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Amelie Botbol

Originally from Casablanca, Morocco, Amelie made aliyah in 2014. She specializes in the defense, cybersecurity and tech fields, and currently serves as a war correspondent for JNS.

Nine-month-old Kfira Bibas was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and has marked two birthdays in captivity . Photo: Courtesy.

‘It’s time to seal a deal before it’s too late,’ says Kfir Bibas’s uncle

“If they wait more, we might only get bodies in nylon bags. It’s time to bring all the people that survived for so long back alive,” said Jimmy Miller, whose cousin Shiri Bibas was captured on Oct. 7, 2023, along with her whole family.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 14, 2025

Israelis protest against the government and for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, at the Goma Junction in the Galilee on Jan. 11, 2025. Photo by Ayal Margolin/Flash90.

Qatar offers hostage draft agreement, awaiting Hamas’s approval

Qatar has reportedly delivered a final draft agreement to both Israel and Hamas.

Joshua Marks and Amelie Botbol

Jan. 13, 2025

Families of American hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Ruby Chen.

Gaza captives’ families hope change of the guard in DC will help

Some will attend Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington next week.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 13, 2025

Kidnapped Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov in a video released by Kata'ib Hezbollah, Nov. 13, 2023. Source: Screenshot.

Sister of Israeli captive in Iraq hopeful Trump will help free her

“My sister will come home when there is enough pressure applied to the Iraqi government by the U.S. government to release her.”

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 12, 2025

Men and women of the 498th "Shahar" Search and Rescue Battalion operate in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 19, 2023. Credit: IDF Spokesperson.

Forged in fire: Gaza war showcases women’s integration into the IDF

"There are more female pilots, paramedics, doctors and females in special operations units. This war gave us a chance to prove that it works,” says Lt. Col. Shani Kisri, medical chief of the IDF's 162nd Division.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 10, 2025

Iris Haim, whose son, Yotam, was one of three hostages misidentified as Hamas terrorists and accidentally killed a year ago on Dec. 15 by IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Amelie Botbol.

‘I want to feel Yotam and the pain,’ says mother of hostage killed by IDF

“We want to create something to help others. We have the power to do it,” said Iris Haim, whose son was killed in a tragic friendly fire incident in the Gaza Strip.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 8, 2025

The damage caused by a ballistic missile fired from Yemen to a school in Ramat Gan, Israel, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Ramat Gan school, in ruins after Houthi attack, being torn down

"Our enemies will never defeat us," Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen tells JNS.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 5, 2025

Soldiers of the IDF's mixed gender Caracal Infantry Battalion prepare for a 9.5-mile overnight hike to complete their training course, near the border with Egypt, on Sept. 3, 2014. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.

Women at war: IDF soldiers discuss service in Gaza and Lebanon

“In the past, I was always only stationed up to the border."

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 3, 2025

Knesset member Shelly Tal Meron chairs a meeting of the Knesset Caucus for the Hostages in Jerusalem, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

MK: Trump’s call for hostage release vital for pressure on Hamas

A ceasefire deal in Gaza can foster a Middle East coalition against Iran, Shelly Tal Meron tells JNS.

Amelie Botbol

Jan. 2, 2025