Palestinian photographer reunites with family he thought were killed
Gaza photojournalist Shadi Abu Sido’s world shattered in Israeli detention when guards told him his wife and two children had been killed. “I got hysterical,” the Palestinian photographer said.
It wasn’t until his release on Monday, part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel that halted two years of war, that he discovered his loved ones were alive.
His wife, Hanaa Bahlul, raced down the hallway of his family’s house in Khan Younis and leapt into his arms. “I heard her voice, I heard the voice of my children, I was astonished, it cannot be explained, they were alive. I saw my wife and children alive.”
Abu Sido was detained by Israeli troops at al-Shifa Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2024. He was among the more than 1,900 Palestinians taken by Israeli forces who were released on Monday.
The state of Palestine says more than 10,000 are still held in Israeli prisons.
Palestine Red Crescent pays tribute to 31 staff killed on duty
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has paid tribute to its colleagues killed in Israeli attacks while carrying out their humanitarian duties in Gaza.
It said 29 PRCS staff were killed “while on duty” in Gaza over the course of the war, and two more in the occupied West Bank.
“With hearts full of gratitude and solidarity, the PRCS family stands with our colleagues in Gaza whose courage, humanity, and unwavering commitment have kept the spirit of our humanitarian mission alive through the hardest of times,” said PRCS President Dr Younis al-Khatib.
“Our hearts ache for who we have lost and for all our staff and the Palestinian people. The last two years have been very difficult, primarily for Gazans and Palestinians as well. Liberation is on the way.”
PRCS members mourn over the bodies of colleagues killed by Israeli forces
Amnesty calls for release of Palestinian Dr Hussam Abu Safia
Amnesty International has reiterated its call for the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, who has been held in Israeli detention without charge or trial for nearly 10 months after he was arrested at a northern Gaza hospital.
Abu Safia led Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza through an 85-day siege by Israeli troops during their offensive in the surrounding districts of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoon.
“Tomorrow, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya faces a hearing to rubberstamp the extension of his arbitrary detention – without charges or trial – for another six months,” Amnesty said.
“Dr Hussam should have never been detained in the first place, let alone subjected to this ordeal of torture and abuse. Israel must immediately and unconditionally release Dr Hussam and all arbitrarily detained Palestinians.”
🚨 Tomorrow, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya faces a hearing to rubberstamp the extension of his arbitrary detention — without charges or trial – for another six months. Dr. Hussam should have never been detained in the first place, let alone subjected to this ordeal of torture and abuse.… pic.twitter.com/DOnil4h3qp
— Amnesty MENA (@AmnestyMENA) October 15, 2025
