cars from the dance floor of a music festival. at the break of dawn, over 200 people were abducted by her loss terrace from southern israel, along them. babies, toddlers, elderly people in urgent need of medical assistance. it's a hostage crisis like no other. not just because of the senior magnitude and brutality, the abducted or citizens of many countries, german american, british, all of them taken to an active war zone. and it's unclear what the militants plans are for them every day that passes in uncertainty the or deal for those waiting to hear from their loved ones. or since i'm the call for the him, berlin, and this is the day the i'm asking them with the children elderly on the cost survival beyond my

comprehension vehicles. imagine what they're thinking. beyond my comprehension, the last thing i heard was my youngest, who's 12 thing, contact me on to young. so that was it. the line went off and i were gone. you know, a whole lot of breaks down your don't understand, do not good is that she was under 50 what, what, what has been why, why do people have like this not want to leave the new world where elders and babies and children and civilian. yes, kids welcome to the show. nearly 2 weeks after her last brutal incursion into israel, the extent of the habit they reeked as anything but clear today is really, authorities adjusted the number of hostages taken to over 200 advising families that it's likely to grow even further. the military is bound to do everything

possible to bring the hostages home, and with more than 40 nationalities, represented among the abducted. that mission is receiving a lot of international support. the head of the united nations to has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages on a wall outside the is really defense ministry. and tel aviv and on walls across is real. the images of those taken and missing. these are the government most focus. first the phone on doing whatever is necessary. you know that to release the hijacked people in the october 7th attack, come off, terrorists killed indiscriminately, and the kidnap civilians, soldiers, the elderly, disabled, and children. so many children. now the hostages are somewhere in the

gaza strip, or under it in the untold hundreds of kilometers of tunnels. come off as built. now they'd be lots of effort putting to coordinating identifying load casey, where the hostages all being kept as much as possible. and of course, in the background, this talk of potentially hostage rescue attempts, but these are very, very dangerous options with noisy guarantee chance of success. what, how much recognizes scott walker says, is that is we all has consistently prioritize the safe return of their citizens. so you can add the vin on case in point the 19 year old is rarely soldier held by him . us for 5 years is we'll got him back by giving up more than a 1000 palestinian prisoners to him. us. they always want to take captives. they know what captain's can do. one is really soldier people actually,

and that's the price of israel is willing to pay. the hostages ruthlessly taken on october 7th, and likely guarded now by some of the homeless kidnappers face a link the captivity. and indeed, the threat of death from the captors to the families of those hostages are shaken and afraid desperate for any word and hopeful that the images of their sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents remain in the forefront of israel's moves against him. us now joined by 2 relatives of 4 of the german hostages, taken by him loss of courtney rowman, whose sister was kidnapped, an audience, a leslie, whose aunt and uncle have been taken. thank you so much for joining us on the w today. a start with you when you, when did you last hear from your sister and her sister in law has also been taken by home us. where were they? actually, i was in the south africa with my father. and when we saw the last message from my

sister that says that they are all right with the picture of her and her 3 or 3 years old kid guessin. and that's fine. actually, it's kind of weird to say it. but with that it's, it's the usual they, they have a routine off alarms getting into the shelter. so we wasn't very afraid. so, but uh, as a time pass on, we realize that this is very different situation. and this is unusual, extremely unusual. and since 10 am and saturday morning, we haven't heard from her. what about you audio? what? what was the last you knew of your uncle and your aunt says so like on i said on saturday morning we woke up a former beside alarms. and again,

not something to unusual a but then i heard on the tv and that a terrorist of a broken into his room and the mexican, a mother ring, a member, so fed nicky with him, then they got the street. and then i hear that to my cousin is crying on the tv saying that their dad, it was pictures in gaza. and that's how i found out you found out on tv. yes. and, and they were in bazy and keep boats. one of those sites of where he was busy and took a hard hit in the stair attack, 114 a. and this for now, and that's and then we'll just keeps rising. and then lots of hostages also from the keyboards. and it's, it's very concerning and then my mom is from the q, what's the issue up there?

it's such a nice place to go there all the time. and just seeing those pictures from the keyboards, he just feels like a nicer is like a whole movie. and you, unfortunately share this faith with, with many other families and as around right now, does it give you any sort of solace that you can share this agony that you're in this together? one that i would say that there is a lot of sort of there was a right now and between the people are, these are a lot of people are volunteering to help and the people will collapse to the army and the one before the decision, one of the we were divided any 0, a full politic issue is busted right now. i think it's safe to say this will all the in this together. it, it doesn't matter right now about politics. we just want to to get this over with

the being ahead of this hostage back home, and then truly faithfully. yeah. and that's the top priority of the government to bring the hostages home. have they've been in touch with you and your families? are they keeping you in the loop or they keeping you informed to they know anything about or their family members are? and i think that our government has the everyone, what was really in shocked. nobody expect this attack. so it took some time for the government to understand and i think that even right now they don't really understand. we don't know this the find those numbers of the people who the murder of the people who investigate not. so until now there is a lot of knowing that the government is trying to reach us and keep us updated,

but they don't know. my sister is still in the status of missing, although i'm sure that she's given up. i, i know it, we were at the point that she was last seen. and my brother for 5 days was in the warfield and looking for her no signs of bly them, no signs of a fight. so for sure, they just richardson of her after for a runaway and square are waiting for information and we're waiting for a sign of life. and that this is also, there isn't that we are here in germany because we really do need every help to, to, to know what is their condition. yeah. your sister is a german citizen. yeah. and your uncle as a german awesome is there on his a german citizen. what kind of support have you been receiving from the german government since you arrived here?

