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HERZLIYA: Two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that triggered the war in Gaza, Israel has yet to recover 48 of the hostages taken that day, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive. A new US-supported peace initiative has renewed hopes of securing their release.

Among those freed earlier this year is Eli Sharabi, 53, who said he was held for 16 months in tunnels under Gaza. He was released in February as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Only after his release did Sharabi learn that his wife and two teenage daughters had been killed during the Oct. 7 assault on Kibbutz Be’eri. “There can be no closure,” he said, “until all the hostages return.”

According to Israeli officials, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and abducted 251 others during the Oct. 7 attack. Most hostages have since been freed through ceasefires or negotiated exchanges.

Israeli Police and military inquiries have confirmed that some Israeli civilians were unintentionally killed by Israeli forces during the initial fighting, as troops attempted to repel the Hamas-led attackers and prevent abductions during the Oct. 7 attack. Officials have said the deaths occurred amid crossfire and confusion during the surprise assault.

Inside Israel, pressure has been building on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the war and secure the release of those still held captive. Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and other cities, calling for a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. Protesters say continued military operations in Gaza endanger the hostages’ lives and deepen Israel’s international isolation.

The Israel Defense Forces have also admitted to mistakenly killing three Israeli hostages - Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz - in December 2023 in Gaza’s Sheijaiyah neighborhood. Troops misidentified the men as a threat amid heavy fighting. The military called the incident a “tragic mistake” and launched an internal investigation.

Sharabi’s account appears in Hostage, a memoir published in Hebrew earlier this year and released in English on Tuesday. In the book, he describes confinement in underground tunnels with limited access to washing and food, and occasional beatings by guards. He said meals consisted mainly of bread and that he weighed 44 kilograms (97 pounds) upon his release.

The war has drawn extensive international criticism. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, citing the scale of civilian deaths, destruction, and humanitarian collapse.

Israel’s military response has killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory. Large parts of the enclave have been destroyed, and international organizations report that most residents have been displaced and face severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. The United Nations has warned that ongoing blockades and destruction of infrastructure have created conditions of famine in parts of Gaza, with millions at risk of severe food insecurity.

Sharabi said he was initially held in an apartment before being moved underground, where he was detained with three other hostages, including 24-year-old Alon Ohel. The group, he said, developed routines to maintain morale and physical activity.

Sharabi now advocates for the release of remaining hostages and has met with international officials, including former US President Donald Trump, to raise awareness. His efforts, he said, are motivated by concern for Ohel, who appeared in a recent video released by Hamas.

“I hope those in positions of power will act to end the war and bring the captives home,” Sharabi said.

(With AP)

PARIS: An Egyptian antiquities professor and ex-tourism minister is facing off against a Congolese economist who promoted schooling in refugee camps in a race to become the new director of UNESCO.
Whoever wins will inherit a world body reeling from the Trump administration’s recent decision to pull the United States out of UNESCO, portending a big budget shortfall at the agency best known for its World Heritage sites around the globe.
UNESCO’s executive board begins voting Monday to recommend either Khaled el-Enany or Firmin Édouard Matoko for the position of director-general. The decision by the board, which represents 58 of the agency’s 194 member states, is expected to be finalized by UNESCO’s general assembly next month.
Noble ambitions and persistent problems
In addition to choosing and protecting World Heritage sites and traditions, the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization works to ensure education for girls, promotes Holocaust awareness and funds scientific research in developing countries, among other activities. Outgoing UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay notably led a high-profile effort to rebuild the ancient Iraqi city of Mosul after it was devastated under the Daesh group.
UNESCO has also long been plagued by accusations of mismanagement and waste.
Trump argues that the agency, which voted in 2011 to admit Palestine as a member, is too politicized and anti-Israel. US supporters of UNESCO, meanwhile, say withdrawing Washington’s support allows China to play an outsized role in the world body.
Meanwhile the vote comes at a time when the whole 80-year-old UN system is facing financial challenges and deepening divisions over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Frontrunner wants to be UNESCO’s first Arab leader
El-Enany worked as a tour guide through ancient Egyptian sites, earned a doctorate in France and served as Egypt’s tourism minister and antiquities minister.
Arab countries have long wanted to lead UNESCO, and el-Enany is seen as having a good chance of making that happen. The African Union and Arab League are among those that have expressed support for his bid.
He would be expected to focus on UNESCO’s cultural programs if chosen, and has pledged to continue UNESCO’s work to fight antisemitism and religious intolerance. Israel left UNESCO at the end of 2018.
While he has no UN experience, his backers say that could help him make tough reform decisions.
Challenger wants to calm tensions
Republic of Congo’s candidate Firmin Matoko, 69, spent most of his career working for UNESCO, including stints in Rwanda soon after the genocide, during peace negotiations in El Salvador and beyond.
He says he wants UNESCO to move away from political tensions and focus on technical solutions. He described helping train teachers at a refugee camp in Somalia in the 1990s, and meeting one of them years later after she became education minister. That, he says, is one reason UNESCO matters.
He says he is ready to cut jobs or programs if needed, and pledges “budgetary rigor.”
Like el-Enany, he wants to tap more private sector money to make up for the loss of US and other funding, notably from BRICS countries.
At the same time, he said, “I will do everything so that the United States comes back, while taking into account what they reproach UNESCO for.”