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Israel at War Day 588: What's happening in Israel, Gaza, West Bank?

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 An Israeli tank maneuvres in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, May 16 2025.  (photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)
An Israeli tank maneuvres in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, May 16 2025.
(photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)

Einav Zangauker receives sign of life from her son Matan, held hostage in Gaza

On Monday, following the announcement of Edan Alexander's return, Zangauker stated: "If Matan is left alone in the tunnel, Netanyahu decided to murder my child."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 Einav Zangauker, mother of Gaza hostage Matan Zangauker, speaks in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 19, 2025 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
Einav Zangauker, mother of Gaza hostage Matan Zangauker, speaks in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 19, 2025
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Einav Zangauker, mother of Hamas-held hostage Matan Zangauker, received a "sign of life" from her son, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Friday. 

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Freed hostage Edan Alexander discharged from hospital

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 breaking news (photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
breaking news
(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)

Freed hostage Edan Alexander, who was released from Hamas captivity on Monday, was discharged from Sourasky Medical Center on Friday morning, The Jerusalem Post confirmed. 

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Nir Barkat, Mike Huckabee meet to discuss Israel-US economic ties, trade barriers

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 breaking news (photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
breaking news
(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)

Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat met with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee earlier this week in Jerusalem to discuss Israel-US economic ties, Barkat confirmed on X/Twitter on Thursday.

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'Missing an opportunity': Hostage Families Forum denounce Gaza strikes, call to reach deal

The families said they were concerned about the end of Trump's visit to the region, saying that Israel will find itself "isolated and sinking."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 Family and friends of Israeli hostages brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, march through the streets of Tel Aviv, calling for their release from Hamas captivity. May 15, 2025. (photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
Family and friends of Israeli hostages brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, march through the streets of Tel Aviv, calling for their release from Hamas captivity. May 15, 2025.
(photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)

The Hostages Families Forum released a statement on Friday morning denouncing the IDF's resumption of intense strikes on the Gaza Strip as "missing an opportunity."

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Navy and Air Force attacking in the Gaza Strip -report

By LIRAN HARONI
 breaking news (photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
breaking news
(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)

The Israeli military targeted northern Gaza with artillery fire and airstrikes on Thursday night, according to Arab media reports.

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Syria's Sharaa open to Golan Heights deal, limiting Iranian presence, US congressman tells 'Post'

"I think this is an opportunity that President Sharaa needs to seize and truly use to rebuild Syria into a free and prosperous nation," US Congressman Marlin Stutzman.

By AMICHAI STEIN
 Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS. (photo credit: Getty Images/Ali Haj Suleiman, Anna Moneymaker, Win McNamee, MOHAMED HUSSAIN YOUNIS)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS.
(photo credit: Getty Images/Ali Haj Suleiman, Anna Moneymaker, Win McNamee, MOHAMED HUSSAIN YOUNIS)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was not the only one to celebrate US President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to lift sanctions on Syria.

“I think this is an opportunity that President Sharaa needs to seize and truly use to rebuild Syria into a free and prosperous nation,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

“If we can relieve some of that pressure and start the rebuilding process, I think that would be a positive step.”

Sharaa 'really wants' to change Syria, US congressman says

In April, he became the first member of Congress to visit Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

Sharaa “really wants to change the country,” Stutzman told the Post.

“We asked him about the elections, and why [they would] wait five years,” he said. “His answer was that so many Syrians are scattered around the world, and it will take time for them to return, rebuild, and establish a system that can support free elections.”

 Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025.  (credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS) Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. (credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Stutzman said Sharaa told him and the Trump administration he was working to reduce the influence of terrorist organizations in Syria, as well as limiting Iran’s presence.

“One of the things President Sharaa told me is that he is already helping Israel and the West by pushing Hezbollah out of Syria and limiting Iran’s influence,” he said. “He said that while he might allow Iran to maintain an embassy in Syria, he would definitely restrict the number of visas granted to Iranians entering the country,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of a normalization deal with Israel, Stutzman said Sharaa told him “Israel had a plan to divide the country... I don’t know if that’s true, but for him, that was the deal breaker.”

“He also mentioned the Golan Heights, and it seems he is open to some kind of a deal regarding the area,” he said.
Despite Trump’s seemingly supportive tone, Stutzman said Sharaa should not celebrate too soon.

