Gaza hostages

Op. Red Heart: Fallen soldier’s mother reveals son was killed in op. tied to Bibas rescue attempt

The disclosure came more than two years after the soldiers’ deaths and after Israel later learned that Shiri Bibas and her children had already been killed in captivity. 

|BySHIR PERETS
Pictures of Shiri Bibas and her children Kfir and Ariel, in Jerusalem, February 20, 2025
Former hostage Emily Damari lights the torch during the main rehearsal of the 77th anniversary Independence Day ceremony, held at Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, on April 28, 2025.

Thousands urge Israeli media to skip state Independence Day ceremony, air civilian alternative

The campaign was launched by Yotam Kipnis, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who lost both his parents and several relatives in the October 7 massacre.

|ByTOBIAS SIEGAL
RACHEL AND JON Goldberg-Polin attend the funeral of their son, Hersh, in Jerusalem.

'I feel like we failed' to bring Gaza hostages home, Rachel Goldberg-Polin tells CBS's 60 Minutes

"What we were fighting for did happen. We got all these people home, not the way we wanted. We wanted them home, alive, but they had come home," she told Anderson Cooper.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Family members of slain hostages spoke of the lack of government support and emotional struggle at Knesset panel. April 19, 2026.

'I feel invisible’: Families of slain hostages warn Knesset panel they lack gov't support

Family members of slain hostages share their emotional struggles, criticizing the government for a lack of support and calling for a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures.

|ByKESHET NEEV

Former hostage Nimrod Cohen announces return to IDF: 'Didn't do enough during my mandatory service'

"I didn't really do my service, the way I see it. I served for ten months until I was kidnapped," Cohen said in an interview for N12's Ulpan Shishi.

FEBRUARY 7, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Released Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen at the funeral of Israeli soldier Staff Sgt. Daniel Oz, at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba.

Melania Trump hosts former hostages Aviva, Keith Siegel for White House visit

Melania notably released a biographical documentary last week, in which Aviva features. She stressed the visit with the Siegels was not a promotion for the film.

FEBRUARY 5, 2026ByFRAIDY MOSER
U.S. first lady Melania Trump meets with freed American-Israeli couple Keith and Aviva Siegel, who were abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 4, 2026.

Authorities close former Gaza hostage Mia Schem's rape case due to insufficient evidence

The Tel Aviv-based celebrity fitness trainer was released without an indictment after a year-long investigation.

FEBRUARY 5, 2026ByHODAYA RAN
Former hostage Mia Schem speaks during a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza at Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, May 17, 2025; illustrative.

Former hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel visit Kenyan refugee camp

Partnering with IsraAID, former hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel toured the camp's facilities as part of their recent entry into humanitarian work.

FEBRUARY 4, 2026ByASHER SMITH
Keith and Aviva Siegel speak at The Jerusalem Post's Annual Conference in New York, US, May 19, 2025

WATCH: Final hostage pin removed from National Memorial Hall for Israel's Fallen

The pin was removed in a solemn ceremony organized by the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Division at the Defense Ministry, following the return of Gvili's body to Israel from Gaza.

FEBRUARY 4, 2026ByTZVI JASPER
A HOSTAGE pin on St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili's memorial brick.

Yair Lapid held undisclosed meetings with Qatari officials to discuss Gaza hostages situation

The encounter happened on January 12, 2025, on the same day as another meeting between the Qatari officials, Lapid's team, and the representatives of the Gaza hostages' families.

FEBRUARY 3, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Opposition head Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid MKs arrive for a court hearing at the Supreme Court on a petition against the transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, January 8, 2026

Former hostages, families say Gal Hirsch threatened them into silence on Netanyahu

The statement, published in a public letter directed towards Hirsch, criticized his treatment of the families and demanded that he “remain silent forever.”

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
GAL HIRSCH, the government’s liaison on the issue of the hostages, arrives for a meeting earlier this month with families of those held in Gaza, and with hostages since released.

Ran Gvili’s return closes a chapter, but not the wound of October 7 - opinion

Ran Gvili's conduct on the last day of his life earned him the title of hero, and his story is one with which most of us can identify.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF
Israelis pay their respects as the funeral procession of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, the last hostage from Gaza, makes its way to Gvili's Negev hometown of Meitar on January 28.

Gal Hirsch: 'Hamas planned to hold Israeli hostages for 10 years' - interview

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch described the complexity of Israeli hostage rescue operations, his involvement in negotiations, and Hamas terror tactics.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByZVIKA KLEIN, AMICHAI STEIN
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch

Ran Gvili's return: Israel did not 'win,' it negotiated and paid a price - opinion

The return of Ran Gvili’s body does not mean Hamas has been defeated. It does not mean justice has been served. It means something narrower, heavier, and more tragic: that the price has been paid.

JANUARY 30, 2026ByJONATHAN LIBERMAN
Pallbearers from the Israeli Police sit in the hearse with the casket of Israeli hostage Ran Gvili, the last captive held by Hamas in Gaza, on January 28, 2026.