x7laGqM91T">pic.twitter.com/x7laGqM91T</a>
&mdash; Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1894723970001207734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Shiri, please watch over me. Protect me from bad decisions,” Yarden said. “Shield me from harmful things and protect me from myself. Guard me so I don&#8217;t sink into darkness.”
Speaking to his four-year-old son, Ariel, Yarden spoke about how his first son made him a father. 
“You transformed us into a family,” Yarden said. “You taught me what truly matters in life and about responsibility. The day you were born, I matured instantly because of you. You taught me so much about myself, and I want to thank you.”
Yarden said he hopes his son is not angry with him for what happened to the family on October 7, 2023.
“Ariel, I hope you&#8217;re not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you. I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute.”
He added that he hopes Ariel is enjoying paradise in the afterlife.
“I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics,” he said. “Teach Kfir all your impressions and make everyone laugh up there.”
Speaking to Kfir, who had not even had his first birthday before terrorists killed him, Yarden said his second son made his family more perfect than he thought was possible.
“I didn&#8217;t think our family could be more perfect, and then you came and made it even more perfect,” the mourning father said. “I remember your birth. I remember during the delivery when the midwife suddenly stopped everything—we were frightened and thought something was wrong—but it was just to tell us we had another redhead. Mom and I laughed and rejoiced.”
Yarden said he misses hearing the young redheads&#8217; laughter and their morning games.  
“I cherished those little moments so much, and I miss them now more than ever!” Yarden said. “Kfir, I love you the most in the world, always in the world!”
After Yarden spoke, they played Avenged Sevenfold&#8217;s song, &#8220;Roman Sky.”
Shiri will share a grave with Kfir and Ariel so she is close to her sons.
“They will remain together and close, just as Shiri enveloped the children, always, including on that accursed day,” the funeral’s host, Carmit Palty Katzir, who also has family members who were killed and kidnapped on October 7.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday morning at Tzohar cemetery in southern Israel. It was closed to the public, but thousands of Israelis lined the streets to pay their respects during the funeral procession, with many wearing orange in honor of the redheaded Bibas brothers.
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Israelis lining the road to pay their respects to the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir. <a href="https://t.co/jzZvY7Rpya">pic.twitter.com/jzZvY7Rpya</a>
&mdash; Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/1894728574235504914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The bodies of Ariel and Kfir were handed over last Thursday along with the corpses of Oded Lifshitz and an unknown Gazan woman that Hamas claimed was Shiri after Hamas paraded them on stage in front of cheering crowds in a propaganda spectacle. Shiri’s body was later returned after an uproar over Hamas returning the wrong body. 
Following a forensic assessment of the bodies of Ariel and Kfir, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday that terrorists killed the young boys “with their bare hands.”
The news of the death of the Bibas boys has sparked international outrage and brought the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bibas-brothers-join-count-of-55-israeli-children-killed-since-october-7-attacks">total number of children</a> from Israel who have died in the fallout of the October 7 attacks to 55.
Footage of Shiri’s terrified face while holding the two redheaded boys went viral after October 7, making the family a symbol of the horror terrorists inflicted on Israeli civilians on that day.
In November 2023, Hamas forced Yarden to record a video announcing the deaths of his wife and kids. He had reportedly clung to hope that his family was alive.
The full transcript of Yarden Bibas’s eulogy is below: 
<blockquote>&#8220;Mi Amor&#8221;
I remember the first time I said &#8220;mi amor&#8221; to you. It was at the very beginning of our relationship. You told me to only call you that if I was certain I loved you, not to say it carelessly. I didn&#8217;t say it then because I didn&#8217;t want you to think I was rushing to say &#8220;I love you.&#8221; Shiri, I&#8217;ll confess to you now that I already loved you back then when I said &#8220;mi amor.&#8221;
Shiri, I love you and will always love you!
Shiri, you are everything to me!
You are the best wife and mother there could be.
Shiri, you are my best friend.
Mishmish, who will help me make decisions now? How am I supposed to make decisions without you?
Do you remember our last decision together?
In the safe room, I asked if we should &#8220;fight or surrender.&#8221; You said fight, so I fought.
Shiri, I&#8217;m sorry I couldn&#8217;t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn&#8217;t have fired.
I think about everything we went through together—there are so many beautiful memories.
I remember Ariel and Kfir&#8217;s births. I remember the days we would sit at home or in a café, just the two of us, talking for hours about everything under the sun. It was wonderful. I miss those times deeply.
Your presence is profoundly missed.
I want to tell you about everything that&#8217;s happening in the world and here in Israel.
Shiri, everyone knows and loves us—you can&#8217;t imagine how surreal all this madness is.
Shiri, people tell me they&#8217;ll always be by my side, but they&#8217;re not you. So please stay close to me and don&#8217;t go far!
Shiri, this is the closest I&#8217;ve been to you since October 7th, and I can&#8217;t kiss or hug you, and it&#8217;s breaking me!
Shiri, please watch over me&#8230;
Protect me from bad decisions. Shield me from harmful things and protect me from myself. Guard me so I don&#8217;t sink into darkness.
Mishmish, I love you!
Chuki, Ariel,
You made me a father. You transformed us into a family.
You taught me what truly matters in life and about responsibility.
The day you were born, I matured instantly because of you. You taught me so much about myself, and I want to thank you.
So thank you, my beloved.
Ariel, I hope you&#8217;re not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you. I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute.
I hope you&#8217;re enjoying paradise. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics.
Chuki, be careful when you climb down from your cloud not to step on Toni&#8230;
Teach Kfir all your impressions and make everyone laugh up there.
Ariel, I love you &#8220;the most in the world, always in the world,&#8221; just as you used to tell us.
Poopik, Kfir,
I didn&#8217;t think our family could be more perfect, and then you came and made it even more perfect…
I remember your birth. I remember during the delivery when the midwife suddenly stopped everything—we were frightened and thought something was wrong—but it was just to tell us we had another redhead. Mom and I laughed and rejoiced.
You brought more light and happiness to our little home. You came with your sweet, captivating laugh and smile, and I was instantly hooked!
It was impossible not to nibble on you all the time.
Kfir, I&#8217;m sorry I didn&#8217;t protect you better, but I need you to know that I love you deeply and miss you terribly!
I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter.
I miss our morning games when mom would ask me to watch you before I went to work. I cherished those little moments so much, and I miss them now more than ever!
Kfir, I love you the most in the world, always in the world!
I have so many more things to tell you all, but I&#8217;ll save them for when we&#8217;re alone.</blockquote>

Bibas funeral

Yarden Bibas Delivers Heartbreaking Eulogy At Funeral Of His Wife And Sons

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