“If there is any kind of failure to fulfill these promises made by the Sharaa administration or government, these sanctions could be reinstated, and he needs to understand that,” he said.

Israel lobbies Trump administration against lifting Syrian sanctions

Behind the scenes, Israel lobbied for the US not to lift sanctions on Syria. Trump, however, did not seem particularly moved by the Israeli efforts.

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters: “We told the Israelis we are going to remove the sanctions... Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan thinks we should do it; it gives them a much better chance of survival.”

In response, Stutzman told the Post: “I think Israel has every right to be skeptical. After all, the Israeli people are the ones who live with the daily threat of rockets potentially slipping past the Iron Dome and landing in Israel.”

“If we want peace in the Middle East – if we want to see progress through commerce instead of chaos – this is a significant step,” he said, referring to the lifting of sanctions on Damascus.

The lifting of sanctions on Syria is ultimately an experiment, he added.

The interests of the US and Israel align in integrating Sharaa into the international community and working toward peace between Israel and Syria, Stutzman said.

“There are going to be people who do not want Syria to succeed here,” he said. “I hope President Sharaa aligns himself with us in the West and with Israel, which wants to see peace and prosperity.”

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Trump says US should take over Gaza Strip, turn it into a 'freedom zone'

This is the first time he has said this to Arab leaders in a formal setting, notably while in Qatar, which has played a major role in mediating the Gaza deal.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
 An illustration US President Donald Trump and the Gaza Strip (photo credit: REUTERS, SHUTTERSTOCK)
An illustration US President Donald Trump and the Gaza Strip
(photo credit: REUTERS, SHUTTERSTOCK)

The US should take control of the Gaza Strip, deal with Hamas, and turn it into a freedom zone, US President Donald Trump said Thursday in Qatar.

“If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” he said during a business roundtable.

“Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” Trump was quoted as saying.

“They’ve never solved the Gaza problem, and if you look at it, I have aerial shots,” he said. “I mean, there’s practically no building standing; there’s no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable. It’s a tremendous death. And I want to see that be a freedom zone.”

This is the first time Trump has made such statements to Arab leaders in a formal setting, notably while in a country that has played a primary role in mediating the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

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Watch: UNSC discusses returning bodies of slain hostages to Israel

Ruby Chen, the father of slain hostage Itay Chen, began by describing his son and explaining how he was taken hostage. 

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Members of the United Nations Security Council meet on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan. March 25, 2024 (photo credit: Andrew Kelly/Reuters)
Members of the United Nations Security Council meet on the day of a vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan. March 25, 2024
(photo credit: Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

The United Nations Security Council held its meeting on returning the bodies of slain hostages to Israel on Thursday. 

Ruby Chen, the father of slain hostage Itay Chen, began by describing his son and explaining how he was taken hostage. But he noted that Hamas has been engaging in the " lowest form of terrorist psychological warfare imaginable" by refusing to confirm Itay's status. 

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Senior Hamas officials claims direct talks with US despite denial from American officials

Three Israeli officials told the Post on Wednesday that "there are no indications from the talks in Qatar that Hamas's position is shifting in a way that would allow for a deal."

By AMICHAI STEIN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)
Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day of the handover of hostages, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

Despite denial from US officials, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed that the terror organization is holding direct talks with the US, Israeli media reported Thursday, citing an interview with Sky News in Arabic.

"We believe that President Trump is doing the hard work of reducing tensions in the region, which is what motivates us to continue communicating with the American administration, regardless of the team," Naim said.

Naim also claimed that Hamas told the deal mediators and the US that Hamas is ready to return all the hostages immediately if the terror group receives a promise that it will lead to an end to the war and the entry of aid into Gaza.

On the Israeli side, there have been difficulties in renewed hostage negotiations in Doha, and no progress has been made, sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. 

Additionally, the security cabinet will not convene until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. 

 Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza and supporters protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, May 13, 2025. (credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90) Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza and supporters protest calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, May 13, 2025. (credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)

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Israel at war: What you need to know


  • Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
  • Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Supernova music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
  • 58 hostages remain in Gaza.
  • 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
  • The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
  • The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4 a.m.
  • Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire on January 17, 2025.