and we arrived here after almost 2 weeks that we were in the same thing. as you said, movie in israel, and we just decided that we need germany by our side and actually not by our side with our side because we are as a german citizens. and germany shouldn't be a real axis here. and a real actor, not only a 3rd party, this is a matter also of germany. so we came here and i have to stay really. we already met the chancellor and mr. bad book and a lot of people in the parliament and we really feel a lot of support and commitment to us to, to help our loved ones. and i really do hope that they will do more than everything that they can. first of all, to bring us

a sign of life and then right after then get them released. you know, there is talk about an imminent ground offensive, of course, also with the aim of a freeing the hostages. it. how do you feel about that? because it comes with a lot of danger and of course, and as well, i don't know what to say. like, because i'm, i'm not familiar with what the actions to be. all i know is i want is ro and germany as well. do anything they can to bring on their hostages. eh, we don't, we don't know what it dates, but a, i'm sure, eh, that you will do anything it takes to feel hurt at this point. and well, in germany i've been here for 2 days and or we have received with this love and so forth. and all the and the politicians, we may as it also the public

a love it through receiving it. it really is comforting and to be here, although the stiller it onto some of the k actions here in berlin left there that's, that's everyone that was right now because we're, we're on the safe everywhere and nothing is well and that's outside of as well as a very unfortunate reality. so if you had a message for your sister right now, or would it be the only thing that um i think that's the only thought this my sister has in her mind right now that she doesn't know that guess i need to live her daughter. her daughter yeah. she doesn't know that she with her father succeed to hide and got back to the army for. so this is the only thing that i would tell her because i know that you know that i love her. i know that you know that every one of us or her family is doing

everything that we can to get her back. so i don't need to tell that. oh, what about you? this? is it just so they're both safe. i hope there's together. and i'm really concerned about my aunt as well because the rise has in the human disease. and she takes all this medic, a medically, a lot of fears every day. and the it's been 2 weeks now that she hasn't received the name of that goes tension. i assume we don't know, and that's why we need a, the help of the monetary age for the hostages as soon as possible. cuz we don't know how much time she has left without those. and we know those medical, their time is running out. this is not the events that happened in the 7th of october. this is still, we're still under attack. my sister was also and at least $200.00

more adapt take, not people there are still under attacked. and i also would like to say that this is not an issue about israel and palestine. really, it's not, this is about terror and the liberal world. they were and i started a war against our army because of a matter of ideology, ideal logics issues. this is innocent people, woman, children, or people ill, people that are now in a war zone, does they need help and they haven't done anything bad. and their time is running out. connie d, thank you so much for sharing your story. all the best to you and your families.

thank you. thank you. i as we can now speak to or a slowing him. he is an experienced hostage negotiator who is working with the families of the abducted in israel. mr. sloane, i'm good to have you on the day you have dealt with hostage situations for decades, but this is unlike anything israel has ever seen before, isn't it? is on the i'm president, the visually events not only in these room in the history of these very like a very, very and worldwide a never, i can never remember where it is such an event. we with these cage with this situation of it having such an event, the with the war and the having in cafeteria, t an old ladies, old man, about the age of 18 and babies. one of them i believe is

a couple of days baby and the city is this. the 1st event it was the festival. and the install just was just more just because regular within the war, but on the race the something unprecedented to really original keeping it being a, you know, now the human, you know, the, the, the elderly, the babies, the toddlers, the festival goers. why did how mosse take them? what is their plan with them? who is see i thing, i don't know, i can again, single say of their desire to delete these rooms and attending that they would like to smash the state of israel out of this grow. and they, they are, they are a bunch of people way i believe were, was marshall is the nicest, as we've seen as far as by can tire. who are,

of course, very close to how much to have at least women and children released. is that a reason for whole is 1st of all i have a resulting otherwise i go to stay and is your so many is a but it, you know, it's a, it's all for. ready right, so ro standing that the, they to get such a big a big number for hostages. they took a guess and rapes them, they, they took people and they settled in the, the presenting and medicines for most people. i mean, presenting, get food from babies of from couple of days and do they have city babies and

they kids do they get married because many people don't know in the exact number. but the kid in the, in the cold blood, like a like into like, like the mattress time is as of the essence here, you have been involved in many hostage negotiations. in your experience was the toughest part in negotiating with palestinian militants. this is sort of a, i think is a most overlay situation and it came to being any horses. just thinking is the family that are living with the onset and uncertainty is they don't know they're, they're afraid. they don't know about them as especially the old people in the baby's back to i can do that. uncertainty is the worst situation to say any human being. how do you remember that there's ferris and expectations because

