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Tag: Ceasefire

  • As Gaza ceasefire hinges on returning remains, Waltz says U.S. to help find the missing, including Americans

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    The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was still holding Thursday despite strains over missing hostages’ remains — including two U.S. nationals — and sporadic violence in the Palestinian enclave since the U.S. peace agreement came into effect almost a week ago.

    Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that American personnel would be part of the effort to recover the remains of the 19 hostages that have yet to be turned over.

    Hamas returned the bodies of two more deceased Israeli hostages Wednesday night, bringing the total number returned to nine. But as video continued to emerge showing the staggering scale of destruction in Gaza, the group said it couldn’t hand over any more remains without specialized equipment to find and retrieve the bodies.

    Israeli soldier Capt. Daniel Peretz was among the former hostages laid to rest in solemn ceremonies on Wednesday after his family finally received his body, which was held in Gaza for over two years. Peretz was killed fighting Hamas during the attack on Oct. 7, 2023. For his family, the day brought fresh pain.

    Rabbi Doron Peretz and Shelley Peretz hug next to their daughters during the funeral for Daniel Peretz, an Israeli soldier who was captured on Oct. 7, 2023 and whose remains were returned to Israel this week, at Mount Herzl National Cemetery, Oct. 15, 2025, in Jerusalem.

    Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty/ALEXI ROSENFELN


    “It’s a new truth I have to face,” said his sister Adina Peretz. “It’s proof, proof, that you are really gone.”

    The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents Israeli hostage families, said this week that the peace process should not move forward until all the bodies are returned.

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a social media post on Monday, called Hamas’ initial handover of only four bodies “a violation of the agreement,” adding that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”

    But senior U.S. advisers speaking to reporters on Wednesday in Washington urged patience, citing the difficulties in retrieving the remains. They said U.S. officials were not at a point where they believed the peace agreement had been violated by either side.

    “Many of the Hamas commanders who are responsible for burying these Israeli hostages are no longer alive,” Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin told CBS News on Wednesday. “They were killed by the Israelis.”

    Given that fact, and the perilous conditions inside the Palestinian territory, where there are unexploded bombs amid the piles of debris, Baskin said “some of the deceased hostages may never be found, and that’s part of the reality, but we have to make sure that Hamas is doing everything possible to do it.”

    A Palestinian woman, Hayam Meqdad, 49, walks on the rubble of her destroyed home, in Gaza City

    Hayam Meqdad, 49, walks on the rubble of her destroyed home amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, Oct. 15, 2025.

    EBRAHIM HAJJAJ/REUTERS


    President Trump weighed in on the matter himself on Wednesday, telling reporters the recovery efforts — which international search and rescue experts are expected to join at some point — were “a gruesome process.”

    “I almost hate to talk about it,” said Mr. Trump. “But they’re digging. They’re actually digging, areas where they’re digging, and they’re finding a lot of bodies. Then they have to separate the bodies.”

    Waltz, President Trump’s former National Security Advisor and the current U.N. ambassador, noted Thursday on Fox News that there were still two American nationals among the deceased hostages in Gaza.

    “We will do everything to get them out,” Walz said, adding that there was “an entire task force” including senior American officials, along with 200 U.S. troops, in the region “to help with this and with the aid facilitation, and the Israelis are absolutely focused on it. So, they need heavy equipment. They need specialized gear. But we have to also understand that if this ceasefire falls apart, the fighting starts, that’s going to make it that much harder to find these loved ones and get them out.”

    The remains of American-Israeli nationals Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, both of whom were members of the Israel Defense Forces, have yet to be returned from Gaza.

    Turkey has offered its assistance in locating and retrieving the remains of the hostages still in Gaza, given the country’s extensive expertise after recent catastrophic earthquakes. No firm plans for such a deployment, from Turkey or any other nation, have been confirmed, but Turkish media said 81 personnel from that country alone could be sent to the region, including ten-person specialist search and rescue units.

    Israel said it would return the bodies of 15 Palestinians in exchange for the remains of every hostage handed back by Hamas as part of the peace deal, and the Red Cross has been transferring remains of Palestinians back to Gaza in recent days. But those returns, too, have been mired in controversy.

    Bodies of Palestinians Returned To Gaza by Israel

    Morgue workers unload the bodies of Palestinians handed over from Israeli custody after they were transported by Red Crescent vehicles to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Oct. 15, 2025. 

    Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty


    “We saw with our own eyes clear signs of torture and execution,” Sameh Hamad, a member of a commission tasked with receiving the bodies at a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, told The Associated Press. “Their hands and feet were cuffed, their eyes blindfolded.”

    Hamas said in a statement on Thursday that “horrifying scenes seen on the bodies” handed over by Israel included “signs of torture, mutilation, and field executions.”

    The group called on human rights organizations and the United Nations “to document these atrocious crimes, to open an urgent and comprehensive investigation, and to bring the leaders of the occupation to trial before the competent international courts.”

    Former Israeli hostages have also spoken of torture at the hands of their Hamas captors in Gaza, including Keith Siegel, who was held for over a year.

    He told CBS’ 60 Minutes in March that he witnessed the sexual assault of other hostages by Hamas militants, and that he was personally beaten, psychologically tortured and humiliated by his captors.

    The Israeli military responded Friday to a CBS News request for comment on the allegations that Palestinian prisoners were tortured, saying that it “operates strictly in accordance with international law, in stark contrast to the murderous terror organization Hamas, which slaughtered civilians, desecrated bodies, and even glorified their actions by publishing their atrocities online.”

    The statement added that all of the bodies returned to Gaza thus far were those of “combatants within the Gaza Strip, and not of detainees taken alive to Israel and executed, as mentioned in the article. The IDF did not tie any bodies prior to their release to the Strip.”

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  • Israel-Hamas peace deal may hinge on return of all Israeli hostage remains, but is that possible?

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    Israel appeared on Wednesday to be restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza in response to what it says is Hamas’ delay in handing over the remains of 21 other hostages still believed to be in the Palestinian territory. Some people fear that may not be possible.

    An Israeli security official told CBS News on Wednesday that, “contrary to reports, the Rafah Crossing did not open today,” referring to the key portal to Gaza from Egypt, where tons of aid has been stockpiled ready for delivery for weeks. 

    The official said preparations were ongoing for the crossing to open “for the exit and entry of Gazans only,” but not for aid materials. However, the official said an unspecified amount of aid was still being transported into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, “and other crossings after Israeli security inspection.”

    Calls have mounted since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on Friday for Israel to allow “full aid” into Gaza, as specified under the terms of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

    Israeli officials had said that 600 aid trucks per day would be permitted to enter the territory once the U.S.-brokered peace plan took effect. The Israeli government has not given details on the level of aid traffic it has allowed through since then, but there are reports that only half as many trucks have passed into Gaza each day.

    Both the Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the group which represents the hostage families, and Israel’s defense minister have said the entire peace deal should be shelved until all of the hostages’ remains are returned by Hamas.

    A man mourns as he leans on a casket covered with an Israeli flag during a funeral ceremony for Guy Illouz, whose remains were returned to Israel this week, Oct. 15, 2025, in Rishon LeZion, Israel.

