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Hamas hands over six hostages but Israel delays release of 600 Palestinians

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that freeing Palestinian prisoners under the Gaza ceasefire deal will be delayed until Hamas ends its “humiliating ceremonies” while releasing Israeli hostages.

Since the ceasefire’s first phase began on January 19, Hamas has released 25 living Israeli hostages in ceremonies before crowds at various locations in Gaza.

Armed masked fighters escort the captives onto stages adorned with slogans. The hostages have spoken and waved.

The Red Cross has previously appealed to “all parties” for the swaps to be carried out in a “dignified and private” manner.

In the seventh such transfer, Hamas released six Israeli captives on Saturday but Israel put off releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

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The Palestinian militant group called the move a “blatant violation” of the truce deal, the first phase of which is to expire in early March.

Israel had been expected to free more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.

“In light of Hamas’ repeated violations — including the disgraceful ceremonies that dishonour our hostages and the cynical use of hostages for propaganda — it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The delay will last “until the release of the next hostages is ensured, without the humiliating ceremonies”, it added.

From Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Hamas would be “destroyed” if it did not release all remaining hostages.


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Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered more than 15 months of war. The attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, and Israel’s retaliation killed more than 48,000, according to figures from both sides.

Families of Palestinian prisoners had waited with uncertainly into the night on Saturday, hoping for their release.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, Umm Diya al-Agha, 80, said she had received word her son was among those scheduled to be freed, after 33 years in prison.

“If my heart were made of iron, it would have melted and shattered. Every day, I have been waiting for this moment”, she said.

– ‘Coming back home’ –

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group had said Israel would free 620 inmates on Saturday, most of them Gazans taken into custody during the war.

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Before Netanyahu’s announcement, Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif al-Qanou said Israel’s “failure to comply with the release… at the agreed-upon time constitutes a blatant violation of the agreement”.

Qanou called on the truce mediators to pressure Israel to “implement its provisions without delay or obstruction”.

The six Israelis released Saturday were the last group of living hostages set to be freed under the truce’s first phase.

Negotiations for a second phase, which is meant to lead to a permanent end to the war, have yet to begin.

At a ceremony in Nuseirat, central Gaza, hostages Eliya Cohen, 27, Omer Shem Tov, 22, and Israeli-Argentine Omer Wenkert, 23, waved from a stage, flanked by masked Hamas militants, before being transferred to the Red Cross.

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“I saw the look on his face. He’s calm, he knows he’s coming back home… He’s a real hero,” said Wenkert’s friend Rory Grosz.

Under the cold winter rain in Rafah, southern Gaza, militants handed over Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 38, who both appeared dazed.

A sixth hostage, Hisham al-Sayed, 37, was later released in private and taken back to Israeli territory, the military said.

Sayed, a Bedouin Muslim, and Mengistu, an Ethiopian Jew, had been held in Gaza for about a decade after they entered the territory individually.

Sayed’s family called it “a long-awaited moment”.

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Hamas said they freed Sayed in private to “honour and respect” Palestinians inside Israel.

– ‘Mix-up’ –

On Thursday, the first transfer of dead hostages under the truce sparked anger in Israel after analysis concluded that captive Shiri Bibas’s remains were not among the four bodies returned.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk condemned the “parading of bodies” during a ceremony in which coffins, with pictures of the dead attached, were displayed on a slogan-bedecked stage.

Bibas and her two young sons became symbols of Israel’s hostage ordeal.

Hamas admitted a possible “mix-up of bodies”, and late Friday handed over more human remains, which the Bibas family said had been identified as the mother’s.

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Hamas has long maintained that Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Forensics expert Chen Kugel, however, said an autopsy conducted on their remains found “no evidence of injuries caused by a bombing”.

Out of 251 people taken hostage during the October 2023 attack, 62 are still held in Gaza including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,215 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,319 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

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The post Hamas hands over six hostages but Israel delays release of 600 Palestinians appeared first on Vanguard News.


