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 >>Qatar PM: 13 months of wasted negotiations, this deal was the same framework as agreed in Dec. 2023
Prime Minister Al Thani praised incoming President-elect Donald Trump and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff , for helping achieve the deal, "He fought for this deal."
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told Sky News on Friday that the recently approved deal followed the same framework as the one agreed upon in December 2023.
Thani said the framework had been first discussed in December 2023, only two months into the war.
Go to the full article >>Senior Hamas official: 'Ceasefire agreement wouldn't have happened without Trump'
Trump took full credit for the hostage deal during an interview.
A Senior Hamas official told Al Arabiya that the ceasefire and hostage deal wouldn't have happened without the incoming Trump administration.
“The Gaza ceasefire agreement would not have happened without Donald Trump," former Hamas Health Minister Basem Naim told Al Arabiya. "The agreement would not have been reached without pressure from the Trump administration. The Trump administration exerted the appropriate pressure on Netanyahu."
Go to the full article >>Explainer | Who are the American-Israeli hostages set to be released in phase one?
Keith Siegel will return to Israel after a year to the news that his mother has died while Sagui Dekel-Chen will return to learn his third daughter was born.
American-Israelis Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen are set to be released from Hamas captivity in phase one of a ceasefire-hostage deal.
The agreement comes as President-elect Donald Trump readies to resume his presidency in the White House. Trump warned Hamas against further delaying a deal - promising there would be “hell to pay” should the terror group continue holding hostages once he takes power.
Go to the full article >>Explainer | Who are the five female IDF soldiers set to return home?
Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy were abducted from the Nahal Oz base on October 7.
IDF observers Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy are set to be released in the first phase of a new hostage-ceasefire deal.
Go to the full article >>Egypt to establish task force to ensure to monitor ceasefire, hostage release deal - report
Egypt will establish a task force in Cairo to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the procedures of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, Egyptian source Al-Qahera reported on Friday.
The task force's joint operations room will include representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the US, Israel and the PA to ensure effective coordination.
The meetings in Cairo regarding the implementation of the agreement had also ended positively, a source told the Egyptian news outlet.
Go to the full article >>Explainer | Who is Hisham al-Sayed, the Bedouin Israeli held by Hamas since 2015?
Hisham al-Sayed, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, crossed into the West Bank, Jordan and Gaza multiple times before Hamas abducted him in 2015.
Hisham al-Sayed was 27 when he wandered into southern Gaza and was promptly abducted by Hamas. Now, at age 36, the Bedouin-Israeli may be returning to his hometown al-Hura as part of the first phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and his terrorist captors.
Go to the full article >>Foreign hostages expected to be released in first phase of deal
CNN reported that 10 foreign hostages could be released with the announced 33 hostages.
Foreign hostages in Gaza are expected to be released in addition to the announced list of 33 hostages, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
According to CNN, the Prime Minister's Office has previously confirmed that of the hostages in Gaza, eight are from Thailand, one is from Nepal, and one is from Tanzania. Three of them are believed to be dead.
Haaretz reported on Wednesday that the foreign hostages would not be released in the first phase of the deal but that the government expected Hamas to release them as a gesture of goodwill to their respective countries.
Gov't meeting to approve hostage deal begins
The Israeli government began the meeting to approve a hostage deal Friday evening.
Go to the full article >>Who is Avera Mengistu, the Hamas hostage set to be released after 11 years in captivity?
Avera Mengistu, a young Israeli of Ethiopian descent, mistakenly crossed into Gaza in 2014. Now 11 years after his abduction, his status has raised alarms for members of his community.
Among the 33 names of captives set to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas is Avera Mengistu. Unlike the majority of those listed, Mengistu was not abducted on October 7, 2023, but has spent 11 years in Hamas captivity.
Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, was said to have been suffering from mental illness when he voluntarily entered the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014.
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