    Amir Levy/Getty


    The Israel Defense Forces, in multiple statements about the return of hostages since Friday, has said only that “Hamas is required to make all necessary efforts to return the deceased hostages.”

    Hamas did return several four more sets of remains on Tuesday evening, but the Israeli military said Wednesday that one of them was not one of the missing hostages. 

    That would mean the remains of 21 hostages still lie buried somewhere amid the ruins of Gaza, along with more than 11,000 Gazans who remain missing, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Part of the problem is that many of those who oversaw the burial of the deceased hostages are now dead themselves.

    “Many of the Hamas commanders who are responsible for burying these Israeli hostages are no longer alive,” Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin told CBS News on Wednesday. “They were killed by the Israelis.”

    He said there were still “thousands of Gazans who are unaccounted for, who are believed to be buried underneath the rubble of the buildings Israel bombed,” too.

    During negotiations to seal the Middle East peace deal, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of deceased hostages, according to Israeli media.

    Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Khan Younis

    A truck carrying fuel enters Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, through the Karem Shalom crossing as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Oct. 15, 2025.

    Abed Rahim Khatib/picture alliance/Getty


    On the ground in Gaza, first responders who spent the past two years rushing in to save lives are now searching for the dead. It’s a gargantuan task as the Hamas-run territory’s government estimates that at least 90% of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed — and most of the search teams only have rudimentary tools.

    “They are just digging with their hands,” one man searching for lost loved ones told CBS News’ team Gaza. “We are exhausted from this and don’t have the energy anymore.”

    He is just one of thousands of Gazans trying to find missing relatives.

    “It’s very likely that there might be Israeli bodies underneath the rubble as well,” Baskin told CBS News. “Some of the deceased hostages may never be found, and that’s part of the reality, but we have to make sure that Hamas is doing everything possible to do it.”

    “When I brought this to the attention of [U.S. senior envoy] Mr. Witkoff last night, I told him this is gonna be an issue. The Israelis are already screaming that Hamas is breaching the agreement,” Baskin said. “Witkoff said to me, ‘we will not allow that to happen.’ I know that the Egyptians have taken this very seriously. I understand that there are some Egyptians who entered Gaza today to work with Hamas to try and find the bodies. This has to be resolved, and it has to be resolved quickly.”

    Trump says “we will disarm” Hamas, as group reasserts power 

    The U.S. plan also calls for an interim governing body, headed by President Trump, to administer Gaza for an undefined period before handing over to Palestinian control. But this interim body has yet to be established, and Hamas has already begun to fill the resulting power vacuum.

    CBS News has seen armed members of the group back on the streets of Gaza.

    Red Cross receives bodies of hostages from Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire swap

    An armed Hamas militant stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle arrives to receive the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, in Gaza City, Oct. 14, 2025.

    Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS


    Videos have emerged, which CBS News has been unable to verify independently, apparently showing Hamas members executing blindfolded Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel, in front of crowds of people. There have also been reports of Hamas attacking rival armed groups and gangs.

    “Hamas is killing them because it can,” Baskin told CBS News. “Israel has empowered, with weapons and money, gangs of Palestinians who were involved in mostly illegal activities in the past … and they’ve empowered them as an alternative to Hamas.”

    President Trump reacted to the videos on Tuesday, saying recently that Hamas “did take out a couple of gangs, that were very bad gangs, very, very bad … and that didn’t bother me much to be honest with you.”

    “But we have told them we want to disarm and they will disarm,” Mr. Trump said. “And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them, and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently.”

    Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command, urged Hamas on Wednesday to “immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza — in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF [Israeli military] behind the Yellow Line.”

    “This is an historic opportunity for peace. Hamas should seize it by fully standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay,” Cooper said in a statement shared on social media. “We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians. We remain highly optimistic for the future of peace in the region.” 

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  • NYC Mayor’s Race: Mamdani offers statement after hours of silence on Israeli hostages’ return while Cuomo, Sliwa applaud their release | amNewYork

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    Republican Mayor nominee Curtis Sliwa (left), former Gov. and independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

    Photos by Lloyd Mitchell

    Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani waited more than 12 hours to address the release of the last remaining living Israeli hostages early on Monday morning — drawing criticism from rival Andrew Cuomo that he remained silent for too long.

    Cuomo, the former governor who is running as an independent, and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa applauded in Monday morning statements the last hostages’ release from Hamas’ custody, which occurred during the early hours of Oct. 13, New York time. Mamdani’s statement came in at 4:21 p.m. Monday; by then, Cuomo had blasted the Democratic candidate in a social media post a short time earlier, charging, “His silence speaks volumes.”

    Mamdani, who is a staunch Israel critic and pro-Palestinian advocate, applauded both the return of the hostages and the end to Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza — which he again referred to as “a genocide” — that the overarching ceasefire deal brought.

    “Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,” Mamdani said in a statement. “There is finally a glimmer of hope that this ceasefire will hold and the long, difficult work of reconstruction can begin.”

    Much of Mamdani’s statement focused on holding the Israeli government accountable for the massive toll of death and destruction in Gaza.

    “We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide,” he said. “The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies. The responsibility now lies with those of us who believe in peace to make sure it endures, and that it is just. Once aid is delivered, the wounded are cared for, and a lasting agreement secured, we cannot look away. We must work towards a future built upon justice, one without occupation and apartheid, and for a world where every person can live with safety and dignity.”

    amNewYork asked the Mamdani campaign about the reasons for the delayed statement, and is awaiting a response.

    On Monday, Hamas returned the 20 living hostages and the remains of at least four deceased hostages as part of a ceasefire deal between itself and Israel to bring the 24-month war in Gaza to an end.

    The conflict began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which the group killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages. Israel’s military offensive has since claimed the lives of over 68,000 Palestinians, displaced most of Gaza’s population from their homes, and left most of the coastal enclave in ruins.

    Also, as part of the deal, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held inside its jails.

    ‘A moral moment’

    While Mamdani focused mostly on the end of the war in Gaza, Cuomo and Sliwa barely mentioned it, instead focusing mostly on the return of the hostages.

    Cuomo cast the event as “a moral moment, a reminder of our shared humanity and the sacred value of every life.”

    “For two long years, families have lived through unimaginable pain, sleepless nights, and endless heartache,” Cuomo said. “Today, their prayers have been answered, as the remaining hostages are finally home in the arms of their loved ones, where they belong.”

    The former governor also urged people not to forget the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught where Hamas took the hostages, quoting Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who documented his ordeal in the autobiography “Night” and won the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize for his life’s work advocating against violence, racism, and repression. 

    “Elie Wiesel once said, ‘The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference,’” Cuomo said. “Today, we reject indifference & choose remembrance. And we choose hope: hope that peace is possible.”

    Sliwa expressed similar sentiments in his own statement, in which he also credited President Trump with brokering the ceasefire deal. His praise came despite his rocky relationship with Trump.

    “After two long years, all the living hostages are now safely home! A massive weight has been lifted from their families’ shoulders,” Sliwa said. “The 20 surviving hostages are reunited with families and loved ones after 738 agonizing days in captivity. 7+3+8 = 18, which means Chai, which means “life” in Judaism. A number that embodies life, hope, and blessing. We pray that these hostages coming home can recover and live peacefully again.”

