Hamas proposes one-time release of phase two hostages as talks set to begin

Hamas has submitted a new proposal that would involve releasing all remaining hostages at once in phase two, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem announced on Tuesday night. 

Qassem added that this could be made possible should Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted a photo of Shiri, Kfir, Ariel Bibas alongside an expression of solidarity on his X account on Tuesday.

This comes after reports that the bodies of the three remaining Bibas hostages will be returned on Thursday.

"Faces of innocence and love, faces of an eternal humanity that the barbarity of Hamas will never abolish," wrote Macron.

Shiri.
Kfir.
Ariel.

Visages de l’innocence et de l’amour.

Visages d’une humanité éternelle que la barbarie du Hamas, jamais, n’abolira.

La France, mobilisée pour la libération de tous les otages, se tient aux côtés de Yarden et de la famille Bibas. En fraternité universelle. pic.twitter.com/3UOxwFcg3v

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 18, 2025

"France is mobilized for the release of all hostages and stands alongside Yarden [Bibas] and the Bibas family."

The administration of US President Donald Trump will give Israel free rein to hunt down Hamas, Senator Lindsey Graham told the Jerusalem Post in an interview on Tuesday.

“I think the Trump administration is going to give Israel the leeway to destroy Hamas because that’s non-negotiable.” That was the key message the Republican senator conveyed to his Israeli counterparts during his visit to Israel this week.

A strong supporter of Israel, Graham told the Jerusalem Post in an interview that if negotiations with Hamas and attempts to free the hostages fail, Jerusalem would have no choice but to eliminate the terrorist organization.

“I think they should go in and destroy Hamas, just as we destroyed the Germans and the Japanese. There is no future for the Palestinians until Hamas is gone,” he said on Monday in Tel Aviv. “No one in Washington has told me that they are restraining Israel’s ability to return to the fight if necessary.”

IDF troops fired warning shots to distance suspects who posed a threat to them in the Gaza Strip, the army announced on Tuesday.

In the southern Gaza Strip, IDF troops identified a suspect approaching, and fired warning shots. When the suspect did not retreat, the IDF fired additional shots.

Elsewhere, the IAF fired at suspicious vehicles advancing northward from central Gaza along an unauthorized route.

Hamas wants the ceasefire to continue into phase two. This phase is supposed to be discussed as the first phase is ending in the coming weeks.

Hamas has gotten used to the ceasefire. Its men are enjoying the sunlight in Gaza and parading in uniforms rather than hiding in hospitals as they are used to.

Hamas now feels secure again. It feels like it has weathered the storm of war.

Discussions on phase two of the hostage deal will begin in the coming days, an Israeli source told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

This statement comes after the earlier announcement that the six surviving hostages scheduled for release in phase one will all be freed this coming Saturday, while the bodies of eight hostages murdered by Hamas will be returned on the upcoming two Thursdays.

“The agreements reached today by the Israeli delegation in Cairo effectively bring the first phase of the deal to a close,” the source said, adding that the Prime Minister succeeded in both shortening the release phases and ensuring the full implementation of phase one — something that many had doubted would happen.

Hamas has already made it clear that in phase two, which involves the release of the remaining hostages in its captivity, it demands an end to the war. However, Israeli officials have emphasized that they will not agree to stop the war so long as Hamas remains in Gaza in any form.

“This is not going to be easy,” a diplomat familiar with the negotiations told the Post.

The body of Hadar Goldin will not be returned to Israel this week, but rather towards the end of phase one next week, an Israeli official told Maariv on Tuesday.
 
This is a developing story.

Two serving IDF soldiers who fought in Gaza had to flee Amsterdam and return to Israel after a pro-Palestinian organization tracked them down and doxxed them on social media, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

The two were visiting the Dutch capital on vacation when Israel Genocide Tracker (@trackingisrael) published their details and photos, claiming they committed "genocide in Gaza."

The post by Israel Genocide Tracker was also specifically shared with the Hind Rajab Foundation, which works to issue arrest warrants against IDF soldiers.

IDF troops fired warning shots to distance suspects who posed a threat to them in the Gaza Strip, the army announced on Tuesday.

In the southern Gaza Strip, IDF troops identified a suspect approaching, and fired warning shots. When the suspect did not retreat, the IDF fired additional shots.

Elsewhere, the IAF fired at suspicious vehicles advancing northward from central Gaza along an unauthorized route.

More than $50 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and the West Bank after the 15-month Israel-Hamas conflict, according to an assessment released by the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank on Tuesday.

The Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment said that $53.2 billion is needed for recovery and reconstruction over the next ten years, with $20 billion needed in the first three.