Headline
Profiles If 20 Israeli Hostages Due For Release From Gaza Captivity

Twenty living Israeli hostages are due for release from captivity in Gaza under a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Militants kidnapped them during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel — the deadliest in the country’s history. Here are their profiles:
– Matan Angrest, 22 –
Sergeant Matan Angrest was captured in his tank near the border with the Gaza Strip after trying to stop Hamas commandos from crossing into Israel near the Nahal Oz base. Angrest, who comes from Kiryat Bialik in northern Israel, is a keen supporter of the Maccabi Haifa football team, according to his family.
A video published in April 2025 by his family shows the moment he was abducted from his tank. His family had planned a trip to Dubai to celebrate the end of his military service.
– Gali and Ziv Berman, 28–
The Berman twins were abducted in the youth area of the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which Hamas attackers set on fire. The inseparable brothers worked together in music production and supported the Maccabi Tel Aviv and Liverpool football clubs. Their parents and elder brother survived the attack.
– Elkana Bohbot, 36 –
Elkana Bohbot was one of the producers of the Supernova music festival, alongside his childhood friends Michael and Osher Waknin. Along with nearly 370 other people, they were killed in the Hamas attack on the site.
Married to a Colombian woman and father of one boy, Bohbot lived in Mevasseret Tzion, near Jerusalem. Colombian President Gustavo Petro granted him Colombian nationality in November 2023, a month after the attack.
His wife, Rebecca Gonzalez, said in February 2025 that she had received proof of life from former hostage Ohad Ben Ami, released on 8 February.
At the time of his abduction, Bohbot was planning to open an ice cream stall in a Tel Aviv market, according to his parents. In May, he appeared in a video circulated by Hamas alongside another hostage, Yossef-Haim Ohana. He did not speak but appeared visibly weak.
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– Rom Braslavski, 21 –
Rom Braslavski, an Israeli-German from Jerusalem, was working as a security guard at the Supernova music festival when it was attacked in the early hours of 7 October.
Between 10:30 a.m., when he last contacted his mother, and 1:30 p.m., when he disappeared, he stayed at the scene, helping to protect others, according to witnesses who escaped. Both his hands were injured during the attack.
In August 2025, Hamas ally Islamic Jihad published a video showing Braslavski looking frail and speaking under duress.
– Nimrod Cohen, 21 –
Hamas videos showed Nimrod Cohen being dragged with three other soldiers from his assault tank, which had faulty brakes, near the Nahal Oz kibbutz. The three other soldiers — Omer Neutra, Oz Daniel, and Shaked Dahan — were killed, and their bodies taken to Gaza. Dahan’s body was later repatriated to Israel.
Cohen, from Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, always carried a Rubik’s cube, which his mother now keeps — partially burned — from his tank. His parents have been active in raising awareness of the hostages’ plight and pressing for their release.
– David and Ariel Cunio, 35 and 28 –
Israeli-Argentinian brothers David and Ariel Cunio were kidnapped along with several relatives while hiding in the safe room of David’s home in the Nir Oz kibbutz. Gunmen set fire to the house to force them out, then took eight people hostage — the largest number from a single family in the 7 October attack. Six relatives have since been released.
Israeli film director Tom Shoval presented A Letter to David, a tribute, at the Berlin Film Festival in February. The documentary later won the Ophir Award, Israel’s most prestigious film honour.
In 2013, David and his twin brother Eitan starred in Shoval’s film Youth. Eitan escaped the attack by hiding in his shelter at Nir Oz. The brothers share identical tattoos — three small dark green stars on their wrists.
At the Berlin festival, several actors and directors held up a photo of David Cunio on the red carpet.
– Evyatar David, 24 –
Evyatar David’s parents learnt that he had been taken hostage into Gaza from a photo posted on Telegram, his face illuminated by torchlight.
He was at the Supernova festival with his childhood friend Guy Gilboa Dalal, who was also taken hostage and is believed to be alive.
A music lover from Kfar Saba in central Israel, David was working in a café and saving for a trip to Thailand before his abduction.
In August 2025, Hamas released a propaganda video showing him severely undernourished and holding a shovel, claiming he was digging his own grave.
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– Guy Gilboa Dalal, 24 –
Guy Gilboa Dalal was abducted from the Supernova festival, his first rave party, along with three friends, including Evyatar David.
His family quickly learnt of his kidnapping from a video showing him and David tied up in a Gaza tunnel.
A hostage freed in June during an Israeli army operation said Gilboa Dalal had been injured by his captors.
He and David were shown in a February 2025 Hamas video watching a hostage release ceremony before being locked in a car, pleading for their freedom.
On 5 September, he appeared in another Hamas video with hostage Alon Ohel in a tunnel. A lover of Japanese culture, he had been studying the language with hopes of visiting Japan one day.