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    Ethan Stark-Miller

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  • Key moments from a momentous day for Israelis and Palestinians

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    (CNN) — The last 20 living hostages held in Gaza were released on Monday, reuniting with their families in jubilant scenes as world leaders gathered in Egypt to discuss the future of Gaza and the next phases of the US-brokered ceasefire deal.

    For the first time in more than two years, Hamas and its allies are not holding any living hostages in Gaza.

    Meanwhile, 1,718 Palestinian detainees who were being held in Israel without charge were released on Monday and returned to Gaza. Israel also released 250 Palestinians serving long-term sentences.

    Addressing the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday during his trip to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump said the “long and painful nightmare is finally over.”

    “This is a historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Trump told Israeli lawmakers, having earlier projected confidence that the ceasefire deal would hold and that the war in Gaza was over.

    But a number of issues related to the 20-point plan brokered by Trump, alongside Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, remain unresolved.

    Here are some key moments from Monday and where the peace process may go next:

    Hostages freed

    The remaining 20 living hostages were released in two groups on Monday, prompting elation and relief throughout Israel.

    In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, large crowds cheered, waved flags and chanted “thank you, Trump!” as news of the hostages’ freedom was announced.

    Emotional scenes unfolded at the Re’im military facility in southern Israel, where the released hostages were reunited with their immediate families after more than two years in captivity.

    In footage shared by the Israeli military, 24-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, was met by his parents and siblings. His family cried and embraced him in a large hug.

    Omri Miran embraces his father Dani in Re’im, Israel, after his release from captivity on October 13. Credit: Israel Defense Forces / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Omri Miran, 48, who was kidnapped when Hamas gunmen broke into his family’s home in kibbutz Nahal Oz, was met by his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi and his father Dani Miran. Photos showed him playing with his children for the first time in more than two years.

    “We are at the beginning of a complex and challenging, yet moving, journey of recovery,” Miran’s family said in a statement.

    Under the agreement brokered by the US, Hamas and its allies were meant to release all of the remaining hostages, including 28 dead ones, within 72 hours of the ceasefire being announced.

    Israeli authorities said that Hamas had handed over four coffins said to contain the remains of four deceased hostages to the Red Cross on Monday.

    Later in the day, Israeli police said the coffins had been released into Israel, before being escorted to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for formal identification. Israel has not yet confirmed the identities of the remains being returned.

    Palestinian prisoners released

    Israel released 1,718 Palestinian detainees – detained by its forces in Gaza over the past two years and held without charge – on Monday. The detainees were brought back to Gaza on buses, where they were met by large crowds at Nasser hospital in the southern part of the enclave.

    A freed Palestinian is hugged by a relative in Ramallah, West Bank, after he was released from an Israeli jail on October 13. Credit: Ammar Awad / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Israel also released 250 Palestinians serving life or long-term prison sentences.

    Some of those released prisoners were taken to the occupied West Bank, where they were hugged by family and friends as they emerged from buses in Ramallah. CNN also witnessed a substantial presence of Palestinian security forces and medics at the scene.

    A further 154 Palestinian prisoners who had been serving long sentences in Israeli jails were deported to Egypt, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. Israeli authorities had demanded that prisoners convicted of “violent offenses” be deported to third countries rather than be allowed to return to the West Bank or Gaza.

    Trump’s pointed address to Israel

    Trump spoke for more than an hour in the Israeli parliament, taking a victory lap for the ceasefire deal and repeatedly, pointedly telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not restart the war.

    “Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms. You’ve won. I mean, you’ve won,” Trump said. “Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East. It’s about time you were able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

    The US president also warned that more war would diminish Netanyahu’s legacy, adding that he will be remembered for the truce “far more than if you kept this thing going.”

    Netanyahu has previously been accused of prolonging the war in Gaza in order to delay and distract from his corruption cases and domestic political troubles, an accusation he’s rejected.

    World leaders meet in Egypt

    Trump traveled on to Egypt to meet with other world leaders, including the leaders of Qatar, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. They converged on the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Egypt and the US are co-hosting a summit on the end of the Gaza war and the next phases of a peace plan.

    World leaders took part in a signing ceremony for the Gaza ceasefire deal during the summit.

    Netanyahu said he was invited but did not attend.

    The 20-point ceasefire plan brokered by the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey still has several unresolved issues and details that must be hammered out.

    Those sticking points include how the largely destroyed Gaza Strip will be governed after the war, as well as how Hamas’ disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza will be carried out.

    Next steps of ceasefire plan

    The full withdrawal of the Israeli military is contingent on Hamas’ disarmament, according to the agreement, leaving some wiggle room for Netanyahu to say Israel still has the freedom to resume fighting.

    Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said last week that the group has received guarantees from the US and international mediators confirming that this deal means “the war has ended permanently,” rather than representing a temporary ceasefire. It’s not clear in what form those guarantees came.

    The key unanswered question is what will happen to Hamas, according to Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank.

    “You have what looks like a pathway to Palestinian statehood … but this, ultimately, is a Palestinian state that does not seem to have any place for Hamas. To what extent Hamas will agree to this and comply with this in the weeks and months to come – I think that is a big question,” Ozcelik told CNN.

    “I think Israel will retain what it sees as its national security imperative to operate in Gaza if it believes that there is a credible threat to its security and its border communities,” Ozcelik said. “But at the same time, there needs to be a governing body in Gaza. There needs to be security and law enforcement. There needs to be basic service delivery and distribution of vital humanitarian aid.”

    She added that other regional actors will be expected to play an important role in the transition, particularly Egypt and Turkey. “I think for the time being, all sides are going to want to be seen as doing all that they can to make Trump’s plan work.”

    CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Ivana Kottasova, Kara Fox, Tim Lister, Abeer Salman and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.

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    Lauren Kent and CNN

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  • Amid relief of Gaza ceasefire, US Muslim, Jewish groups agree on difficulty of achieving lasting peace – WTOP News

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    U.S.-based Jewish and Muslim advocacy groups agree a lot of work remains to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

    All 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel are free as part of a ceasefire in Gaza. But halfway around the world, U.S.-based Jewish and Muslim advocacy groups agree a lot of work remains to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

    Alan Ronkin, regional director of the American Jewish Committee in D.C., said this is a long-awaited relief for the hostages held since Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

    “It’s going to take some time to get them back to be themselves, back to their families, and God willing, achieve some sort of a normal life after being through this absolute hell for the past two years,” Ronkin said.

    Haris Tarin, vice president of policy and programming with the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said “that the Palestinian people will hopefully be able to breathe again, and that the suffering will stop.”

    “The fact that Palestinians in Gaza can actually go back to their homes — even if it’s just rubble — to be able to go back to that rubble,” Tarin said. “So, there is relief, and some room for celebration.”

    Yet with Israel’s insistence that Hamas disarm, the likelihood of a permanent peace in the near future is slim.

    “We don’t have trust in the Netanyahu government to move forward and stick to its side of the deal,” Tarin said. “So, we just hope the Trump administration and the international community will hold the Netanyahu government accountable, to do what it’s supposed to do.”

