In the open water meet at Teluk Senangin, Raja Kecil Besar Perak is one of the numerous individuals affected by a number of jellyfish stings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed profound shock over videos showing two emaciated hostages, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, in Gaza. The hostages were seized during the 2023 attack on Israel and have been held by Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), since then.
Videos released between July 31 and early August 2025 depict the hostages in severe physical decline. Rom Braslavski pleads for food and medical care, stating he is "on the verge of death," while Evyatar David appears frail and is shown digging what he fears is his own grave in a Hamas tunnel.
Hamas blames the humanitarian blockade imposed by Israel for the hostages' dire conditions. The blockade, which has been in place for 15 years before the war began, has heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza.
Regarding efforts to secure their release, there have been international and diplomatic attempts, including involvement by entities such as former U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has pledged a policy of "All or none"—insisting that all hostages must be freed or negotiations will continue. Family members and mediators have urged for humanitarian intervention and negotiations, but no definitive hostage release outcome has been reported yet.
The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has denounced the videos and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Kallas also stated that Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza, a demand endorsed by Arab countries including Qatar and Egypt.
The crisis has sparked strong reactions among Israelis, leading to renewed calls for a truce and hostage release deal. Tens of thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv to urge the government to secure the release of the remaining captives. Israeli newspapers have depicted Evyatar David as malnourished, emaciated, and desperate.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military claims that 27 of the hostages seized in the attack are dead. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported the death of one of its staff members in an Israeli attack on its Khan Yunis headquarters. Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians.
In a recent development, Jordan and Hamas condemned the visit of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as an unacceptable provocation and a deepening of the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.
Today, Israeli fire killed nine Palestinians who were waiting to collect food rations from a site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near the southern city of Rafah.
Netanyahu has stated that efforts to return all hostages are ongoing. The fate of Braslavski and David, along with the other captives, remains uncertain as diplomatic efforts continue.
- The government of Israel, along with international entities and diplomats, have been making efforts to secure the release of the hostages, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, who are being held by Palestinian groups in Gaza.
- The European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has denounced the videos showing the dire conditions of the hostages and has called for their immediate and unconditional release, also demanding that Hamas disarm and end its rule in Gaza—a demand endorsed by Arab countries like Qatar and Egypt.
- The general news and political landscape have been dominated by the ongoing crisis in Gaza, as the health of the hostages continues to decline and acts of war and conflicts, such as the killing of nine Palestinians by Israeli fire, continue to escalate tensions in the region.
