Kidnapping and Hostages

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      Woman Lured, Drugged and Stole From Older Men in Deadly Scheme, U.S. Says

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      The 43-year-old woman was arrested in Mexico after a “romance scam on steroids,” an F.B.I. agent said.A 43-year-old Las Vegas woman has been arrested in Mexico on charges that she lured at least four older men on dating websites, drugged them and tried to steal millions of dollars from them in a deadly scheme, the authorities said Friday.The woman, Aurora Phelps, was charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death in the scheme, which the F.B.I. said had led to at least three deaths.Spencer L. Evans, the top F.B.I. agent in Las Vegas, said Friday that the investigation was “ongoing” and that Ms. Phelps might face more charges in the United States and Mexico.In one case, Ms. Phelps drugged a man in Las Vegas after meeting him online, took him to Mexico City and used his credit card to rent a hotel room, where he died, according to a 21-count indictment unsealed this month.Ms. Phelps pushed the man, who was “zonked out of his mind” on drugs, in a wheelchair as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at a pedestrian crossing, Mr. Evans said in an interview on Friday.She took her daughter on the trip to Mexico City, in November 2022, according to the authorities. She had drugged the man during a lunch in Las Vegas one day after meeting him on an online dating service, according to the indictment, filed in federal court in Nevada.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Hamas Failed to Return the Body of a Hostage. What Now?

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      The Palestinian armed group said it had handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas along with her two young children and another man. Israel said forensic testing found that it wasn’t her.Israel said on Friday that one of the bodies Hamas handed over as part of the cease-fire deal did not belong to an Israeli woman taken hostage in 2023, as the Palestinian militant group had claimed.The revelation prompted further alarm over the future of the brittle truce and hostage-for-prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel. Here’s what we know so far.Who were the hostages?Hamas said on Thursday that it had handed over the remains of four hostages: Shiri Bibas, 32; her two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir Bibas, less than a year old; and Oded Lifshitz, 83. All four were kidnapped from Nir Oz, a village near Gaza that was devastated in Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.For many Israelis, the Bibas family had become emblematic of the brutality of the Hamas attack. Footage of a terrified Ms. Bibas clutching her two children while being led away by Palestinian gunmen has been seared into the Israeli public consciousness.Hamas claimed that all four hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes. But Israel said that three of the four returned on Thursday — which were identified through DNA testing as belonging to Mr. Lifshitz and the two Bibas children — had been murdered by their captors.What happened on Thursday?Hamas handed four coffins to the International Committee of the Red Cross in a televised ceremony. Each coffin bore the photo of a captive whose body was supposed to be turned over to Israel, including Ms. Bibas.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      6 Living Hostages Will Be Released to Israel This Weekend, Hamas Says

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      The militant group’s chief negotiator also said Hamas would increase the number of living hostages it would release on Saturday to six from three.Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, said in a speech on Tuesday that militants intend to hand over the remains of four Israeli hostages to Israel on Thursday in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.Mr. Hayya said that members of the Bibas family would be among the four bodies handed over to Israel on Thursday. The three remaining members of the Bibas family in Gaza include Shiri Bibas and her two children.The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that the bodies of four Israelis would be returned on Thursday, but officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about whether the Bibas family would be among them. The Israeli military had said until recently that there were grave concerns for the lives of Ms. Bibas and her children, though it had not confirmed their deaths.Israeli officials had said earlier on Tuesday that they expected the remains of Israeli hostages to be returned on Thursday, though they did not specify that members of the Bibas family would be among them.The number of living hostages scheduled to be released on Saturday will be increased to six from three, Mr. al-Hayya and the Israeli prime minister’s office said. More

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      Israel and Hamas Make 6th Exchange, Keeping Cease-Fire Intact for Now

