Israel at war: What happened on day 51?

Hamas Official Hisham Qasem, in an interview on Turkish station TRT TV on November 26, claimed that the Thai nationals kidnapped to Gaza were taken for their own safety.

Qasem, in a talk translated by the Middle East Media Research Interview, claimed that Turkey and Hamas had “discussed the release of some of the [Thai] detainees.

Hamas Official Hisham Qasem Explains the Abduction of Thai Nationals to Gaza: We Detained Them for Their Own Safety Due to the Indiscriminate Israeli Shelling of the Area #Hamas #Gaza #Palestinians #Thailand #hostages pic.twitter.com/RwntylJev0

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) November 27, 2023

“As we said at the beginning of the October 7 operation, these [Thai nationals] were detained for their own protection, because on October 7, the forces of the Zionist army were shelling the houses with people inside - whether members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, [foreign] laborers, or even the Zionist inhabitants of those settlements.”

Hamas conspiracy theories

The Hamas official's false claims that Israel attacked its own people have been mirrored by the Palestinian Authority's leadership and have circulated online by conspiracists. Extensive documentation has proved that the atrocities committed on October 7 were done so by members of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Haaretz denying claims that they reported Israeli authorities killed civilians on October 7. (credit: screenshot)

“This was admitted in the initial investigation of the Interior Ministry,” Qasem goes on to claim, adding that it was reported in the Israeli media sources Haaretz and Maariv. Haaretz has denied ever publishing such a finding and no record verifying Qasem’s claims in Maariv's records. 

Qasem also claimed that the release of hostages was thanks to the “blessed mediation by Turkey” despite media reports stating that Iran had brokered the deal to have the foreign nationals released.

Israel's government has received a list of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza who are expected to be released on Tuesday under an extended truce deal with the terrorist group, Israel's Army Radio reported, citing the Israeli prime minister's office.

The Axios news website reported the list contained 10 hostages.

There was no immediate comment from the prime minister's office.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the man behind the planning of the October 7 massacre, spoke to Israeli hostages while they were held in Gaza, one Israeli who was released from captivity this week told her family, Israeli media reported on Monday evening.

Sinwar allegedly arrived in a tunnel where she and other hostages were being held, checked how they are, and told them in fluent Hebrew that they would not be harmed. 

Israel's Channel 12 claims that this report was verified by her investigators in Israel's security systems.

Current concerns among Israel's defense and military analysts relate to Sinwar's plans for the rest of this war - namely, the exploitation of the humanitarian crisis among Palestinian civilians in order to advance Hamas's terror goals.

Sinwar's Israeli interrogation of 1989

The use of his people's suffering for the terrorist organization's gain is nothing new to Sinwar, whose 1989 police interrogation in Israel was recently unveiled, during which he expressed a deep antipathy for the Palestinian people. 

A picture of Yahya Sinwar is shown during Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's press conference on November 4, 2023 (credit: ARIEL HERMONY/DEFENSE MINISTRY)

For example, in 1987, Sinwar wanted to experiment with dropping explosive charges. Of all places, he chose Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as a dummy target.

The eleven hostages released by Hamas earlier this evening are on their way to Israel, the IDF spokesman said, citing information from the Red Cross. 

Hamas said on Monday that it is willing to negotiate over the release of captive soldiers, but that this is not yet included in discussions, and that different conditions would be attached to the release of soldiers than are attached to the release of civilians. 

Israel has confirmed the identities of the 11 hostages that were released Monday evening, after 51 days of being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group includes nine children and two mothers. 

The Cunio family 

Emma Cunio (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Sisters Sharon Aloni Cunio, 33, and Danielle Aloni, 44, along with Sharon’s husband David Cunio, 34, were taken hostage when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. 

Sharon and David’s three-year-old twin daughters, Emma and Yuli, and Danielle’s five-year-old daughter Emilia were also taken captive. 

The family initially told their relatives that they were safe and that they had sealed themselves inside a safe room as rocket sirens sounded that morning, but they later told relatives that terrorists had entered their home. 

Sharon sent a voice message telling them that their house was on fire. Their last communication was at 11:20 a.m. 

Danielle and her daughter Emilia were released on Friday. David is still being held captive in Gaza. 

The Engel family 

Mike Engel (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Ronen Engel, 54, his wife Karina, 51, and their two daughters, Mika, 18, and Yuval, 10, had been missing since Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of October 7. 

The family hid in a safe room and their calls to relatives indicated they were aware of the horrific rampage taking place in their kibbutz. 

While on a phone call with her sister, Paula, Karina suddenly mentioned the terrorists' presence and then the call cut out. That was their last communication. 

A video from Gaza was posted to Ronen’s Facebook page later that day and the family’s phones were traced to Gaza. 

Mika volunteers with special needs children and Yuval enjoys horseback riding. Both sisters share a love of animals. 

Amit Shani 

Amit Shani, 16 (credit: Bring Them Home Now)

Amit Shani was the only member of his family taken hostage when terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. 

As the terrorists burned homes and slaughtered residents, Amit’s mother Tal, 47, brought her children into their home’s safe room - Amit’s bedroom. 

Dozens of gunmen from the Hamas terrorist organization broke down the door of the safe room and ordered the family to leave as their home filled with smoke. They marched the family down a road and Amit was ordered into a car. 

Tal cried and begged the terrorists to leave her son and take her instead but Amit was taken to Gaza and held hostage for 51 days. 

Amit loves running and surfing. 

The Calderon family 

Erez Calderon (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Three members of the Calderon family had been missing from Kibbutz Nir Oz since October 7. Ofer, 53, and two of his children, Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12, were taken hostage when Hamas terrorists attacked the kibbutz, killing over 100 residents and taking around 80 hostages. 

Gaya Calderon, 21, the older sister of Sahar and Erez, received a message from her family that they were trying to hide outside but later saw a video of Erez being taken away by terrorists. 

Erez Calderon turned 12 in captivity on October 27. 

The Yaakov family

Yagil Yaakov (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

Brothers Or Yaakov, 16, and Yagil Yaakov, 12, were sleeping alone at their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas terrorists attacked on the morning of October 7. 

The two boys hid a safe room and called their mother, whispering to her on the phone. 

When the terrorists entered their home, Or tried to hold the door of the safe room closed but was overpowered. 

On November 9, Yagil Yaakov was shown in a propaganda video posted by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.

Your visit to Israel @ElonMusk is very important in these difficult days. Thank you for a candid and open conversation. You stand at the forefront of global progress with the most advanced technologies on the planet, while unfortunately social media platforms - including some you… pic.twitter.com/mtUg7Q7RUx

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) November 27, 2023

Arabic spokesman for the IDF Avichay Adraee said Monday evening that the Bibas family, who were abducted from Israel on October 7, are not in the custody of Hamas. They are instead being held in the Khan Younis area by a different Palestinian group.

Jordan and Shiri Bibas were kidnapped along with their two sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, ten months old, into Gaza during Hamas's attack, and none of them have been released. 

The 11 hostages released by Hamas on Monday - 9 children and 2 mothers - are in the custody of the Red Cross, the aid group said. They are set to return to Israel.