    Ronkin called recent developments “a potentially historic and pivotal moment in the Middle East — one that could move us toward a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.”

    However, “There are unprecedented challenges in the region, but today is a day of hope and a day to focus on the necessity for the work to come.”

    Tarin said he believes the road to peace is more straightforward.

    “If the occupation leaves, and life is made a little bit more sustainable for the Palestinian people to live side by side with the Israelis, then I think there’s room for lasting peace,” Tarin said. “But, if this peace deal’s just another way to continue the occupation, there’s no road.”

    Ronkin was asked whether each side would have to make sacrifices to reach a lasting peace.

    “Look, peace is always a matter of compromise, and we’re not there yet.”

    “Palestinians also have the right to self-determination and sovereignty, in some way,” Ronkin said. “The idea is, we’ve got to figure out how to do it.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Neal Augenstein

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  • VIDEO: Hostages reunite with their families, friends in Israel

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    After two years of the Israel-Hamas war, all 20 living hostages have been freed and are in Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement. Video above: People celebrate at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after hostages releasedThousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, singing and cheering as the initial hostages were released. Guy Gilboa-Dalal was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. Evyatar David, Gilboa-Dalal’s childhood best friend, was also abducted from the festival and reunited with his family Monday.Watch below: Guy Gilboa-Dalal reunites with his family after being freedAlon Ohel was taken from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7.Watch below: Former hostage Alon Ohel meets with his familyEvyatar David was reunited with his family after being kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival along with his childhood best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who also returned to his family Monday.Watch below: Former hostage Evyatar David reunites with his familyBar Kupershtein was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7.Watch below: Released Israeli hostage Bar Kupershtein reunites with familyZiv and Gali Berman were kidnapped from their home in kibbutz Kfar-Aza on Oct. 7. Their mother, Liran Berman, told CNN in February that other hostages who had been released had informed the family that the twin brothers were alive but separated from each other.Watch below: Former hostages Gali and Ziv Berman on their way to hospital in Israeli Air Force helicopterMore than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners were also freed as part of the ceasefire.Watch below: People celebrate in West Bank as released Palestinians reunite with their familiesSenior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences was included in the ceasefire deal.Watch below: Released prisoner says prison conditions are terrible, celebrates releaseAll the hostages freed Monday are men, as women, children and men older than 50 were released under previous ceasefire deals.Watch below: The 13 remaining living hostages have been released by Hamas

    After two years of the Israel-Hamas war, all 20 living hostages have been freed and are in Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement.

    Video above: People celebrate at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after hostages released

    Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, singing and cheering as the initial hostages were released.

    Guy Gilboa-Dalal was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. Evyatar David, Gilboa-Dalal’s childhood best friend, was also abducted from the festival and reunited with his family Monday.

    Watch below: Guy Gilboa-Dalal reunites with his family after being freed

    Alon Ohel was taken from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7.

    Watch below: Former hostage Alon Ohel meets with his family

    Evyatar David was reunited with his family after being kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival along with his childhood best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who also returned to his family Monday.

    Watch below: Former hostage Evyatar David reunites with his family


    Ziv and Gali Berman were kidnapped from their home in kibbutz Kfar-Aza on Oct. 7. Their mother, Liran Berman, told CNN in February that other hostages who had been released had informed the family that the twin brothers were alive but separated from each other.

    Watch below: Former hostages Gali and Ziv Berman on their way to hospital in Israeli Air Force helicopter

    More than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners were also freed as part of the ceasefire.

    Watch below: People celebrate in West Bank as released Palestinians reunite with their families

    Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences was included in the ceasefire deal.

    Watch below: Released prisoner says prison conditions are terrible, celebrates release

    All the hostages freed Monday are men, as women, children and men older than 50 were released under previous ceasefire deals.

    Watch below: The 13 remaining living hostages have been released by Hamas


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  • The End of Israel’s Hostage Ordeal

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    When Witkoff took to the lectern, the crowd broke out in enthusiastic applause and chants of “Thank you, Trump!” But, when he tried to mention Netanyahu’s name, his words were drowned out by jeers that lasted long enough for Kushner to be seen giggling uncomfortably behind him. Netanyahu’s son Yair later lashed out, claiming, outlandishly, that the booing protesters were “funded by Qatar.” Even some in the opposition complained that the booing was impolitic. But the Israeli public follows the news. It knows that Netanyahu and his ministers have repeatedly stalled and torpedoed past attempts to bring back the hostages and end the war. Some ministers even voted against a previous deal to bring back the children then still held in captivity. (That deal went into effect, anyway.) It takes a level of stony fanaticism, not to mention downright cruelty, to do that. Israelis will not soon forget it.

    For the hostages, a lengthy and uncertain process of recovery now begins. During the weekend, I spoke by phone to Hagai Levine, who heads the medical team for the organization of hostages’ families. “The feeling is nerve-racking,” he said, adding that many health experts working with the released captives felt a certain “duality.” On the one hand, there is by now a body of knowledge about how to manage the care of returned hostages. There will, for example, be an emphasis on trying to place hostages who had been together in captivity in the same hospital, because of their need to remain close and provide support to one another. On the other hand, as Levine told me, “this is the first time we are receiving people after two years. We can’t stick to protocol.” Though the group of twenty seemed in relatively good health upon their release, some have reportedly suffered severe physical abuse. And some were left by themselves for long stretches. Alon Ohel, a twenty-four-year-old pianist who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, was kept in a tunnel beneath Gaza, along with three other abductees. Those three were released this past winter, during the last hostage exchange. Ohel remained alone, and was reportedly isolated since then.

    Adding to the uncertainty is the question of the hostages’ medical changes over time, Levine said. A captive who has lost forty pounds, for example, may actually have lost eighty pounds but gained some of it back before his release. During the past two years, some of the captives may have experienced the decline, or even failure, of vital organs. “In the first days, people think that, because the hostages are walking, they are speaking, maybe the situation is not so bad,” Levine said, in a briefing with reporters. But, he went on, “We realized over time that there are internal injuries like renal problems, neurological problems, and cardiac problems that may be increased, including accelerated aging.”

    Still, Levine chose to focus on the hopeful side of this release. For one thing, he told me, all surviving hostages will be coming home. This means that those released won’t be faced with the burden and guilt associated with knowing that others have been left behind; nor will they confront the impossible prospect of becoming instant advocates, taking up the very public fight for the release of others. “This gives us an opportunity that didn’t exist before, when they were constantly under the shadow of the other hostages and couldn’t devote themselves to their own rehabilitation,” Levine said.

    Speaking at a rally in southern Israel ahead of the release, Sagui Dekel-Chen, who spent almost five hundred days in captivity, addressed the relatives expecting their loved ones: “You’re allowed to smile and hug, but, please, not too strongly,” he said. “Don’t spill information on them, because they haven’t been told anything. Don’t rush to tell them how much you suffered and how much you fought for them. It’s heavy for them to carry, and they already know.” He then turned to his fellow former captives. “Brothers. You are finally allowed to break down everything you’ve been holding in. Let it all out, from the stomach, everything you couldn’t do there at night on a concrete floor surrounded by friends and captors.”