– Maxim Herkin, 37 –
Israeli-Russian national Maxim Herkin moved to Israel from Ukraine with his mother. He lived in Tirat Carmel, northern Israel, and is the father of a five-year-old girl who lives with her mother in Russia.
Before being kidnapped from the Supernova festival, he messaged his mother: “All is well. I’m coming home.”
In spring 2025, Hamas’s armed wing released a video showing Herkin lying down and apparently injured, with his head and left arm covered in blood-stained bandages.
– Eitan Horn, 39 –
Eitan Horn, from Argentina, was kidnapped with his elder brother Yair from the latter’s home in Nir Oz kibbutz.
He lived in Kfar Saba and worked in education, involved in youth movements. His family had emigrated from Argentina years earlier.
His brother, Yair, who is diabetic, was released in late February 2025.
– Segev Kalfon, 27 –
Segev Kalfon, from Dimona in southern Israel, worked with his parents at their bakery in Arad, in the Negev desert.
A childhood friend who attended the Supernova festival with him said Kalfon was captured as he tried to hide in the bushes along Route 232, the only exit from the festival, running parallel to the Gaza border.
A released hostage told Kalfon’s family he had spent time in captivity with him.
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– Bar Kuperstein, 23 –
During the Hamas attack on the Supernova festival, army nurse Bar Kuperstein, who turned 23 in April, stayed behind to help the wounded before being abducted.
He was a festival staff member but was not on duty that day.
Videos showing him bound appeared soon after the attack.
Kuperstein, from Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, took on major responsibilities at home after his father, Tal Kuperstein, was left disabled in an accident. His father has since partially regained the ability to speak and move and has been longing for his son’s return.
A rescue worker like his father, Bar once saved his grandfather’s life during a heart attack — just two months before being taken hostage.
– Omri Miran, 48 –
Israeli-Hungarian therapeutic masseur Omri Miran was taken from his home in Nahal Oz kibbutz in front of his wife, Lichay, and their two small daughters.
He appeared in an undated Hamas video released on 27 April 2024, saying, “I have been in Hamas captivity for 202 days. The situation here is unpleasant and difficult, and there are many bombs.”
Appearing to speak under duress, he urged his family to pressure the Israeli government to reach a deal.
His father, Dani, told AFP he grew a beard in solidarity with his son. Miran later appeared in another Hamas video released on 23 April 2025.
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– Eitan Mor, 25 –
Security guard Eitan Mor was abducted from Supernova.
The son of a practising Jewish family in the Kiryat Arba settlement in the occupied West Bank, his father, Tzvika Mor, founded the Forum of Hope — a group of hostages’ parents opposed to a deal with Hamas.
– Yosef Haim Ohana, 25 –
Yosef-Haim Ohana, from Kiryat Malakhi in southern Israel, was working as a barman at Supernova and planned to study sports coaching.
He was seen trying to help injured people before attempting to flee. His brother, Acher-Yitzhak, died of cancer at age seven.
Ohana appeared in a Hamas video in May 2025 alongside hostage Elkana Bohbot.
– Alon Ohel, 24 –
A talented pianist with Serbian and German nationality, Alon Ohel planned to begin music studies after returning from a trip to Asia.
He was abducted at Supernova while trying to hide with three other young men.
From the village of Lavon in northern Israel, his family said in February 2025 that they had received proof of life from released hostages, who said he was wounded and untreated.
– Avinatan Or, 32 –
Dual British-Israeli national Avinatan Or comes from a religious Jewish family of seven children in the Shilo settlement, West Bank.
His partner, Noa Argamani, was abducted with him at Supernova but was freed in an Israeli military operation in June 2024.
He was planning to move in with her in Beersheba, where he studied engineering.
– Matan Zangauker, 25 –
Matan Zangauker was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz kibbutz with his Israeli-Mexican girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky, who was released in November 2023 during the first truce of the two-year war.
Zangauker’s mother, Einav, and Gritzewsky have since become prominent advocates for the hostages’ cause.
Zangauker enjoys aeromodelling and worked on the kibbutz’s medical cannabis farm.
Headline
Judge Orders Trump White House To Restore Access To Banned Media Outlets
A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore White House access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after the three news organisations challenged their exclusion from the presidential complex.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday, directing the White House to immediately return, reinstate and restore the press credentials of journalists from the three outlets.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed on Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which challenged President Donald Trump’s decision to bar their reporters from the White House.
Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing what he described as “FAKE NEWS” and negative coverage of his administration.
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The three organisations argued that the administration’s action violated their First Amendment rights and deprived their journalists of due process under the Fifth Amendment.
In his ruling, Kelly said the outlets were likely to succeed in showing that their press credentials had been revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.
The judge also rejected the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the restrictions.
“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote.
