Latest Prisoners of war News

80th anniversary of the 'Great Escape' from Nazi German POW camp marked in Poland

Mar. 24, 2024 13:38 PM EDT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Observances were held in Poland on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the “Great Escape,” an ingenious act of defiance during World War II in which 76 prisoners of war tunneled out of a German prisoner-of-war camp into a snowy forest. British soldiers...

UN-backed human rights experts decry new evidence of torture of Ukrainian POWs by Russia

Mar. 15, 2024 08:49 AM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-backed human rights experts said Friday they have gathered new evidence of “horrific” torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war by their Russian jailers, saying such practices could amount to war crimes. The Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said human rights...

80 years after D-Day, a World War II veteran is getting married near beaches where US troops landed

Mar. 11, 2024 12:06 PM EDT

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Harold Terens and his fiancee Jeanne Swerlin kissed and held hands like high school sweethearts as they discussed their upcoming wedding in France, a country the World War II veteran first visited as a 20-year-old U.S. Army Air Forces corporal shortly after D-Day. ...

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy lands in Saudi Arabia to push for peace and a POW exchange with Russia

Feb. 27, 2024 11:49 AM EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met the kingdom's powerful crown prince to push for a peace plan and the return of prisoners of war from Russia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to...

Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there

Feb. 15, 2024 23:00 PM EST

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. The Israeli army said it was seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. The raid on Nasser...

The families of a few Israeli hostages don't want a deal to bring them home. They want Hamas crushed

Feb. 09, 2024 00:24 AM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — Chants of “Now! Now! Now!” ring out at nearly every protest in Israel imploring the government to do everything possible to win the immediate release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas. But a small group of hostages' families is pushing a different message:...

Far-right Israel minister suggests that Trump would give more US support to offensive in Gaza

Feb. 04, 2024 15:57 PM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — A far-right minister in Israel’s government has criticized President Joe Biden and said that having Donald Trump in power would allow more freedom to fight Hamas. The comments sparked outrage among other Israeli officials on Sunday and highlighted the sensitivity of relations...

Hamas demands Israel release Marwan Barghouti, a man some Palestinians see as their Nelson Mandela

Feb. 03, 2024 15:56 PM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — He's viewed by some Palestinians as their Nelson Mandela, and he's a prime candidate to become their president in the future. He's also the highest-profile prisoner held by Israel. Now Marwan Barghouti's freedom is at stake in cease-fire negotiations between Hamas...

Hamas says it's studying Gaza cease-fire proposal, but appears to rule out key provisions

Feb. 02, 2024 16:22 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas officials said Friday that the group is studying a proposed cease-fire deal that would include prolonged pauses in fighting in Gaza and swaps of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, but the militants appeared to rule out some key components. Hamas remains...

Great escapes exhibit explores how World War II captives coped with tedium and torment

Feb. 02, 2024 12:26 PM EST

LONDON (AP) — Eighty years ago in one of the most ingenious and audacious acts of defiance of World War II, 76 prisoners of war tunneled out of a German POW camp into a snowy forest. For most of the escapees, it ended tragically. Three made it to safety, but the others were...