El grupo terrorista Hamas declaró este sábado que se desconoce el paradero del rehén israelí-estadounidense Edan Alexander, mientras que el cuerpo de un guardia asignado a él fue recuperado del lugar de un reciente ataque israelí.

“Logramos recuperar el cuerpo de un mártir encargado de asegurar al prisionero Edan Alexander, pero se desconoce el paradero del prisionero y del resto de los captores”, declaró el brazo armado de Hamas, las Brigadas Ezzedine Al-Qassam, en un comunicado.

El martes, el grupo anunció que había “perdido contacto” con la unidad militante que retenía a Alexander tras un ataque aéreo israelí contra su emplazamiento en la Franja de Gaza.

“Intentamos proteger a todos los prisioneros (rehenes) y preservar sus vidas a pesar de la brutalidad de la agresión… pero sus vidas corren peligro debido a los bombardeos criminales llevados a cabo por el ejército enemigo”, declaró Abu Obeida, portavoz del brazo armado de Hamas, en un comunicado este sábado.

La semana pasada, las Brigadas publicaron un video que mostraba a Alexander con vida, en el que criticaba al gobierno israelí por no lograr su liberación.

En el video, Alexander parecía hablar bajo presión, haciendo frecuentes gestos con las manos mientras criticaba al gobierno del primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu. La agencia de noticias AFP no pudo determinar cuándo se grabó el video.

Alexander servía como soldado en una unidad de infantería de élite en la frontera de Gaza cuando fue secuestrado por militantes palestinos durante su ataque contra Israel el 7 de octubre de 2023.

El soldado, que cumplió 21 años en cautiverio, nació en Tel Aviv y creció en el estado estadounidense de Nueva Jersey. Regresó a Israel después de la secundaria para unirse al ejército.

De los 251 rehenes tomados el 7 de octubre, 58 permanecen en cautiverio, incluyendo 34 que, según el ejército israelí, están muertos.

Israel reanudó sus ataques aéreos y su ofensiva terrestre en Gaza el 18 de marzo, poniendo fin a un alto el fuego de dos meses que había detenido en gran medida los combates.

La guerra en Gaza estalló tras el ataque de Hamas del 7 de octubre, que causó la muerte de 1.281 personas del lado israelí, en su mayoría civiles, según un recuento de AFP basado en cifras oficiales israelíes.

En otro orden, el Ejército de Israel anunció este viernes que interceptó un misil disparado desde Yemen, en medio de un nuevo episodio de tensiones en la región vinculado al conflicto en Gaza y a la creciente ofensiva estadounidense contra los rebeldes hutíes, aliados de Irán.

“Después de las sirenas que sonaron hace un rato en varias áreas de Israel, un misil lanzado desde Yemen fue interceptado”, informó el Ejército israelí a través de su canal oficial en Telegram, indicando que los sistemas de defensa aérea fueron activados “para interceptar la amenaza”.

Los hutíes, que controlan amplias zonas del norte de Yemen, incluida la capital Saná, han llevado a cabo ataques con misiles y drones contra Israel desde el inicio de la guerra entre el Ejército israelí y Hamas en la Franja de Gaza. Además, han atacado barcos civiles y militares en el mar Rojo y el golfo de Adén, rutas clave para el comercio internacional.

El lanzamiento del proyectil se produjo horas después de que fuerzas estadounidenses destruyeran el puerto petrolero de Ras Isa, en el noroeste de Yemen, que se encontraba bajo control de los hutíes.

El Comando Central de Estados Unidos (CENTCOM) afirmó que la operación buscó “eliminar esta fuente de combustible para los terroristas hutíes, respaldados por Irán” y “privarlos de los ingresos ilegales” utilizados para financiar sus operaciones.

(Con información de agencias)

WASHINGTON, DC – Ohio Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running for governor against tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in the primary, spoke to Fox News Digital about his campaign and what he sees as the key difference between the two campaigns. 

«We do agree on an awful lot of things,» Yost, who was in Washington to celebrate with the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes college football team at the White House, told Fox News Digital about the gubernatorial race. 

«The difference is that I’m running on a record of results, not just rhetoric.»

Part of that record, Yost explained, is his time as the state auditor in Ohio, where he helped uncover $260 million of efficiency savings.

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«I was DOGE before DOGE was cool,» Yost said, adding later that «virtually nobody» he talks to in Ohio is opposed to the fraud and waste spending that is taking place with DOGE amid vocal Democratic pushback.

Yost also touted his record on crime and public corruption as the state’s attorney general since 2019 and suggested his experience differentiates him from Ramaswamy. 

«We’ve been fighting for the Constitution, for the rights of Ohioans, fighting public corruption,» Yost said. «More than 170 people have gone to jail because of my work and the work of my team. So, we’ve been in the trenches. We don’t need on-the-job training, and I think that that record of results is going to make a difference for Ohioans.»

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost speaks at the Conservative Political Action Coalition annual meeting  (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Recent polling shows that Ramaswamy, who has been endorsed by President Trump, Elon Musk, Rep. Jim Jordan and others, holds a commanding lead in the race, but Yost remains optimistic. 

«Obviously, there’s a long way to go, but I love Ohio,» Yost said. «I’ve been getting back out and talking with folks. The reception has been amazing. People are eager for a new America First kind of leadership in Ohio. And I am really excited about where we’re heading.»

One specific issue that Yost believes he has been clearer on where he stands is the death penalty. 

«I don’t know where my opponent is on that,» Yost said. «He hasn’t spoken about it. I imagine that that’s why we have campaigns, and we’ll find out. But look, I support the death penalty.»

Yost explained that «safeguards» must be used, and he emphasized that there are «no do-overs» but said that «we need» the death penalty.

«What do you do with a guy who’s serving life without parole and then he kills a prison guard or a cook inside?» Yost said. «A family loses a loved one because of this murder. Was that a freebie? What, are we gonna give them another life sentence? So, at least in that circumstance, we need to have the death penalty, and then we’re just arguing about when we use it.»

«But the death penalty is not working in Ohio right now. We haven’t abolished it. We still have the promise of it out there as the ultimate justice. We haven’t executed anyone since 2018. The average time that somebody on death row has been waiting for their date with justice is 22 years. That’s not due process, it’s overdue process, and we need to either man up and say, okay, we’re not gonna do this anymore, or we need to go about following the law and bringing the 116 people on death row to their date with justice.»

A person close to the Ramaswamy campaign told Fox News Digital that the team is «looking forward to helping Dave Yost be successful in his next venture, whatever he chooses to do.»

Another local issue in Ohio that Yost told Fox News Digital he is concerned about is the recent push by professional sports teams to secure taxpayer funds for stadiums. 

Yost expressed concerns about taxpayers being on the hook for sums of several hundred million dollars.

«I’m not so sure that the taxpayers ought to be throwing tax money at these big public stadium projects,» Yost said. «I mean, those bonds, those taxes are going to be paid for by people that in a lot of ways can’t afford to go to a pro game. That strikes me as unfair. But beyond that, we have no limiting principle here.»

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Vivek Ramaswamy speaks before Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump takes the stage at the campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, in New York City.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«We’ve got all these different sports teams. We already have three of them now, since the Browns said we want $600 million. The Bengals come forward, and they want $350 million, and FC Cincinnati is saying, ‘Well, what about us?’ And pretty soon, we’re spending billions of dollars on sports stadiums that are used in one town a few days a year, when we could be spending that money on any number of other things, whether we’re talking about roads, bridges, economic development, whether we’re talking schools, or we’re talking about tax cuts. None of this makes sense to me. We at least need a plan and a limit. Right now, it looks like the candy store is just open.»

Fox News Digital asked Yost what he hears most often when he travels the state talking to voters, and he said that the economy and «kitchen table» issues are most prevalent, but pointed out that Trump’s tariff policies, which have been much maligned by the Democrats, are more popular than the media lets on. 

«Right now, everybody’s watching as the world economy is being reordered, and unlike what I’m hearing from the disaster predicted by the elite press on the coasts, it’s a much different situation on the ground in Ohio,» Yost said. «I talk to a lot of businesses that think that this is going to be good for them, that the fair and reciprocal kinds of trade are going to bring a new resurgence to Ohio and to their industries, even though they see some pain and that’s what everybody’s talking about right now.»

Ultimately, Yost told Fox News Digital that he believes that his «record of results» shows that he is the candidate with the «experience and the vision and the know-how» to «bring Ohio to the bright future that’s out there for us.»