Latest News from Campus

The IDF has recovered the body of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai hostage abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. The joint operation between the IDF and Shin Bet took place in Rafah, where intelligence indicated that Pinta was murdered in captivity by the Mujahideen Brigades during the early months of the war. The same group is also responsible for the abduction and murders of Shiri Bibas and her two sons Ariel and Kfir, and married couple Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai.

The IDF has recovered the bodies of Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai, married U.S.-Israeli citizens killed and abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023 in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The operation took place in Khan Younis, acting on intelligence from a captured Hamas operative. The couple’s remains were held by the Mujahideen Brigades, a Hamas-allied group also responsible for the murders of Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas. Gadi and Judith’s deaths were confirmed in December of 2023.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S., are focused on bridging significant gaps in a proposed hostage release-ceasefire agreement. Hamas wants guarantees that the ceasefire will lead to a longer-term agreement, while Israel insists on a plan that includes the steady release of hostages—starting with 10 in the first week. Despite Hamas submitting alternative proposals, both were rejected, and pressure is mounting for a resolution by the end of the week.

In this reflection, Hillel Jewish Agency Israel Fellow Shirly A. shares her family’s history and how she uses her pride in her Jewish and Israeli identities to inspire her students. Drawing inspiration from her grandfather’s rescue from the Holocaust and her cousin Ron Afrimi’s death in Gaza, Shirly organized meaningful activities to help students connect personally with Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. These included dedicating a bench at the Hillel building, painting Ron’s favorite flowers, and reciting prayers for fallen soldiers and hostages.

Families of the 58 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity marked 600 days since October 7th at a press conference in Tel Aviv. Leah Goldin, mother of fallen soldier Hadar Goldin, said the issue had grown from a personal tragedy to a national crisis: “Now there are 58 more Hadar Goldins in Gaza.”

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael secured second place at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, with her song “New Day Will Rise.” A survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, Raphael won the public vote with 297 points but placed 14th in the jury vote, resulting in a second place overall finish.