Update on Hamas-Israel War

The brutal execution of six hostages by Hamas in late August has heightened the urgency to free the 100+ hostages still held by the terror group nearly a year after the October 7. Hamas has a long history of murdering U.S. nationals dating back to its founding in the late 1980s. Here's what to know about the Americans killed by Hamas on and before October 7.

Here is what is known about the people taken hostage on October 7, the history of Hamas’ hostage-taking, how Israel has responded in the past, and the latest on hostages negotiations.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch reacts to the heartbreaking news of six Israeli hostages found dead in Gaza, including one Israeli American. Ted emphasizes the ongoing threat posed by Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of over 35 Americans since October 7.

This heartfelt conversation with Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of 23-year-old Hersh, was recorded before the 23-year-old, Israeli-American was murdered by Hamas terrorists in captivity in late August 2024. In this episode, Polin and Goldberg detail what they knew about their son’s abduction from the Supernova music festival on October 7 and the challenges they faced in trying to secure his rescue.

For years, Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid has been vocal about her anti-Israel views. While criticism of Israel is perfectly legitimate in public discourse, Hadid’s comments have often crossed the line, as she posts content that demonizes Israel and is antisemitic on her social media channels with millions of followers.

At the invitation of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, emphasizing the strong U.S.-Israel relationship, the shared interests of the two countries in battling Hamas, and the need to counter the Iranian regime’s threats throughout the Middle East. Netanyahu was joined at the Capitol by several freed hostages, hostage families, and heroic IDF soldiers.

Meet Within Our Lifetime - United for Palestine (WOL), the anti-Israel group that hasn’t been afraid to call for the death of Jews.

On May 10, the Biden administration released a report assessing Israel’s conduct amid the ongoing war Israel-Hamas war.
The 46-page State Department report, formally known as the National Security Memorandum 20, was ordered by President Biden earlier this year to verify whether seven different countries - including Israel – adhere to international law in their use of U.S.-made weapons.

Adding another dangerous twist to the Israel-Hamas War and its impact, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced he is simultaneously seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three leaders of the genocidal terror group Hamas.

Jacob Magid, U.S. Bureau Chief for the Times of Israel, provides his take on Israel's efforts to destroy Hamas in Gaza, the U.S-Israel relations, the anti-Israel campus protests, the Israeli public’s reaction to rising antisemitism abroad, and the challenges he has faced as a journalist since October 7.

Two initiatives that claim to help the Palestinian people are currently making waves at the UN. Both support the unilateral and unconditional advancement of Palestinian statehood. Sadly, if successful, these resolutions would have the opposite effect, setting back the fulfillment of Palestinian national aspirations.

In an interview this morning on MSNBC, AJC CEO Ted Deutch addressed several critical issues about Israel’s mission to rescue the hostages and ensure that Hamas cannot carry out another 10/7 attack.

By air, land, and sea. That’s how Israel and its allies have tried to sidestep Hamas terrorists in Gaza "to flood the area with supplies" for Palestinian civilians. Here's everything you need to know about Israel's humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict has issued a report validating the heinous and sadistic crimes committed against women during the October 7 terror attacks and against hostages held by Hamas since that day.

Sometimes the rest of the world feels far away here in San Diego. We watch the crises across the globe and would like to think “no, not here, we’re not affected.” If only that was the case with antisemitism, which knows no boundaries. And in communities where antisemitism has been left to rage unchecked, all of society suffers.

In recent years, the U.S. has witnessed a troubling resurgence of antisemitism, echoing a dark chapter in history the world vowed never to repeat.
The State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report released by the American Jewish Committee, provides a sobering assessment of the challenges facing Jewish communities in Indiana and around the country.

The Gaza Strip is a 141-square-mile Palestinian enclave located near Israel’s southwestern tip. After the Israeli withdrawal in 2005, the coastal territory has been under the control of the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group. Hamas has launched several significant attacks against Israel from its base in Gaza, including in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2021, and most recently the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israelis, wounded over 12,000, took 134 hostages, and thousands of rockets.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is an anti-Zionist student organization in America that has been responsible for numerous recent anti-Israel protests on college campuses across the country.

In Philadelphia, we are all too aware of how antisemitism has affected Jews, especially since Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and slaughtered more than 1,200 innocent civilians and kidnapped 240 men, women, children and babies.

For many Jews, our world was already an unsettling place rife with Jew-hatred prior to the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in Israel. As we’ve seen time and time again, when tensions spike in the Middle East, a spike in antisemitism accompanies it in the U.S. and around the world.