    As the hostages reunited with their families, Israel was preparing to release almost two thousand Palestinian prisoners and detainees it had guaranteed to free in exchange. Two hundred and fifty of them had been serving life sentences, many for carrying out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. The second phase of the ceasefire agreement—which will address the future rule of Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the timeline and extent of a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory—is still undecided, and will likely take many more weeks to negotiate. A summit on the subject is set to begin later on Monday, in Egypt. At Trump’s request, Netanyahu received a last-minute invitation from the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Axios reported. He declined to attend, citing the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah as an excuse. Perhaps he reasoned that it would not serve him to be seen in attendance as a group of Arab and Muslim countries, along with others, sketched out the parameters of a future Palestinian state—something he has steadfastly insisted will never happen.

    Across the fence, in Gaza, Palestinians had been trekking with their belongings for days, since preparations for the ceasefire were announced. Many returned to their homes over the weekend, only to find them under heaps of rubble. Ezzideen Shehab, a Gaza-based doctor, lost more than seventy members of his extended family. On Saturday, he wrote on social media about his experience of homecoming. “Today we learned that our homes, our land, and our entire neighborhood, every house belonging to our family and our neighbors, have been completely erased,” he wrote. “We were the victims of an annihilation ignited by Hamas from within our homes, only for the Israeli army to descend upon us and unleash its full cruelty on the civilians of Gaza, while Hamas’s fighters vanished into their tunnels.”

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    Ruth Margalit

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  • Hamas releases all 20 remaining living hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire

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    Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.The hostages, all men, returned to Israel, where they will be reunited with their families and undergo medical checks. The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.Meanwhile, a convoy of Israeli vehicles, Red Cross jeeps and buses left Ofer Prison for the occupied West Bank on Monday afternoon, carrying some of the 250 long-term prisoners set to be released in the exachange. The buses are headed to the center of Beitunia, the nearest Palestinian town, where friends and families await their arrival.In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.Earlier, while Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.”Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. Living hostages being released firstThe hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.Trump is traveling to Israel and EgyptTrump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.”The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

    Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.

    Seven of the hostages were released early Monday, while the remaining 13 were freed a few hours later.

    The 20, all men, were being reunited with their families and expected to undergo medical checks.

    The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.

    Families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square in Tel Aviv broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.

    Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.

    The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.

    Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. In the West Bank, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd waiting near Ofer Prison. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.

    The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.

    While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

    The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

    U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.

    The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.

    In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

    The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

    “Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday.

    Living hostages being released first

    The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

    As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

    With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.

    It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

    Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.

    The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

    Trump is traveling to Israel and Egypt

    Trump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.

    “The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.

    Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

    So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.

    The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

    Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.

    Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.

    The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

    The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

    ___

    Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

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  • Israel prepares to welcome the last living hostages from Gaza

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    Hamas released seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday, the first to be released as part of a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip.There was no immediate information on their condition. Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.Video above: Israel prepares to welcome the last living hostages from Gaza as a ceasefire holdsFamilies and friends of hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis were watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv.Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.The ceasefire, which began noon Friday (0900 GMT), is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group.The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. The war in Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, local health officials there say.Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead, in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war.Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.Living hostages expected firstHamas released a list early Monday morning of the 20 living hostages it will free as part of the ceasefire.Major Israeli TV stations were airing special overnight broadcasts ahead of the hostages’ release as anticipation grew. People began to gather near a large screen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before dawn.“It’s very exciting,” said Meir Kaller, who spent a sleepless night there.Video below: President Trump to visit Middle East amid U.S.-mediated ceasefireThe hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.Israel expects the living hostages to be released together Monday. They will be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base to be reunited with families.It is unlikely that the remains of up to 28 other hostages will be returned at the same time. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.The timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner’s family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.Red Cross vehicles were seen driving in both Gaza and Israel early Monday.Trump in Israel and EgyptTrump was first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.“The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” Monday with regional and international leaders.Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the U.S. plan leaves the possibility open if his Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.Other key questions in the ceasefire deal have yet to be resolved, including the future governance of Gaza and who will pay for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned Israel could do it “the hard way.” Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north and the wide strip along Gaza’s border with Israel.Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.‘Much of Gaza is a wasteland’The United Nations has said Israel so far has approved 190,000 metric tons of aid to enter Gaza, which was besieged after Israel ended the previous ceasefire in March.The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza said the amount of aid entering was expected to increase Sunday to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement.“Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. He said the U.N. has a plan for the next two months to restore basic medical and other services, bring in thousands of tons of food and fuel and remove rubble.Two years of warThe war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.Video below: Vigil held for Israeli hostages in Northwest BaltimoreIn Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.The toll will grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.Federman reported from Truro, Massachusetts. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.

    CAIRO, Cairo Governorate —

    Hamas released seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday, the first to be released as part of a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip.

    There was no immediate information on their condition. Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

    Video above: Israel prepares to welcome the last living hostages from Gaza as a ceasefire holds

    Families and friends of hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis were watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv.

    Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.

    While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

    The ceasefire, which began noon Friday (0900 GMT), is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

    The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. The war in Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, local health officials there say.

    Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead, in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war.

    Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.

    While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

    Living hostages expected first

    Hamas released a list early Monday morning of the 20 living hostages it will free as part of the ceasefire.

    Major Israeli TV stations were airing special overnight broadcasts ahead of the hostages’ release as anticipation grew. People began to gather near a large screen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before dawn.

    “It’s very exciting,” said Meir Kaller, who spent a sleepless night there.

    Video below: President Trump to visit Middle East amid U.S.-mediated ceasefire

    The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

    As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

    With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.

    Israel expects the living hostages to be released together Monday. They will be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base to be reunited with families.

    Emilio Morenatti

    People gather prior to the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, at a plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.

    It is unlikely that the remains of up to 28 other hostages will be returned at the same time. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

    The timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

    While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner’s family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.

    Red Cross vehicles were seen driving in both Gaza and Israel early Monday.

    Trump in Israel and Egypt

    Trump was first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.

    “The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.

    Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” Monday with regional and international leaders.

    Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the U.S. plan leaves the possibility open if his Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

    Other key questions in the ceasefire deal have yet to be resolved, including the future governance of Gaza and who will pay for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned Israel could do it “the hard way.” Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

    The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north and the wide strip along Gaza’s border with Israel.

    Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

    The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

    The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

    ‘Much of Gaza is a wasteland’

    The United Nations has said Israel so far has approved 190,000 metric tons of aid to enter Gaza, which was besieged after Israel ended the previous ceasefire in March.

    The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza said the amount of aid entering was expected to increase Sunday to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement.

    “Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. He said the U.N. has a plan for the next two months to restore basic medical and other services, bring in thousands of tons of food and fuel and remove rubble.

    Two years of war

    The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

    Video below: Vigil held for Israeli hostages in Northwest Baltimore

    In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    The toll will grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

    The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

    Federman reported from Truro, Massachusetts. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.

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  • 10/11: CBS Weekend News

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    10/11: CBS Weekend News – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    Israelis credit President Trump with ceasefire deal, hostage release; Creative musicians turn trash to instruments and a landfill to theater.

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  • Middle East peace deal opens the door to Donald Trump’s vanity | Opinion

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    Maybe praise for our Nobel Prize-worthy peacemaker president can turn his flaws into an addiction to being a legit history-making leader.