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Man says he stands with Asake as he reveals what he would do if his abusive and absent father tries to return to his life

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A man whose father was abusive and absent has shared the extent to which his father abused his mother. He shared his story while reacting to a video of Asake’s father begging for help while claiming he has been abandoned by his popular son. The X user said he stands with Asake and shared his own story, narrating how his father scalded his mother with hot soup because he had a side chic. He said his father abandoned them afterwards and he would get violent if his father tries to rear his “ugly head” now. Screenshot 20250315 151458 X 1742052588Screenshot 20250315 151514 X 1742052603The post Man says he stands with Asake as he reveals what he would do if his abusive and absent father tries to return to his life appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.


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From Lagos to Potomac: How Nigerian women are shaping the Real Housewives franchise

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By Ayo Onikoyi

The Real Housewives franchise has become a cultural phenomenon, offering a front-row seat into the lives of powerful women balancing business, family, friendships and everything else in-between.

The franchise first became a global sensation in the U.S., and its influence extended to Africa, where Nigerian women are making waves both locally and internationally.

Across the Atlantic, The Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP)’s Dr. Wendy Osefo has brought Nigerian representation, balancing her reality TV presence with a career as a professor, political commentator, and author. Born in Nigeria and raised in the U.S., Wendy has remained vocal about her heritage, often incorporating her cultural identity into conversations on the show.

Halfway through its third season, The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos) continues to deliver everything viewers signed up for, lavish lifestyles, power moves, and shifting friendships.

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With RHOLagos setting new standards for African reality TV and Wendy Osefo expanding Nigerian visibility on an international stage, the franchise continues to evolve while keeping its signature mix of glamour and real-life drama.

As the season unfolds, RHOLagos has kept audiences engaged with shifting alliances, business triumphs, and high-stakes confrontations. The Lagos cast: Adeola “Diiadem” Adeyemi, Carolyna Hutchings, Dabota Lawson, Laura Ikeji, Mariam Timmer, and Sophia Momodu are making it clear that beyond the designer outfits and exclusive events, real-life relationships and ambitions are at the heart of the show. Meanwhile, RHOP’s Wendy Osefo remains a standout personality in the franchise, balancing academia, media, and personal life all while embracing her Nigerian roots.

With reality TV becoming a key part of entertainment culture, Showmax is making it more accessible this March with the Shikini Deal, offering a limited-time-only deal on its General Entertainment plans from as low as N1,000. For those looking to catch up on RHOLagos or explore other must-watch shows, this presents a timely opportunity to do so at a lower cost.

As RHOLagos Season 3 heads toward its finale and fans in Africa catch up on Season 9 of RHOP courtesy Showmax, one thing is clear—Nigerian women are shaping conversations in reality TV, both at home and on the global stage. And with Showmax leading the charge in showcasing these stories, fans have a front-row seat to all the drama, success, and sisterhood that make the Real Housewives universe so compelling.

The post From Lagos to Potomac: How Nigerian women are shaping the Real Housewives franchise appeared first on Vanguard News.


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Drop coalition talks; come and join SDP – El-Rufai tells Atiku, Obi, Aregbesola

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Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has asked opposition leaders and aggrieved stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to drop the idea of a possible future coalition and join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) instead.

El-Rufai, a former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, specifically called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential flag-bearer in 2023, Peter Obi, and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi and Rauf Aregbesola to join forces with him in the SDP.

He made the appeal in a recent interview with BBC Hausa, in which he pleaded with politicians to join the SDP to defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

This follows his resignation from the APC on Monday, March 10, 2025, citing a misalignment of values with the ruling party.

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ALSO READ: El-Rufai meets Aregbesola, Bakare as speculations of APC defection grows

“My wishes and prayers are for Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf, and all opposition leaders to come and join SDP, not to do a merger or to register a new political party.

“What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges.

“We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed,” he said.

The former Kaduna Governor affirmed that his presidential ambition in 2027 would depend on the party and the people’s will.


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ALSO READ: SDP youths accuse El-Rufai of attempting to hijack the party, reject his defection

“It is not for me to decide; it is the party and the people that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest,” he added.


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