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      Days after the fragile truce appeared to be teetering, Hamas freed three Israeli hostages as Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners. But it is far from clear whether the deal will reach a second phase.Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, prolonging a fragile cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that appeared to be teetering only days ago.The hostages — Alexander Troufanov, 29, known as Sasha; Iair Horn, 46; and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, one of the few Americans still held in Gaza — were noticeably thinner and paler after spending 16 months in captivity. They had been abducted from the Israeli border village of Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the war in Gaza.But they did not appear as emaciated as the three hostages released last Saturday, whose condition prompted outrage and horror in Israel.Palestinian militants once again used the exchange, the sixth carried out under the first phase of the cease-fire, to stage a show intended to demonstrate that they still dominate Gaza, despite Israel’s devastating bombardment and ground invasion in response to the 2023 attack.Dozens of gun-toting fighters affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad forced Mr. Troufanov, Mr. Horn and Mr. Dekel-Chen to mount a stage in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and to give speeches in Hebrew, with portraits of Hamas leaders on the stage behind them.The hostages being freed — Mr. Horn, 46, Mr. Dekel-Chen, 36, and Mr. Troufanov, 29 — on a stage erected by Hamas in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Saher Alghorra for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Relief in Israel as Newly Released Hostages Appear to Be in Better Shape

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      Hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to watch the televised handover of three hostages from Gaza, cheering, waving Israeli flags and shedding tears of joy — a big change from the tears of shock and anguish prompted by a similar release a week ago, when the hostages were clearly in poor physical condition.“Three pieces have returned to my heart,” said Doron Zexer, a prominent advocate for the hostages, part of the crowd watching the ceremony in Gaza where the Red Cross received the three Israelis — Sasha Trupanov, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Iair Horn.At last week’s release, the condition of the hostages set off shock waves across Israel, prompting many to compare them to Holocaust survivors.That fueled pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to secure the release of the remaining hostages as quickly as possible, and contributed to an emotional week in Israel. Hamas initially threatened to delay handing over any more captives, nearly derailing a cease-fire agreement.But Saturday’s release went ahead as planned. There appeared to be fewer people gathered in Hostages Square — a plaza in Tel Aviv where families of the captives and their supporters have gone each week to watch live broadcasts of the hostage releases — than on previous release days.Yair Horn, one of the three hostages released from Gaza on Saturday, being escorted by a Palestinian fighter.Saher Alghorra for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Israeli Troops Withdraw From Netzarim Corridor in Gaza

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      Israel’s military withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor under the cease-fire with Hamas. During the war, troops patrolled the zone that splits the territory, preventing evacuated Palestinians from returning north.Israel’s military withdrew Sunday from a key corridor dividing the Gaza Strip, leaving nearly all of the territory’s north as required by a tenuous cease-fire with Hamas ahead of any negotiations for a longer-lasting agreement.The military’s departure from the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza came as the Israeli government sent a delegation to Qatar over the weekend to discuss the next group of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed during the cease-fire agreement’s initial phase, which came into effect last month and is ongoing. The gaunt appearances of three Israeli hostages who were released on Saturday, stoking public comparisons to Holocaust victims, heaped new pressure on the negotiations.In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli military said troops were “implementing the agreement” to leave the corridor and allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to continue returning home to northern Gaza.Two Israeli military officials and a soldier in Gaza who were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly or by name said the troops had already left the Netzarim Corridor by Sunday morning.Hamas also said that Israeli troops had departed from the Netzarim Corridor, saying in a statement that it was “a victory for the will of our people.”A drone view after Israeli forces withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday.ReutersWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      I Do Not Want Revenge for My Father’s Death

