As the Israeli military is all set to launch a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday identified the organisational hierarchy of Hamas and vowed to destroy and dismantle the group by targeting its top brass, who were 'responsible' for the attacks against Israeli civilians.
Those taken hostages are expatriates.
Punjab government on Friday said that the Centre was making all efforts to locate the whereabouts of the 39 Indian youths who had been held hostage for nearly a year by ISIS militants.
Even as search operation continues for the 35 missing Greyhound commandos on the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border for the third consecutive day, police officials have also started apprehending that at least some of the missing persons have been taken hostage by the Maoists after attacking the launch in Machkund reservoir on Sunday.
'You know why? Because they know they can't vet them, and they don't want Hamas in their neighbourhood'
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who addressed the virtual meeting on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also pointed out that in response to the crisis in Gaza, India has sent 70 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and will continue its relief assistance.
Scenes of death and survival in the cities of Gaza and Israel.
Rescue workers help to pull a Palestinian child casualty from under the rubble of a house.
Neither the head of the Italian mission in Baghdad nor the foreign ministry in Rome were able to confirm the death.
Egyptian media reports said six people were injured when the missile hit a medical facility in Taba, a resort town adjacent to the Israeli city of Eilat.
Italian hostage Paolo Bosusco was released by the Maoists on Thursday, 29 days after he was abducted along with his countryman Claudio Colangelo by the Naxals in Odisha's Kandhamal district.
Three of the five civilians held hostage by militants came out safely on Monday evening even as security forces continued the siege around the mosque in south Kashmir's Palnu village, 80 km from Srinagar in Kulgam district.
A retired Indian colonel working with the United Nations was killed in Gaza when the vehicle he was travelling in came under attack in strife-torn Rafah, the 'first international' casualty for the world body since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Glimpses from Gaza, Israel and Lebanon as the war provoked by Hamas' horrific attack escalates.
Seven aid workers who were working for the World Central Kitchen, a charity delivering food to besieged Palestinians, were killed in the Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Tuesday. The victims comprised three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.
Terrorists holed up inside Mumbai's Taj and Trident-Oberoi hotels allowed 17 Russian hostages, including nine defence contractors, to leave after checking their passports.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday rejected Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's charge that the Centre has not offered any help to the state over handling of the Italian hostage crisis, saying he should not make statements without any basis.
The both governments recognise that a ground invasion is very likely and not telling Israel not to launch one at all, but rather hold off to try and see if additional diplomatic efforts can succeed.
'The whole team is motivated with what's happening in Palestine, it's a difficult time for all families. But we're professional players, we should keep it up the same way as we've been working in the last few weeks.'
Taliban terrorists have on Saturday night held 10-15 hostages, including security personnel, hours after launching an audacious attack on Pakistan Army's headquarters in nearby Rawalpindi that sparked a fierce gun battle in which a Brigadier and five other armymen were killed.
Three men, originally from Tamil Nadu, arrested by the Mumbai Police started their boat journey from Kuwait on January 28 and claimed to have taken the Saudi Arabia-Dubai-Pakistan route before entering Indian shores illegally, as per the police remand note.
President Barack Obama has condemned the murder of a Japanese hostage by the IS
Odisha government on Sunday said it was examining release of some rebels as demanded by Maoists and hoped the Italian hostage crisis would end soon, even as the fate of abducted Biju Janata Dal MLA remained unknown with a rebel-backed outfit yet to respond an invitation to join talks.
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that based on what he saw, it appears that the deadly explosion at the Gaza hospital was done by 'the other team' and not the Israeli military, accepting the Israeli version of the story pinning the blame for the blast on the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
The essence of the film is in its simplicity. All the characters in the film look real. You can find them in your neighbours, colleges, cafes, theatres, observes Hemant Waje.
'We have been held hostage because they think we are helping Americans,' Tilak Raj says in a video.
India is 'deeply concerned' at the deteriorating security situation and astounding loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict.
India, which remains a strategic partner for the United States, is free to decide on its stance on any particular crisis or contingency around the world, including in the Middle East, the White House has said.
Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a temporary four-day ceasefire to allow the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
'How can you shoot somebody raising a white flag, even if he's a fighter, when he's surrendered?'
After remaining in captivity for nine days, Malkangiri Collector R V Krishna was released on Thursday by Maoists, an official said, finally bringing to an end the tense hostage crisis in Orissa.
This is the third incident in the last three days when activists took at least 13 Posco officials into captivity when they tried to enter the proposed steel plant area
The UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to adopt a Brazil-led draft resolution that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict to allow full access for aid to the Gaza strip after the US vetoed the text.
Some students of Jawaharlal Nehru University were injured in a clash between two groups over the selection of election committee members, following which Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit on Friday said strict action will be taken against those involved irrespective of their political affiliation.
'An entire operation was running systematically prior to the revoking of Article 370.'
The People's Democratic Party and the National Conference -- the two Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners in Jammu and Kashmir -- will be taking on each other on the three Lok Sabha seats in the valley.
Police on Thursday filed a case against suspended head constable Giriprasad Sarma who had taken the Superintendent of Police of the Police Transport Organisation (PTO) E Lakshmi Narayana hostage.
The Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed, who is heading the group, said, "Negotiations are progressing very well. I am optimistic that there will be a positive outcome."
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances