Two Deceased Hostages Returned; Memorial- While Hezbollah Holds Memorial For Their Leader

 Nadene Goldfoot

                                                                     

The remains of hostages 85 year old Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, 25,  were returned to Israel yesterday.

Cooper, an 85 year old economist and poet, was a founder of Kibbutz Nir Oz; Baruch, 25,  was an engineering student; both were kidnapped from their border kibbutzim in the October 7 onslaught, killed in Gaza.   Israeli authorities wer3 able to confirm their identities within hours. Cooper was abducted by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and was assessed by the IDF to have been murdered in captivity in February 2024. 4 months later.   The IDF confirmed his death in June 2024.   

Hamas on Thursday returned to Israel the remains of two deceased hostages, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25, with Israeli authorities confirming their identities within hours.   

Amiram Cooper was a farmer and an economist on Kibbutz Nir Oz. He held several key roles within the kibbutz community and the surrounding region: Baruch, a talented chess player and anime fan, lived in Kibbutz Be’eri and had just returned from his big trip to South America before the October 7 massacre.  

The remains of slain hostage Sahar Baruch have been identified through forensic testing, following his return from Gaza to Israel for proper burial after more than two years of captivity in Gaza.

Sahar was 24 years old when he was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri in the October 7 massacre in 2023. In the months ensuing his capture, Baruch was kept in horrendous conditions under Hamas captivity until he was killed in December of 2023 during what the IDF said was a failed rescue attempt.

Military representatives notified their families of the development, following the completion of identification efforts by forensic experts.

Cooper was abducted by Hamas terrorists from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and was assessed by the IDF to have been murdered in captivity in February 2024. The IDF confirmed his death in June 2024.

                               Hamas Terrorists

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Baruch was also kidnappedon October 7 by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Be’eri during the onslaught. He was killed during a failed IDF hostage rescue mission in December 2023, according to the military. He was killed after 2 months. 

                                 In Memoriam

Amiram Cooper, 84, of Kibbutz Nir Oz was abducted brutally from his home on the kibbutz on October 7 together with his wife Nurit Cooper. The IDF recently learned he was killed in Hamas captivity, together with Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, and Nadav Popplewell. His wife, Nurit, Nurit, was released on October 23. One of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, he served as the chief economist of the Ma’or region settlements for many years. His family was notified of his death on June 3. His body remains in Gaza.

                  Chaim Perry 79, on left,a peace activist,  died in Hamas captivity.                                  

Yoram Metzger was 80, kibbutznik and war veteran, spoke Arabic but was murdered anyway in Feb. 2024.  

Nadav Popplewell from Britain 51, His family were all hostages.  Brother Roi Popplewell, 54, was killed on October 7; mother Channah Peri released from captivity on November 24.  Channah Peri was released on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. Nadav is still held hostage.  Channah and Nadav were together throughout the length of her captivity, held in a tunnel under Gaza.

  

                     Hezbollah putting up their flags.  

                                Hezbollah billboard

Intelligence shows that Hezbollah is restocking rockets, anti-tank missiles and artillery, some of which are being smuggled in via seaports or Syria and some being manufactured by Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

This is in violation of the agreement that ended Israel's brief war with Hezbollah, in which Hezbollah was severely weakened and militarily degraded.

Memorial gathering for former Hezbollah leader Oct 2, 2025,notice-they're all women

 Since the agreement, Israel has carried out over 1,000 strikes against Hezbollah. The Lebanese government has made progress dismantling Hezbollah positions and weapons in the southernmost areas of Lebanon, with Hezbollah's assent.

 But in other areas with significant Hezbollah influence, such as Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley running through eastern Lebanon, Hezbollah has resisted any disarming efforts. The Lebanese army is not strong enough to disarm Hezbollah by force.

"It marked the first time in nine days that Hamas handed over bodies of deceased hostages. Israel has said that the terror group is dragging its feet on the requirement that it return all of the captives, as agreed in the ceasefire that came into place on October 10. The remains of 11 deceased hostages are still being held in Gaza."

"The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed hope in a statement that, “amid the grief and the understanding that their hearts will never be whole again,” the return of the two bodies will bring “some measure of comfort” to their families that have lived “in unbearable uncertainty and doubt for over two years.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/remains-of-deceased-hostages-amiram-cooper-84-and-sahar-baruch-25-returned-to-israel/

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-872187

https://october7memorial.com/memoriam/amiram-cooper-2

A People's Death March of Genocide: Armenians

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

    Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem where they found refuge There are currently 10,000 Armenians living in Israel. Armenians mainly live in Jerusalem, as well as in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Petah Tikva, Ashdod, and elsewhere.

Ukraine and Armenia share Russia as a neighbor.  Look what happened to Armenia.  Jews had lived on their land since the First Temple days at the time of the Temple destruction in 586 BCE. Later, one of King Herod of Jerusalem's grandsons, Aristobulus, was made king of Little Armenia by Nero. Two other of his grandsons ruled greater Armenia.  Many Jews settled in Armenia, but the Jewish population dwindled during the 4th century CE through being exiled and emigration.  

There was an Armenian state before 1375.  In the centuries after losing its independence, Armenia remained mostly under Muslim Turkic or Persian rule until the Russian annexation of the Karabakh Khanate in 1801.

However, Christian Armenians were known to be living in Jerusalem since the 5th century CE having created their Armenian quarter in the Old City.                                            

     1915-1917  Death march of Armenians guarded by gendarmes in Hasrpute Vilayet in Ottoman Empire

Speaking of the Ottoman Empire and Erdogen wanting to be at it's head again, Armenia was almost wiped out primarily by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) during the Armenian Genocide of World War I, with the perception of an Armenian alliance with Russia serving as a pretext for the massacres.            

         Armenia surrounded by Turkey , Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Before World War I, Armenians occupied a somewhat protected, but subordinate, place in Ottoman society.

               Massacres of Armenians 

Large-scale massacres of Armenians had occurred in the 1890s and 1909. It existed from May (28th de jure, 30th de facto) 1918 to 2 December 1920 in the Armenian-populated territories of the former Russian Empire known as Eastern or Russian Armenia. The republic was established in May 1918, with its capital in the city of Yerevan, after the dissolution of the short-lived Transcaucasian Federation. It was the first Armenian state since the Middle Ages.

 Russia's role was more of a complex mix of an oppressive ruler of Eastern Armenia and an unreliable wartime ally to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, ultimately leading to a catastrophic situation for the Armenian people.

This genocide  was implemented primarily through the mass murder of around one million Armenians during death marches to the Syrian Desert and the forced Islamization of others, primarily women and children.During their invasion of Russian and Persian territory in 1914, Ottoman paramilitaries massacred local Armenians. Ottoman leaders took isolated instances of Armenian resistance as evidence of a widespread rebellion, though no such rebellion existed, and decided on genocide to permanently forestall the possibility of Armenian autonomy or independence.

On 24 April 1915, Ottoman authorities arrested and deported hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and leaders from Constantinople. At the orders of Talaat Pasha, an estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million Armenians were sent on death marches to the Syrian Desert in 1915 and 1916. Driven forward by paramilitary escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to robbery, rape, and massacres; survivors were dispersed into concentration camps. 

In 1916, another wave of massacres was ordered, leaving about 200,000 deportees alive by the end of the year. Around 100,000 to 200,000 Armenian women and children were forcibly converted to Islam and integrated into Muslim households. Massacres and ethnic cleansing of Armenian survivors continued through the Turkish War of Independence after World War I, carried out by Turkish nationalists. No, the Ottoman Empire was not a nice governing body.They were deplorable. 

Regarded as "the apex of horrors conceivable" before World War II, the genocide destroyed more than two thousand years of Armenian civilization in eastern Anatolia. Alongside the genocides of Assyrian/Syriac and Greek Orthodox Christians, it enabled the creation of an ethnonationalist Turkish state, the Republic of Turkey. 

The Turkish government maintains that the deportation of Armenians was a legitimate action that cannot be described as genocide. As of 2025, 34 countries have recognized the genocide, concurring with the academic consensus. There are about  195.countries in the world.   This number includes 193 member states of the United Nations and two non-member observer states: Palestine and the Holy See (Vatican City). I do not accept a Palestine so the number is about 194.  This means that 160 countries  go along with the Ottoman Empire today of not considering that the Armenians died through genocide.  To me that  means that there are only 34 civilized countries.in the world.  Russia is not one of them.  Neither is Turkey. 