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      On a warm October night 12 years ago, my father, Yaya Ofer, was murdered by two Palestinian terrorists. They attacked him at home, at night, with axes, landing 41 blows on his body. His killing was planned. My father, who had retired as a colonel in the Israeli Army, had been the central figure in my childhood. As an adult, I loved hiking with him all over this country and meeting people from every background. In one evening all that was gone. The attackers were sentenced to life in prison. Now, as part of the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, one of those men will walk free.I have come to peace with his freedom.Many of the 1,000 prisoners who are being released in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages have the blood of people like my father on their hands, some of it barely dry. Behind every heartwarming video of a hostage embracing family members is a family like mine, being forced to relive our own grief.Knowing that the man who killed my father will walk out of prison stirs complex emotions, but I know it is the right decision to release these prisoners, if that is what it takes to save the hostages who have been held for almost 500 days. I believe nothing could be more sacred than bringing the hostages home — not my grief, which will not end, and not even my father, whose life I cannot restore. Not if we can bring back to life my fellow countrymen who are still held in the tunnels under Gaza.I hope this hostage-prisoner exchange will bring an end to this long and terrible war that has been thrust upon millions of people on both sides who did not choose it. And yet I am terribly worried that when the exchanges are finished, when the troops withdraw, we will discover that Israelis and Palestinians are now farther from peace than at any point in our history.I come from a family of peaceniks. My paternal grandfather, born in Haifa, helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp with the British Army. My maternal grandfather survived the Holocaust in Europe. He emigrated after the war to Israel and pioneered treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome.After my father’s death I, too, wanted peace, not revenge. So I got involved in the peace-building community, including the Parents Circle-Family Forum — a group of bereaved families, Israelis and Palestinians, who have all lost loved ones, brutally, in this endless conflict. In the friendships I formed, I sought out not just Israelis, but also Palestinians, to understand their loss and mine. It was an antidote to spiraling into a state of depression, fear and hatred. Around the time of my father’s murder, I was helping to organize the annual Jerusalem Season of Culture project, which brings together Jews and Arabs for shared cultural projects including music, art and theater.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Families of Israeli Hostages Call on Netanyahu to Reach Gaza Cease-Fire Deal

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      The families of several Israeli hostages held in Gaza issued a sharply worded televised statement on Saturday in which they called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to seize the moment after this week’s killing of the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, to reach a hostage and cease-fire deal to bring home their loved ones.“Netanyahu, there are no excuses left,” said Einav Zangauker, whose 24-year-old son, Matan, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, adding, “You got your victory photo in Gaza.”One by one, the speakers also stressed the danger their family members in Gaza face and voiced their anger at what they see as the abandonment of the hostages by the government. Of the 101 hostages still in Gaza, at least a third are believed to be dead.“Netanyahu, after Sinwar’s elimination, it’s obvious to everyone that the lives of the hostages are in danger,” said Ifat Calderon, whose cousin Ofer Calderon is being held in Gaza. “We all understand there is a narrow window of opportunity — and maybe the last — to save lives.”Ms. Zangauker, who has been a vocal critic of Mr. Netanyahu throughout the war, said that the war’s goal, “which was to create the conditions for getting our hostages back, has been achieved.”Mr. Netanyahu has stated throughout the war that Israel’s goals are to return the hostages and destroy Hamas’s capabilities to ensure Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israelis. During the Hamas-led attacks on Israel last October, about 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken into Gaza.Several of the family members said they worried Mr. Netanyahu was dragging his feet on ending the war and that he feared his right-wing coalition partners, who have exhorted him to continue fighting Hamas and without whom Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition might collapse.Addressing the prime minister, Ms. Calderon said, “If you do not take advantage of the current opportunity, if you do not place a new Israeli initiative on the table, that will clearly mean you have decided to abandon our hostages in order to extend the war and maintain your reign.”The prime minister’s office could not be reached for comment. But Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly depicted Hamas as the primary obstacle to an agreement.“This war can end tomorrow,” Mr. Netanyahu said on Thursday after the death of Mr. Sinwar. “It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.” On Friday, Mr. Sinwar’s longtime deputy said that Hamas would not soften its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.But hostage family members stressed on Saturday that Mr. Sinwar’s death was a turning point, and they added that they wanted Mr. Netanyahu to do more to bring their family members home.“Stop trying to sell your fake spins to the public as if you are doing everything to bring back the hostages,” said Yehuda Cohen, the father of Nimrod Cohen, another Israeli hostage. More