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He also noted that Trump had focused on the outlets’ reporting when announcing the ban rather than national security concerns.
“Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of plaintiffs’ reporting,” the judge wrote.
The administration had argued in court that access to the White House was a privilege rather than a right and that the outlets’ reporting raised concerns about national security and professionalism.
The Justice Department is expected to appeal the ruling.
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Trump had previously said he would probably allow the three organisations back into the White House if a court ruled against his decision.
The dispute began when reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House after their press credentials were revoked.
The decision also affected the White House television pool. CNN had been scheduled to travel with Trump to New York for the United Nations General Assembly as part of the pool, but its removal led the other participating television networks to suspend the pool in solidarity.
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Other media organisations also joined the legal challenge indirectly by filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the three outlets.
The case now moves forward with the temporary restraining order in place for 14 days. During that period, the court is expected to consider whether longer-lasting relief should be granted.
The ruling comes as Trump faces a series of high-profile events at the White House, including his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The administration and the three news organisations are expected to continue their legal arguments as the court considers the broader dispute over press access and the constitutional rights of journalists covering the president.
(TimeMagazine)
Headline
Man Charged After Fatal Southall Collision
A 20-year-old man has been charged after a fatal road collision in Southall, west London, which claimed the life of a 17-year-old passenger.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, following reports of a collision involving a Ford Mustang on South Road, Southall.
Officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and firefighters from the London Fire Brigade.
Despite efforts by emergency responders, 17-year-old passenger Ranbir Singh died at the scene.
His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
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Another passenger, a 26-year-old man, sustained serious injuries in the collision and remains in hospital, according to police.
The driver of the vehicle, Sukhveer Singh, 20, of Townsend Road, Southall, was arrested at the scene.
He was subsequently charged on Sunday, September 20, with causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.
He was also charged with driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a vehicle without insurance.
Singh appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21, and was remanded in custody.
He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday, October 19.
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Detective Inspector Fiaz Janjua, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a truly tragic incident in which a young man has lost his life and another remains in hospital with serious injuries.
“Our deepest sympathies remain with Ranbir’s family and friends, who continue to be supported by specially trained officers. during this extremely difficult time.
“While a man has now been charged in connection with this collision, our investigation remains ongoing and we are continuing to establish the full circumstances leading up to the incident.
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“I would ask anyone who witnessed the collision, the manner of driving beforehand, or the movements of the Ford Mustang in the Southall area during the early hours of Saturday, 19 September, to come forward.”
Police are particularly appealing to anyone who may have CCTV footage, doorbell recordings, mobile phone footage or dashcam recordings that could assist the investigation.
The Met urged anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference 01/8080469/26.
The force said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision.
(MetPolice)
Headline
Four Nations Back Permanent African Seat On UN Security Council
Four nations, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, have backed a permanent African seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), calling for urgent reform of the Council to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
The four countries, under the Group of Four (G4), made their position known in a joint statement issued after their foreign ministers met in New York on Tuesday on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The ministers said reform of the Security Council had become more necessary than ever, given the increasingly challenging global geopolitical environment.
They said the Council was currently unable to effectively discharge its core responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, with its representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and efficacy in question.
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According to them, the Council’s eight-decade-old structure was “not reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities” and had become an impediment to addressing present and future challenges to international peace and security.
The ministers stressed that expansion of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories was central to meaningful reform.
They called for greater representation of under-represented and unrepresented regions and groups, particularly Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The four nations also welcomed the reform model presented by the African Group during the Inter-governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform in the 80th session of the General Assembly.
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They reaffirmed their support for Africa’s case for enhanced representation on the Security Council, including in the permanent category.
The ministers, however, expressed concern over the slow pace of negotiations, noting that the IGN process had produced no concrete outcome towards substantive Security Council reform despite 18 years of discussions.
They also expressed reservations over the presentation of what they described as a “bridging proposal” before the commencement of text-based negotiations.
According to them, the proposal failed to take into account the position of a clear majority of UN member states in favour of expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.
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The ministers further maintained that consensus should not be the benchmark for decision-making on Security Council reform, citing the UN Charter and the mandate of the IGN.
They said Brazil, Germany, India and Japan would work with other reform-oriented groups to develop a consolidated model that reflects the views of the majority of UN member states.
The four countries said commencing text-based negotiations should be treated as a priority towards achieving substantive reform of the Security Council.
They said this would help restore the Council’s representativeness, legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness, while strengthening the multilateral system with the UN at its centre.
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The ministers also said discussions on reform should not be restricted to the IGN, expressing willingness to engage the wider UN membership through other platforms, including the General Assembly.
They pledged to continue coordinating closely during the 81st session of the General Assembly and directed their officials to follow up on the discussions.
Progress on the issue is expected to be reviewed at the next Director General-level meeting in New Delhi.
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