Late 19th and early 20th centuries: A significant number of Armenians came to the USA after the Hamidian massacres (mid-1890s), the Adana massacre  1909), and the Armenian Genocide  1915-1918) in the Ottoman Empire.,

To think that my father was born in 1908 in Portland, Oregon and amassacre in Europe was taking place the next year, is shocking.  

Hamidian massacres, series of atrocities carried out by Ottoman forces and Kurdish irregulars against the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1894 and 1896. They are generally called the Hamidian massacres—after the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, during whose reign they were carried out—to distinguish them from the later Armenian Genocide, which began in 1915. Mass immigration began in the late 19th century due to persecution in the Ottoman Empire, with many arriving between 1899 and 1917. Subsequent waves have come from the Middle East and the former Soviet Union due to regional instability, with the community growing to become the second largest Armenian diaspora population globally. 

The Adana massacres occurred in the Adana vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in April 1909. Many Armenians were slain by Ottoman Muslims in the city of Adana as the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 triggered a series of pogroms throughout the province.

• Opposition to Turkish Troops in a Peacekeeping Force: Due to Erdoğan's strong rhetoric against Israel, and Turkey's support for Hamas, Israel has explicitly opposed any Turkish troops joining a potential multinational stabilization force for Gaza, a position the U.S. has said it will respect. Erdogan has over and over stated a Hamas act as coming from Israel; like keeping food from the civilians.  It's Hamas who steals it and then turns around and sells it to their own people.  

Resource: Update: 1:00pm 

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide#:~:text=Before%20World%20War%20I%2C%20Armenians,of%20Armenian%20autonomy%20or%20independence. 

Cease Fires And How They Are Breaking Quickly

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

Master Sgt. Reservist Efi (Yona Efraim) Feldbaum, age 37 was shot by Hamas during a ceasefire.  Chief Sgt. First Class (res.) Yona “Efi” Efraim Feldbaum, 37, was killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday by Hamas sniper fire, the IDF announced on Wednesday.  

Hamas violated the ceasefire yesterday when it opened fire on IDF troops, killing Master Sgt. (res.) Efi (Yona Efraim) Feldbaum, 37, a combat engineering reservist in the Gaza Division and father of five from Zayit Raanan in the Binyamin Regional Council. The reservist was killed amid the latest Hamas violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The incident triggered a series of IDF strikes across the enclave against Hamas targets.                                             

He was a dual Israeli-American citizen. The IDF responded to the attack with extensive strikes against Hamas positions and targets, reportedly killing dozens of terrorists.  Feldbaum, a native of Zayit Ra’anan-Neria in the area of Samaria (West Bank’s)  Binyamin region, and was a combat engineer serving under the Gaza Division.  

 The larger area where WEST BANK is written is SAMARIA, and Jericho is in Samaria.  The southern end is JUDAH (JUDEA)  This is the original homeland of the Jewish people-from Judah, of course!

Regional Classification: 

While the term "Judea and Samaria Area" is used by the Israeli government to describe the region, the Mateh Binyamin region is specifically identified as being in the "hill country of Samaria". 

Then, Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and called on mediators to pressure Israel “to stop its massacres and commit fully to the terms of the agreement.”  Oh ho, ho, the pot calling the kettle black.  Hamas has done this so many times.  

Numerous ceasefires have been negotiated between Israel and Hamas over the years, though they have often proven fragile. Since the October 7, 2023 attacks and the ensuing war, multiple ceasefires and truces have been implemented, including a recent, fragile agreement reached in October 2025 by Trump. 

Earlier ceasefires

• June 2008: Egypt brokered a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel. The agreement mostly held for five months before breaking down in November. 
• January 2009: After a 22-day Israeli military offensive in Gaza (Operation Cast Lead), Israel unilaterally declared a ceasefire. Hamas and other militant groups announced their own ceasefires shortly after.
• November 2012: An eight-day conflict between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire mediated by the U.S. and Egypt. The deal left many underlying issues unresolved and proved fragile, with both sides reporting violations.

• July–August 2014: During the war known as Operation Protective Edge, multiple temporary truces were established and broken. A 51-day conflict ended after many ceasefires failed to hold.
• 2023: Week-long truce
  A brief humanitarian truce was established in the early months of the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 7, 2023 with the gigantic attack of Hamas and their civilians against Israel. 
• Negotiators: The deal was negotiated primarily by Qatar and Egypt.
• Initial agreement: A four-day truce began on November 24, 2023, and involved an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
• Extension and end: The truce was extended to seven days before Israel resumed its military operations on December 1, 2023. 
• 2025: U.S.-brokered deal January 2025
  After 15 months of war and negotiations mediated by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, a three-phase ceasefire began in January 2025. 
  • Timeline: The first six-week phase officially started on January 19, 2025, after a brief delay.
  • Key terms (Phase 1): The agreement stipulated a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, increased humanitarian aid, and the return of displaced Palestinians. It also included a prisoner exchange, where some Israeli captives were freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

  • The bodies of 13 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, as of 21 October 2025.  The return of the hostages was a goal of the Israeli operation in Gaza. Its status as the main goal has been debated by Israeli politicians.  Hamas offered to release all hostages in exchange for Israel releasing all 5,200 Palestinian prisoners at the start of the war.  How magnanimous of Hamas;  5200/20 live hostages.  

  • 2025: U.S.-brokered deal:  After 15 months of war and negotiations mediated by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, a three-phase ceasefire began in January 2025. 
  • Timeline: The first six-week phase officially started on January 19, 2025, after a brief delay.
    • Key terms (Phase 1): The agreement stipulated a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, increased humanitarian aid, and the return of displaced Palestinians. It also included a prisoner exchange, where some Israeli captives were freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
    • Continuation of deal: Further phases were planned to continue negotiations for a more permanent cessation of hostilities.
  • Continuation of deal: Further phases were planned to continue negotiations for a more permanent cessation of hostilities.
• October 2025 status:
  • Following reports of renewed strikes and violations by both sides, Israel's military announced on October 29, 2025, that the ceasefire was back in effect.
  • This announcement came after a deadly flare-up in which Israel conducted strikes in Gaza, and Hamas and Israel traded accusations of violating the truce.                        

Killed in Hamas captivity after he was kidnapped from Supernova; body retrieved from Gaza December 1 of Ofir Tzarfati.  The middle child in his family, Ofir was born and raised in Kiryat Ata outside Haifa. From a young age he loved sports and played tennis, according to a state obituary.

Ofir Tzarfati, 27, was shot and wounded as he was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival on October 7.  Ofir, who was celebrating his 27th birthday at the rave with his girlfriend, Shoval Gal, led his group of friends as they ran and hid when Hamas terrorists opened fire, according to a group member.  They got to their car and Ofir made sure Shoval was safe.

After graduating high school he enlisted in the IDF and served as a combat soldier on a Navy patrol boat based in Ashdod.  When he finished his military service, Ofir worked as a waiter and bartender to save up money in order to spend eight months traveling around South America.  Upon his return to Israel, he began studying electrical engineering at Ariel University, and after finishing his degree, starting working in the field.  At his funeral, his sister Shoval mourned the family’s immense loss.

Hamas also attempted to trick Israel (and the world) by placing a white bag containing what appeared to be hostage Ofir Tzarfati’s remains in a pit, covering it with sand, and summoning Red Cross representatives within minutes to recover it. Tzarfati was killed on Oct. 7, 2023 and his body was retrieved by IDF forces last year. The entire Hamas ruse was captured on drone video.  As I read,  I wondered what the remains remained as;  was it that he had been decapitated, which I had heard happened, certainly with ISIS, or an arm or leg or what?  It's been since October 7, 2023; 2 years and a month ago when he was butchered, then. An answer is:  After two years and a month, a body will have undergone significant decomposition, with soft tissues largely broken down and the body in a state of advanced decay, though it may not be fully reduced to just bones and hair. The exact condition depends heavily on factors like embalming, burial environment, and temperature.  

Israel informed the U.S. prior to the strikes. President Trump said yesterday that the strikes wouldn’t jeopardize the cease-fire. “Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave…But they said they would be good, and if they’re good, they’re going to be happy, and if they’re not good, they’re going to be terminated. Their lives will be terminated.”

The ceasefire resumed this morning at 10am.

Defense Minister Katz announced today that he has signed an order barring International Red Cross representatives from visiting Palestinian prisoners defined as “unlawful combatants”, including Hamas terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre. He said, “The intelligence presented to me leaves no doubt that Red Cross visits to imprisoned terrorists would severely harm Israel’s security. The safety of the state and its citizens comes first.”

Resource:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ofir-tzarfati-27-a-pure-soul-who-helped-girlfriend-escape-rave/