    Maybe praise for our Nobel Prize-worthy peacemaker president can turn his flaws into an addiction to being a legit history-making leader.

    USA Today Network file photo

    Donald Trump is a vain person who seeks outside validation and is deeply vulnerable to baseless flattery. He thinks putting lots of gold in the Oval Office makes it more awe-inspiring, as if the achievements of the people who put the president there are not enough, as visitors might misjudge American might without coating it in 24-karat leaf.

    The fact that Trump spent months brazenly panting after the Nobel Peace Prize is only the most obvious evidence of these character flaws. They may be the best thing about him.

    Now that Trump might actually deserve such accolades for a 20-point peace plan that has delivered on the first five points including a Gaza ceasefire and the first phase of an Israeli withdrawal days before the mutual release of hostages and prisoners, it might be smart for Democrats, our allies and those with loud opinionated voices in the media to take advantage of Trump’s vanity.

    Let us teach him what praise is like when it is truly deserved. Let us teach him what it is like to be regarded as a world historic figure for positive — and presidential — reasons like making peace in the Middle East, instead of being the vanguard of plodding global authoritarianism.

    There’s some signs that those with the loudest trumpets are not getting this tune. Barack Obama’s statement on the matter is a case in point:

    “After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered. More than that, though, it now falls on Israelis and Palestinians, with the support of the U.S. and the entire world community, to begin the hard task of rebuilding Gaza — and to commit to a process that, by recognizing the common humanity and basic rights of both peoples, can achieve a lasting peace.”

    You know what word is not in there? Trump. It is a fact that this achievement — fragile and preliminary as it is — would be nowhere without massive pressure from Trump. Without Trump’s masterful wielding of both American hard power and soft power in martialing an unprecedented international coalition for peace that was capable of pressuring a reluctant Israel, but more important a fanatical and suicidal Hamas, into getting to yes.

    The truly Trumpian touch is how first son-in-law Jared Kushner’s smarmy relationships with petrodollar-rich Arab states and the Donald’s reckless disregard for democratic norms, may have been the keys to building enough trust among a coalition of Israel’s corrupt, authoritarian neighbors to make peace a reality. Turkey’s Erdogan and Egypt’s el-Sisi would fall in line only for one of their own.

    If the Democrats, never-Trump Republicans, our neighbors and traditional allies avoid Obama’s partisan error and give Trump enough credit for his triumph, we may be able to do two critical things.

    One, we can keep his eye on the ball in the Middle East as he seeks more praise.

    The next phase of the 20-point plan is the most painful for Israel and Hamas. Israel must give amnesty to the collection of thugs, terrorists and propagandists who have spent decades plotting Jewish genocide that culminated in the war crimes of Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas must give up its power and arms, and at least some of its members must leave Gaza altogether.

    To make that a reality will require more of a miracle than the ceasefire we already have in place.

    Second, perhaps we can get Trump addicted to the right kind of attention. Perhaps he can turn his unique mind toward making the smart moves for a successful resolution of the Ukraine war and the longer-term Vladimir Putin problem that threatens NATO. It doesn’t have to take long to turn things around.

    Longer-term, perhaps we can induce Trump to focus his unique gift for asymmetrical diplomacy on facing down China in Asia through an unprecedented combination of trade, economic and military moves that could undermine Beijing’s dangerous rise to global power.

    Washington’s bipartisan consensus foreign policy has failed so far.

    Maybe the prospect of ending his term as the unexpected Nobel laureate president who actually deserved his prize could turn Trump’s attention away from the destructive folly of so many of his domestic policies.

    I know, that’s a big maybe, but overestimating the power of Trump’s vanity is the least of the dangers he brings to our republic.

    Related Stories from Raleigh News & Observer

    David Mastio, a former deputy editorial page editor for the liberal USA TODAY and the conservative Washington Times, has worked in opinion journalism as a commentary editor, editorial writer and columnist for 30 years. He was also a speechwriter for the George W. Bush administration.

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    David Mastio

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  • Middle East peace deal opens the door to Donald Trump’s vanity | Opinion

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    Maybe praise for our Nobel Prize-worthy peacemaker president can turn his flaws into an addiction to being a legit history-making leader.

    Maybe praise for our Nobel Prize-worthy peacemaker president can turn his flaws into an addiction to being a legit history-making leader.

    USA Today Network file photo

    Donald Trump is a vain person who seeks outside validation and is deeply vulnerable to baseless flattery. He thinks putting lots of gold in the Oval Office makes it more awe-inspiring, as if the achievements of the people who put the president there are not enough, as visitors might misjudge American might without coating it in 24-karat leaf.

    The fact that Trump spent months brazenly panting after the Nobel Peace Prize is only the most obvious evidence of these character flaws. They may be the best thing about him.

    Now that Trump might actually deserve such accolades for a 20-point peace plan that has delivered on the first five points including a Gaza ceasefire and the first phase of an Israeli withdrawal days before the mutual release of hostages and prisoners, it might be smart for Democrats, our allies and those with loud opinionated voices in the media to take advantage of Trump’s vanity.

    Let us teach him what praise is like when it is truly deserved. Let us teach him what it is like to be regarded as a world historic figure for positive — and presidential — reasons like making peace in the Middle East, instead of being the vanguard of plodding global authoritarianism.

    There’s some signs that those with the loudest trumpets are not getting this tune. Barack Obama’s statement on the matter is a case in point:

    “After two years of unimaginable loss and suffering for Israeli families and the people of Gaza, we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight; that those hostages still being held will be reunited with their families; and that vital aid can start reaching those inside Gaza whose lives have been shattered. More than that, though, it now falls on Israelis and Palestinians, with the support of the U.S. and the entire world community, to begin the hard task of rebuilding Gaza — and to commit to a process that, by recognizing the common humanity and basic rights of both peoples, can achieve a lasting peace.”

    You know what word is not in there? Trump. It is a fact that this achievement — fragile and preliminary as it is — would be nowhere without massive pressure from Trump. Without Trump’s masterful wielding of both American hard power and soft power in martialing an unprecedented international coalition for peace that was capable of pressuring a reluctant Israel, but more important a fanatical and suicidal Hamas, into getting to yes.

    The truly Trumpian touch is how first son-in-law Jared Kushner’s smarmy relationships with petrodollar-rich Arab states and the Donald’s reckless disregard for democratic norms, may have been the keys to building enough trust among a coalition of Israel’s corrupt, authoritarian neighbors to make peace a reality. Turkey’s Erdogan and Egypt’s el-Sisi would fall in line only for one of their own.

    If the Democrats, never-Trump Republicans, our neighbors and traditional allies avoid Obama’s partisan error and give Trump enough credit for his triumph, we may be able to do two critical things.

    One, we can keep his eye on the ball in the Middle East as he seeks more praise.

    The next phase of the 20-point plan is the most painful for Israel and Hamas. Israel must give amnesty to the collection of thugs, terrorists and propagandists who have spent decades plotting Jewish genocide that culminated in the war crimes of Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas must give up its power and arms, and at least some of its members must leave Gaza altogether.

    To make that a reality will require more of a miracle than the ceasefire we already have in place.

