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
Xenophobia: FG To Repatriate Over 1,000 Nigerians From South Africa
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says more than 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa have undergone screening for voluntary repatriation being facilitated by the Federal Government.
Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NiDCOM, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday.
Dabiri-Erewa said the screening was being conducted jointly by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria and South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.
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According to her, Saturday marked the third day of the exercise for Nigerians intending to voluntarily return home from South Africa.
“The turnout at the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria has been truly impressive.
“The screening started early on Saturday, and Nigerians came out in large numbers to participate in the process.
“In spite of the emotional atmosphere surrounding the prevailing tensions and uncertainty, the exercise has been smooth, peaceful, organised, and highly professional under the supervision of the Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner, Amb. Olatunde Ajayi.
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“More than 1,000 Nigerians have registered for the voluntary evacuation, and many more are registering.
“All things being equal, the flights are expected to commence next week through Air Peace, as President Bola Tinubu has approved funds for that purpose,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa added that five flights are expected to be deployed for the repatriation, with the first batch of evacuees scheduled to depart for Nigeria next week.
NAN reports that the repatriation of Nigerians is coming amid safety concerns of foreign nationals following recent anti-immigrant protests in parts of South Africa.
Headline
Gunmen Shoot 12 People Near Ohio Festival In US
At least 12 people were injured in a shooting near a community festival in the US state of Ohio, prompting a police search for those responsible.
The incident occurred on Saturday near the Old West End Festival in Toledo, according to the Toledo Police Department.
Police said officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 5:37 p.m. local time near the festival grounds.
In an update, authorities said 10 of the victims were in stable condition, while two remained in critical condition.
READ ALSO:US Plans To Use Frozen Iranian Assets To Compensate Gulf Allies
Speaking on the incident, Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe said preliminary investigations suggest the shooting involved two individuals.
“It appeared that two people fired weapons and they were probably shooting at each other,” he said, adding that the victims range in age from 16 to 61 years.
Earlier, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz told local broadcaster WTOL 11 that all of the victims were expected to survive.
The Old West End Festival is a two-day annual event that celebrates one of the largest historic districts in the United States. Activities include live music, food vendors, shopping, house tours, and other community attractions.
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Police said investigators are focusing on the area around Delaware Avenue and Robinwood Avenue, where festival activities were taking place.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show festival attendees running for safety as multiple gunshots rang out. Other footage showed emergency responders attending to injured individuals and transporting some victims on stretchers. The videos have not been independently verified.
Reacting to the incident, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed concern and offered support to those affected.
READ ALSO: Gunmen Open Fire On Ogoni Monarch In Rivers
“I am deeply concerned about the situation in Toledo tonight,” he said.
“Summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence. Fran and I are praying for everyone impacted by the incident at the Old West End Festival, and we are confident that law enforcement will locate the suspects involved in this senseless crime.”
Police have not announced any arrests and continue to search for the suspects.
Headline
US Plans To Use Frozen Iranian Assets To Compensate Gulf Allies
The United States (US) Treasury Department is considering the use of frozen Iranian assets to help Gulf allies recover from damage linked to attacks by Iran during the ongoing conflict, according to a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s position.
The source told CBS News on Saturday that the Treasury intends to explore all available legal authorities to make Iranian assets accessible for rebuilding and repair efforts related to any future damage caused by Tehran.
According to the source, Bessent has directed the Treasury Department to obtain detailed estimates from Gulf allies on the costs of repairing damage attributed to Iran since the conflict began.
READ ALSO:Strait Of Hormuz: Pakistan Thanks Trump For Pausing ‘Project Freedom’
The department is also assessing whether Iranian assets could be used to fund repairs for damage already sustained by Gulf countries during the war.
The source, however, said it remains unclear which specific Iranian assets could be utilised. These could include frozen cash held in foreign bank accounts or physical assets such as oil tankers.
The development comes as indirect peace talks between the United States and Iran continue.
READ ALSO: I Have To Be Involved In Choosing Iran’s Next Leader – Trump
Iran has maintained that any agreement would require the removal of sanctions and the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen abroad.
Since the conflict erupted in late February, Iran has carried out intermittent missile and drone attacks targeting Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
The reported Treasury proposal signals a possible shift in how the United States may seek to address the financial impact of the conflict on its regional partners while discussions with Tehran continue.
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