they, they pin lots of hopes on the people trying to, to free their loved ones. so how, how go about that? not, not let them down, offer them support, but also not create false hopes. they talking about the families you. yes. it's our main main task and we are very experienced a how to take care of the day care and how to read and how to try to ease their life. but there is one thing that you cannot, you cannot dean is the uncertainty. how is the lens so you are losing the all day and night with the, you know, with this on the night i use, this was a love. because if, if you know that the, even the french bo, it's, it was this access and be,

is much more with then the ideas 70 is rich, 70, if somebody gives you say, some, some news about you have. and he said, look, you're in the very best situation, it's website and you're trying to find the best a doctor. it's better to be as you have some hope, a bad day if you live in an assistant diesel for years sometimes and you don't sleep, don't give it a brief. it's a something which is a pretty the most on human that really it's our lives. always telling them thank you so much for those insights and your time to be occupied. westbank malware. the is really military has stepped up, operations arresting, hundreds of palestinians. it says are linked to hallmarks, israel's bombardment and seizure of gauze as fuel to anger across the territory.

and the last few days, palestinians are flooded. the streets and cities across the west bank to protest against is really strikes on gaza. here in the city of not blues, people air, their frustration with the palestinian authority and chanted slogans against israel and the united states. during a demonstration in ramallah, a small group of palestinians broke away and threw stones, as is rarely soldiers. my son is following the situation for us from jerusalem months. these protest highlight a long simmering anger against the palestinian authority. and the pal, assuming president must move the boss in the west bank. what is their stance? been in the wake of the homeless attack against israel. right, i think also according to various news reports posted, you know, 40 president's a boss has made a comment on the situation in a phone call with venezuela president nicholas madura. and which is quoted as

saying, that's quote on quote from us actions do not represent post indian people. now this statement was published on the posting in news news agency website well for, and was later deleted without further explanation. so it appears that he may have walked back on the issue. and apart from that statement which happened a couple of days ago, the post to me a 40, i'm barely spoke on the matter. and if so, then in very reserved tones, or without explicitly mentioning how most of all eyes are on gaza these days, of course. but the situation in the west bank has also deteriorated since the homeless attacks. what's driving the violence there? that's right. i mean that's, that's a very complicated question, but the westbank is occupied. it is under military occupation and there are military operations happening there on a regular basis and in classes between the id f and the settlers and the region and

posting is that many people have died so far. 2023, in fact, has been the deadliest here so far with roughly 30 people have been killed on these really side. and if you look at the posting in figures close to 200 people have been killed, dozens of these people have been killed over the last couple of days during, during protest and during their security operations. in addition to that, you mentioned already, there has been long simmering anger against the palestinian authority over accusations of cooperating with uh the is really security forces. but in addition to that, and above all, the pictures coming out of cause the stories that people are hearing that are coming out of cause of the devastation and the suffering. the civilians being killed. that is very difficult for people, especially in the west bank to too much with this and to accept but not just in the west bank also across the entire region. we have seen protests in the west bank tension is firing up, but also in protest in every country such as levon on jordan and egypt. yeah.

intentions are also brewing in northern israel. thousands of people have actually been ordered to evacuate from towns close to the lebanese border. how big are fears of a run back? has the law opening a 2nd front and this war? so that's right. so we returned from the northern border visited there a couple of days ago, we were visiting one of the board towns and into line one of the towns that has been ordered to evacuate later on. and while we're approaching, we were able to hear gunfire in the distance later we learned that there has been an infiltration by his bola militants in that area. and ever since the beginning of this for the has been an exchange of, of, of, of fire of shelving, there has been cross border violence, usually it has bullet attacking in israel and then the idea of responding. and so there have been, this has, there haven't come batten's killed, but also there have been civilian dest um, both in israel and, and 11 on as

a result of this. now you mentioned already, and some of the, the towns are happen, have accurate a 20 a communities along the border. everybody living within 2 kilometers of the lebanese border has been ordered to evacuate to leave. and in addition to that, the idea of the, the, the is really leadership has been, has been sending additional troops to bolster, i'm to most of the northern border, very volatile situation, dw correspondent mac, send their interest along. thanks for the us. and that's our time. but make sure to stay informed, stay engaged and stay in touch. you can follow our team on social media. our handle there is at the universe of instantly with headlines. we are looking for this course. always our website. that's the w dot com for now though from entire team here on the day. thank you so much for spending part of the

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a very difficult journey. and one is verify. everything . audio stuff. find out about some on storage, info, migrant, reliable news to migrate. the us crisis diplomacy is in full swing, the recently re ignited month lease contract is just one of the many products is ad was that the us is gonna be having to deal with brandon and by them have made a false de as try and match prime minister and even now, following the audio deployment tools to us and draft count here is to the mediterranean to deter it on at the same time, the us government is also supplement reference on financial support in the russian war progression. again, to create a situation that many of the us have started to find.