    Second, perhaps we can get Trump addicted to the right kind of attention. Perhaps he can turn his unique mind toward making the smart moves for a successful resolution of the Ukraine war and the longer-term Vladimir Putin problem that threatens NATO. It doesn’t have to take long to turn things around.

    Longer-term, perhaps we can induce Trump to focus his unique gift for asymmetrical diplomacy on facing down China in Asia through an unprecedented combination of trade, economic and military moves that could undermine Beijing’s dangerous rise to global power.

    Washington’s bipartisan consensus foreign policy has failed so far.

    Maybe the prospect of ending his term as the unexpected Nobel laureate president who actually deserved his prize could turn Trump’s attention away from the destructive folly of so many of his domestic policies.

    I know, that’s a big maybe, but overestimating the power of Trump’s vanity is the least of the dangers he brings to our republic.

    Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    David Mastio, a former deputy editorial page editor for the liberal USA TODAY and the conservative Washington Times, has worked in opinion journalism as a commentary editor, editorial writer and columnist for 30 years. He was also a speechwriter for the George W. Bush administration.

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    David Mastio

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  • Israel-Hamas peace deal live updates: Gaza ceasefire in effect, Israeli military says

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    International team will be established to recover missing hostages

    Gal Hirsch, the Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told CBS News on Thursday that an international team would be established to locate missing hostages “in the coming days.” 

    Hamas had said in a statement last week that it had agreed to the release of all Israeli hostages — living and dead — provided “that appropriate field conditions are ensured for the exchange process.”

    Israeli officials have said it is believed that only 20 of the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive. 

     

    U.S. envoy Witkoff says Israel’s partial military withdrawal in Gaza complete

    President Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday in a social media post that the U.S. military’s Central Command had “confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time,” adding that the “72 hour period” for Hamas to release all remaining Israeli hostages “has begun.”

     

    Netanyahu say Hamas will disarm, Gaza will be demilitarized as military says ceasefire in effect

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel is “tightening the noose around Hamas from all sides,” and vowed that Gaza would be demilitarized following the Israeli government’s approval of a peace plan to end the war. 

    “Hamas will disarm and Gaza will be demilitarized. If this can be achieved the easy way, all the better; if not, it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said, addressing reporters. 

    The Israeli leader defended his record in prosecuting the war in Gaza, which has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza health authorities. 

    “Anyone who claims that this hostage deal was always on the table is simply not telling the truth. Hamas never agreed to release all the hostages while we remained deep inside the Strip. It agreed only when the sword was on its neck, and that sword is still there,” Netanyahu said. 

     

    Israeli security source tells CBS News 600 aid trucks set to enter Gaza

    An Israeli security source told CBS News on Friday that 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were set to enter Gaza in the coming days as the ceasefire takes hold.

    The trucks will be from United Nations agencies, as well as other approved international organizations, the private sector and donor countries, the security source said. 

    The aid will mainly consist of “food, medical equipment, shelter equipment, as well as fuel to operate essential systems and cooking gas.”

    “Residents will be allowed to leave through the Rafah Crossing in coordination with Egypt, after security approval by Israel and under the supervision” of a European Union delegation,” the source told CBS News. 

    A spokesperson for the U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told CBS News Friday that an expanded flow of aid had not yet been allowed into the war-torn Palestinian enclave. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, also said there had been no increase in the flow of aid into Gaza early on Friday.

     

    Large plumes of smoke and explosions reported in Gaza

    Large plumes of smoke billowed into the skies above Gaza on Friday morning, and CBS News’ Debora Patta said Israeli bombs continued to fall on the Palestinian territory right up until the final hours before the military said the ceasefire had taken effect.

    Israeli officials had said on Thursday that the ceasefire would take effect immediately upon the government’s approval of the deal, which came late Thursday evening, but the explosions continued for hours after that.

    An Israeli military vehicle drives along as a smoke plume billows following Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from across the border in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2025.

    JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty


    An Israeli military spokesperson said in an Arabic language statement directed at residents of Gaza on Friday that the “Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will remain stationed in designated areas within the Gaza Strip.”

    “Do not approach IDF forces in these areas until further notice. Approaching these forces puts you at serious risk,” the spokesperson said. 

     

    Israeli official says Hamas will release hostages by noon on Monday

    An Israeli official told CBS News that Hamas would release all outstanding hostages by noon local time on Monday, which would be 5 a.m. Eastern. 

    President Trump said Thursday that all of the remaining Israeli hostages, including the bodies of deceased hostages held in Gaza, would likely be released “Monday or Tuesday” as part of the peace deal. 

    Israeli officials believe there are still 48 people held captive in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

     

    Israeli military says ceasefire has come into effect

    The Israeli military said Friday that a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect at noon local time (5 a.m. Eastern)  and that Israeli troops had begun withdrawing from parts of Gaza as part of the first phase of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the two-year war and bring home the remaining Israeli hostages.

    “Since 12:00, IDF troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday.

    ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-GAZA-CONFLICT

    Israeli soldiers rest on their armored vehicles at a position along the Israel-Gaza border fence, Oct. 10, 2025.

    JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty


    A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told CBS News’ partner network BBC News that Israeli troops would withdraw to a line leaving them in control of 53% of Gaza in the first phase of the plan. 

    President Trump had said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform that Israel “will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line” as the first step towards his 20 point peace proposal to end the war in Gaza. 

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  • Israeli military says ceasefire agreement in Gaza has taken effect

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    A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.Shelling continues through early hoursAfter the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.“The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.“It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.Details of the dealA senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

    TEL AVIV, Israel —

    A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.

    Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.

    The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

    A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

    An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.

    Shelling continues through early hours

    After the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.

    In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.

    “The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.

    In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.

    The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.

    “It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.

    Details of the deal

    A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.

    Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

    Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

    “We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.

    To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

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  • Trump, the Self-Styled “President of PEACE” Abroad, Makes War at Home

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    The President’s martial rhetoric against fellow-Americans is a striking contrast with his push for an end to hostilities in Gaza.

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    Susan B. Glasser

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  • News Analysis: With Gaza deal, praise and peril for Trump

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    WASHINGTON — At a moment when hope for peace seemed lost, senior U.S. officials, led by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in 2012 that would be touted for years as a historic diplomatic achievement. She would later campaign on her strategic prowess for the presidency against Donald Trump.

    In 2014, a similar ceasefire was brokered between the two parties during yet another war by Clinton’s successor, John Kerry, also seen at the time as a diplomatic coup. But in the first 72 hours of that ceasefire, without clarity on the precise lines of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas operatives ambushed an Israeli Defense Forces patrol decommissioning a tunnel, throwing peace in doubt. The remains of the Israeli soldier caught in that raid have been held by Hamas ever since.

    History shows that Trump’s achievement this week, brokering a new truce between Israel and Hamas after their most devastating war yet, is filled with opportunity and peril for the president.

    A lasting ceasefire could cement him a legacy as a peacemaker, long sought by Trump, who has harnessed President Nixon’s madman theory of diplomacy to coerce several other warring parties into ceasefires and settlements. But the record of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shows that consistent interest and engagement by the president may be necessary to ensure any peace can hold.

