Israel intercepts two missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas’s armed wing released a video on Saturday showing an Israeli-American hostage alive, in which he criticizes the Israeli government for failing to secure his release.
Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum identified him as Edan Alexander, a soldier in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border when he was abducted by Palestinian militants during their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
AFP was unable to determine when the video was filmed.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, published the more than three-minute clip showing the hostage seated in a small, enclosed space.
In the video, he says he wants to return home to celebrate the holidays.
Israel is currently marking Passover, the holiday that commemorates the biblical liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Alexander, who turned 21 in captivity, was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in the US state of New Jersey, returning to Israel after high school to join the army.
“As we begin the holiday evening in the USA, our family in Israel is preparing to sit around the Seder table,” Alexander’s family said in a statement released by the forum.
“Our Edan, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Golani Brigade to defend the country and its citizens, is still being held captive by Hamas.
“When you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other hostages are not home,” the family added.
The family did not give a green light for the media to broadcast the footage.

Alexander appears to be speaking under duress in the video, making frequent hand gestures as he criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to secure his release.
The video was released hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz announced military control of what it called the new “Morag axis” corridor of land between the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis.
Katz also outlined plans to expand Israel’s ongoing offensive across much of the territory.
In a separate statement earlier Saturday, Hamas said Israel’s Gaza operations endangered not only Palestinian civilians but also the remaining hostages.
The offensive not only “kills defenseless civilians but also makes the fate of the occupation’s prisoners (hostages) uncertain,” Hamas said.
During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian militants took 251 hostages.
Fifty-eight hostages remain in captivity, including 34 whom the Israeli military says are dead.
During a recent ceasefire that ended on March 18 when Israel resumed air strikes on Gaza, militants released 33 hostages, among them eight bodies.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Gaza’s health ministry said Saturday at least 1,563 Palestinians had been killed since March 18 when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,933.
 

AMMAN: Jordanian food manufacturing companies will take part in the Saudi Food Manufacturing 2025 exhibition, which opens on Sunday in Riyadh, Jordan News Agency reported.

Organized for the second time by the Jordan Exporters Association, the kingdom’s participation highlights efforts to boost national exports and explore new opportunities in one of the region’s most dynamic sectors, JNA added.

The three-day event will feature more than 550 international brands, with national pavilions representing countries such as France, the Netherlands, the UK, Turkiye, India, Switzerland, Spain, Pakistan, Egypt, China and Italy.

JEA Chairman Ahmed Khudari said that Jordan’s involvement in the exhibition is part of broader efforts to diversify export markets and keep pace with global advancements in food manufacturing technologies and innovations.

“This is a key opportunity for Jordanian companies to promote their products, forge international partnerships and explore new marketing avenues,” Khudari said in a statement on Saturday.

“The Saudi market is one of the most important destinations for Jordanian industrial exports, thanks to the strong bilateral relations and geographic proximity between the two kingdoms,” he added.

Khudari highlighted the significant progress made by the Jordanian industry in recent years, citing improvements in product quality and competitive pricing that have enabled exports to reach more than 150 markets globally.

He added that growing industrial exports play a pivotal role in driving economic development, attracting investment, generating employment and boosting the kingdom’s foreign currency reserves.

Khudari also urged Jordanian food manufacturers to capitalize on the exhibition’s expected high turnout of international exhibitors, brand owners, experts and traders.

The JEA’s participation is supported through collaboration with the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, as well as Export House, as part of a joint effort to strengthen Jordan’s presence in strategic international markets and expand the global footprint of its food manufacturing sector.