IDF readies to receive hostages returning from Gaza
Hamas yet to release names of hostages for first exchange • 98 Gaza hostages set for gradual return home after 15 months in Hamas captivity • Biden confirms US citizens to be released in first phase
Government approves the hostage deal after seven hours of deliberation
Netanyahu told the cabinet that President-elect Trump had given his full backing for Israel to restart the war should Hamas violate the agreement and would unfreeze arms shipments.
The Israeli government approved the hostage deal at 1 a.m. on Saturday after over seven hours of debate, Walla reported.
Twenty-four ministers voted in favor, and eight ministers voted against.
Go to the full article >>Hostage debrief team leader: Here is how to receive freed captives, cope with the deal - exclusive
Centering the hostages' needs is a critical part of how professionals will welcome them home.
Israelis reacted with fierce joy and immense trepidation to reports of an imminent hostage deal that would begin to bring the 98 captives still held by Hamas home as early as Sunday. Many months of fearing for the hostages and fighting to bring them home have made their fate a deeply personal issue for an entire country.
The euphoria surrounding their release and sense of closeness to them are natural but also pose pitfalls that we should be aware of, Hostage Debriefing Team Leader Glenn Cohen told The Jerusalem Post this weekend.
Go to the full article >>IDF prepares new perimeter for Gaza security defense lines
The IDF said that its forces would be ready to fire on any Hamas or Islamic Jihad forces that violated any of the new security zones.
The IDF noted the importance of the 8:30 a.m. ceasefire, which goes into effect Sunday morning.
According to the military, it is prepared for the intake of three female hostages as of Sunday night.
Next, on Saturday night, the IDF published maps and rules for where Palestinians can move around in this transition period at the start of Phase I of the ceasefire and where they cannot move around.
Go to the full article >>WATCH: IDF prepares for released hostages to return to Israel from Gaza captivity
The IDF urged the public to exercise patience and sensitivity and to respect the privacy of the returned hostages and their families.
The IDF has completed its preparations for receiving the returning hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military announced Saturday evening.
Go to the full article >>PM Netanyahu: 'We will meet all the war’s goals, we will bring everyone home'
"I am proud to be the Prime Minister of our wonderful people. I am proud to lead our country in times like these," he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a statement to the nation on Saturday night amid the beginning of the implementation of the hostage deal's first phase.
Go to the full article >>Notices to be delivered to families of victims of terrorists released in deal
Personal notices are to be delivered to families of terror attack victims, saying that the perpetrators who caused their loved ones' deaths are expected to be released as part of the hostage deal.
This was all according to a joint statement made on Saturday by the ministries of Justice and Defense, Israel Police, IDF, and the National Insurance Institute.
Go to the full article >>Israeli hostages returning dead or alive depends on IDF, PIJ warns
"The people of the enemy prisoners must demand that the Zionist army stop the bombardment of the last hours, which is the reason for the killing of your children."
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)'s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, called on the Israeli public to urge the IDF to stop strikes on the Gaza Strip before the ceasefire takes into effect, or they might harm or kill Israeli hostages before their release, in a statement on Telegram on Saturday.
"The people of the enemy prisoners must demand that the Zionist army stop the bombardment of the last hours, which is the reason for the killing of your children while the resistance is making the final field arrangements for their release," the statement began.
Go to the full article >>IDF preparing to implement Sunday morning ceasefire agreement
"We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources," Ansari stated.
The IDF is getting ready to implement the hostage deal and ceasefire agreement that is set to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, the military reported on Saturday morning.
As part of the initiation of the ceasefire agreement, “IDF troops will implement the operational procedures in the field in accordance with the set agreements,” the military said, adding that it has been preparing to receive the hostages after their release.
Go to the full article >>Hamas: Mediators worded deal so Netanyahu could appease hardliners in gov’t
"Netanyahu wanted to resume the war after the first phase,” the official said.
A Hamas official claimed that mediators involved in the hostage and ceasefire negotiations included a clause allowing Israel to resume military operations in Gaza if Hamas violated the agreement.
"[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu wanted to resume the war after the first phase,” the official told London-based Qatari news outlet Al Araby Al Jadeed on Friday.
Go to the full article >>Israel publishes list of 735 terrorists to be freed as part of hostage deal
Among the more familiar names is Zakaria Zubeidi, former commander of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin.
The Justice Ministry published a list of 735 terrorists that will be released as part of the hostage deal that the Israeli government approved early Saturday morning.
Among the more familiar names is Zakaria Zubeidi, former commander of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin. Zubeidi was one of the prisoners involved in the 2021 Gilboa Prison break, in which six prisoners escaped from the high-security prison.
Go to the full article >>Details of the Gaza hostage deal
- 33 hostages to be released in the first phase
- IDF preparing to withdraw from areas of Gaza ahead of ceasefire
- Biden says American hostages to be released in first phase