Since the October 7 massacre, hundreds of Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas and were held captive in the Gaza Strip. While many of the hostages have either been freed, rescued, or killed, many still remain in captivity. The hostage deal is a hypothetical agreement between Israel and Hamas that would see the hostages, living and dead, released from captivity back to Israel.
Such a deal was implemented in the early days of the war, in November 2023, where many hostages were released over the course of a few days. A much longer one was implemented in early 2025, which saw many hostages released from captivity in exchange for the release of high numbers of Palestinian security prisoners.
Sources informed on the matter told the Post that there has been no change in Hamas's position regarding the deal.
He also stressed that "Hamas must end its control of the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority."
Today, I have more faith in the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, to bring my daughters’ father home than I do in my own government.
The bodies of American-Israelis Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai and Omer Neutra are still in the hands of Hamas.
Hamas rejected Israel's latest proposal, which would have seen 10 living hostage released for a 45 day ceasefire.
The demonstration in Tel Aviv was also intensified due to the affidavit of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
The poll also indicated slight shifts in party standings in the next election, with Netanyahu's Likud gaining ground.
Officials stress that the war can only end if Gaza is fully demilitarized, and that Hamas is neither a legitimate military nor civilian authority.
Despite the difficulty in recalling details, some moments remain etched in his memory — the moment he entered Gaza, and the moment he left.
Cohen's mother noted, "We need everyone's support to pressure our government to stop the war."
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