International
Hamas announces the names of the three Israeli hostages who will leave Gaza tomorrow
The spokesman for the Hamas al-Qasam Brigades, Abu Obeida, announced this Friday the name of the three hostages who will be released tomorrow from the Gaza Strip, including one with dual German-Israeli nationality.
The chosen captives are the German-Israeli Ohad Ben Ami, 56 years old and kidnapped along with his wife, Raz Ben Ami (already released), from the Kibutz Beeri; Eli Sharabi, 53, who lost his children and wife in the Hamas attack on the same kibutz on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, 34 years old and forcibly taken at the Nova festival.
In return, a total of 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released, although it is not yet known how many of them will be delivered to the occupied West Bank, returned to Gaza or deported to third countries such as Turkey or Egypt.
“After the Palestinian resistance handed over the names of the enemy’s prisoners, tomorrow 18 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, 54 prisoners with high sentences and 111 prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested after the attack of October 7, as part of the first phase of the exchange agreement,” the prisoners’ press office, in charge of Hamas, will be released in a statement.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this Friday in a statement that the national intelligence service (the Mossad), as well as the Army, had received the list of kidnapped and said that the respective families had been informed.
Tomorrow will be the fifth exchange since the beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza, in force since January 19, thanks to which another 18 hostages (counting five Thais not initially included in the first phase of the pact) have already been released in an exchange for about 600 Palestinians.
However, in addition to the 33 hostages who must be released before March 1, only through new negotiations will male Israeli soldiers and those men between 19 and 50 years of age be able to leave Gaza in the second phase; something that relatives of the captives beg Netanyahu to happen.
“We have the sacred duty and the moral right to bring all our brothers and sisters home. We will not surrender or stop until all the hostages return, according to the agreement, until the last of them: the living for their recovery and the deceased for an appropriate burial,” said today the Forum of Hostages and Relatives of Missing, the main entity in defense of the hostage release agreement, after the announcement with the names of the three captives.
Although three days ago Netanyahu announced, after meeting with several US officials, that a negotiating team would travel to Doha at the end of this week to “discuss the technical details related to the continued implementation of the agreement,” that trip has not yet occurred.
Asked today by EFE, a senior Israeli official said he had no “news” about the alleged trip that should happen tomorrow, while Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, confirmed that negotiations “have not yet begun.”
International
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
A man identified as Rafael Rosario Mota falsely claimed to have rescued 12 people from the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo—a tragedy that left 231 people dead—but he was never at the scene.
Intelligence agents in the Dominican Republic arrested the 32-year-old man for pretending to be a hero who saved lives during the catastrophic incident, authorities announced.
Rosario Mota had been charging for media interviews in which he falsely claimed to have pulled survivors from the rubble after the nightclub’s roof collapsed in the early hours of April 8, during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.
“He was never at the scene of the tragedy,” the police stated. The arrest took place just after he finished another interview on a digital platform, where he repeated his fabricated story in exchange for money as part of a “media tour” filled with manipulated information and invented testimonies.
“False hero!” read a message shared on the police force’s Instagram account alongside a short video of the suspect, in which he apologized: “I did it because I was paid. I ask forgiveness from the public and the authorities.”
Central America
Nicaraguan Exiles to Mark 7th Anniversary of 2018 Protests with Global Commemorations
The Nicaraguan opposition in exile announced on Thursday that it will commemorate the seventh anniversary of the April 2018 protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, with events in Costa Rica, the United States, and several European countries.
The commemorative activities—which will call for justice for the victims, as well as freedom and democracy for Nicaragua—will include religious services, public forums, cultural fairs, and other public gatherings, according to official announcements.
In April 2018, thousands of Nicaraguans took to the streets to protest controversial reforms to the social security system. The government’s violent response quickly turned the demonstrations into a broader call for the resignation of President Ortega, who is now 79 and has been in power since 2007.
The protests resulted in at least 355 deaths, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), although Nicaraguan organizations claim the toll is as high as 684. Ortega has acknowledged “more than 300” deaths and maintains the unrest was an attempted coup d’état.
International
Arsenal stun Real Madrid at the Bernabéu to reach Champions League semifinals
Arsenal enjoyed a “historic night” on Wednesday after defeating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, knocking them out of the Champions League quarterfinals, midfielder Declan Rice said.
“It’s such a special night for this club, a historic night for this club,” said Rice, who scored twice in the first leg in London, speaking to TNT Sports.
The English international was named Man of the Match in both legs — the 3-0 win in London and the second leg in Madrid.
“It’s amazing. I knew we were on an upward trajectory and we’ve done incredibly well in this competition. We deserve it and we have full confidence in our coach. Reaching the semifinals is unbelievable,” Rice added.
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
Nicaraguan Exiles to Mark 7th Anniversary of 2018 Protests with Global Commemorations
Arsenal stun Real Madrid at the Bernabéu to reach Champions League semifinals
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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