Israel community announces death of 79-year-old hostage in Gaza

Members of Kibbutz Nir Oz and Israeli officials hold a conference calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to secure a deal (Reuters)
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Updated 20 August 2024
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Israel community announces death of 79-year-old hostage in Gaza

  • Palestinian militants had abducted Munder, his wife, daughter and grandson during the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel

Jerusalem: An Israeli community announced on Tuesday the death of hostage Avraham Munder in the Gaza Strip, saying he was “physically and mentally tortured” in captivity.
“Kibbutz Nir Oz announces with great sadness the murder of the late Avraham Munder, 79, in captivity in Gaza after suffering physical and mental torture for months,” the community said in a statement.
Palestinian militants had abducted Munder, his wife, daughter and grandson during the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel.
The other family members were released during the single, week-long truce of the war last November, while his son was killed on the day of the attack.

The Israeli military said in a statement Tuesday that its forces recovered the bodies of six hostage in an overnight operation in southern Gaza. It identified the hostages as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry, without saying when or how they died.
The attack led by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 40 the military and Israeli officials say are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 40,139 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which does not provide details of civilian and militant deaths.


Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations

Updated 02 January 2026
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Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations

  • Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others

ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.