    Hamas and Israel agreed on Wednesday to implement the first phase of Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan, exchanging all remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel in exchange for 1,700 detainees from Gaza, as well as 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel.

    Only the first phase has been agreed to thus far.

    Guns are expected to fall silent Friday, followed by a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces that would initially leave roughly half of the Gaza Strip — along its periphery bordering Israel — within Israeli military control. A 72-hour clock would then begin after the partial withdrawal is complete, counting down to the hostage release.

    Achieving this alone is a significant victory for Trump, who leveraged deep ties with Arab partners built over his first administration and political clout among the Israeli right and with its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to bring the deal to a close.

    The president’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had been working toward a ceasefire for months, starting back during the presidential transition period nearly one year ago. He found little success on his own.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio writes a note before handing it to President Trump during a White House meeting Wednesday.

    (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

    It was Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who designed the Abraham Accords in Trump’s first term and maintains close ties with Netanyahu and Arab governments, took an unofficial yet active role in a recent diplomatic push that helped secure an agreement, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

    “None of this would have happened without Jared,” the source said.

    Speaking with reporters from the White House, Trump took a victory lap over the truce, claiming not only credit for a hostage and ceasefire deal but the historic achievement of a broader Middle East peace.

    “We ended the war in Gaza and really, on a much bigger basis, created peace. And I think it’s going to be a lasting peace — hopefully an everlasting peace. Peace in the Middle East,” Trump said.

    “We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages,” he added. “And they should be released on Monday or Tuesday — getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. They’re in places you don’t want to be.”

    An opening emerged for a diplomatic breakthrough after Israel conducted an extraordinary strike on a Hamas target in Doha, shaking the confidence of the Qatari government, a key U.S. ally. While Doha has hosted Hamas’ political leadership for years, Qatar’s leadership thought their relationship with Washington would protect them from Israeli violations of its territory.

    Trump sought a deal with Qatar, a U.S. official said, that would assure them with security guarantees in exchange for delivering Hamas leadership on a hostage deal. Separately, Egypt — which has intelligence and sourcing capabilities in Gaza seen by the U.S. government as second only to Israel’s — agreed to apply similar pressure, the official said.

    “There’s an argument here, that presumably the Qataris are making to Hamas — which is that they lost, this round anyway, and that it’s going to take them a very long time to rebuild. But the war must come to an end for the rebuilding to start,” said Elliott Abrams, a veteran diplomat from the Reagan, George W. Bush and first Trump administrations.

    “On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced, and he won’t get it,” Abrams said, adding that, if the deal falls through, “I think the Israelis are going to be saying to him, ‘This is a game. They didn’t really accept your plan.’”

    “I don’t think, in the end, he’ll blame the Israelis for ruining the deal,” Abrams continued. “I think he’ll blame Hamas.”

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    Michael Wilner

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  • Hope and Grief in Israel After the Gaza Ceasefire Deal

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    On Thursday, shortly after 1 A.M. in Israel, a sleepy screening of documentaries by recent film graduates on Channel 12 was interrupted by breaking news. An anchor announced that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas had just been reached. The broadcast cut to the White House; footage showed President Donald Trump holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed him a slip of paper.

    It was a handwritten note, caught by the Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, that said “very close.” Both words were underlined. “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” the message went on. Not long after, it was official. “This is the post we’ve likely all been waiting for,” the Israeli anchor said. She went on to read, in Hebrew, Trump’s statement: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” it began. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

    News of a ceasefire had been expected ever since Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, held a joint press conference last week to announce their support for a White House proposal to end the war, and Hamas responded in a way that was marketed by Trump as a yes. But now it was official: the hostages would return home on Monday. It was as though Israelis drew in a collective breath and then exhaled. At the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which had been rebranded as Hostages Square, late-night scenes of unimpeded joy erupted. Families of hostages, who have until now been restrained in their public reactions to a prospective agreement, allowed themselves to break down in tears of relief.

    Einav Zangauker and Anat Angrest, whose two sons—both named Matan—are in captivity in Gaza, held each other in a long embrace. “Matan and Matan are coming home!” Angrest cried out. Zangauker, who has become a symbol of the families’ long fight for the release of their loved ones, smiled warily. “Are there instructions for how to welcome your child after two years in captivity?” she asked, according to Haaretz.

    Michel Illouz, whose son had been killed while being held by Hamas, approached Zangauker and lifted her in the air. To see the jubilation of both parents—one whose son is alive and will be home soon, the other whose son is expected to return in a body bag—was to witness the full spectrum of emotions felt by Israelis in the past two years: hope coexisting with grief, and the terrible sense that much of the bloodshed could have been prevented. A similar deal had been on the table months ago. What began with the worst attack on Israeli soil in the country’s history—when Hamas killed twelve hundred Israelis and took more than two hundred hostages on October 7, 2023—has led to a gruesome war. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed sixty-seven thousand, with the enclave so ravaged that Israel has become something of an international pariah. For Israelis, the overwhelming sense is that their country has become ever more isolated on the world stage, even as its people remain in mourning. More than nine hundred Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, and large numbers of the Army’s almost three hundred thousand reservists have been called up repeatedly for duty. Army suicide rates have been rising, too; sixteen soldiers have died that way this year, nearly half of them serving in reserve duty.

    Before dawn on Thursday, scenes of relief and celebration began streaming in from Gaza. A group of Palestinian toddlers, standing barefoot outside their makeshift tents, jumped up and down, crying out “Hudna!”—“Truce!” In the streets of Khan Younis, dozens of men huddled around a single television, whistling and cheering. The Israeli military has now begun its retreat out of Gaza City, and vacated the Netzarim Corridor, which had cleaved Gaza in two, between north and south.

    Over the past few days, delegations of Israeli and Hamas officials took part in talks in a ballroom in the Egyptian coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh, to hash out the details of the agreement. Images also emerged showing the Israeli representative on the hostage issue, the retired general Nitzan Alon, smiling and shaking hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Thani, just weeks after Israel attempted to assassinate top Hamas officials on Qatari soil.

    Despite the handshakes, however, many obstacles remain unaddressed. In particular, there is still uncertainty on the issue of who will govern postwar Gaza and whether Hamas will agree to disarm. The timeline of an Israeli withdrawal and its extent also remains to be seen. Also left unanswered for now is the identity of some of the so-called “heavy” Palestinian prisoners whom Israel has promised to release in exchange for the hostages. The number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed by Israel has already been agreed on—some two hundred and fifty prisoners, and seventeen hundred Palestinians whom Israel has detained after Hamas’s October 7th attacks. But it remains unclear whether, for example, Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Tanzim militia of Fatah, who is widely seen by Palestinians as a symbol of resistance and a potential leader who can unite both Fatah and Hamas, will be released. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will not free him, but the pressing timetable is such that many red lines on both sides will likely be breached.

    The ceasefire agreement is a crowning achievement for Trump, who appears to have timed it specifically to precede the announcement, on Friday, of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient—a long obsession of his. For Netanyahu, who up to this point has resisted an agreement to free all the hostages and end the war, the ceasefire deal marks an about-face. The political ramifications for him are still unknown. Although a majority of the Israeli public had been pushing for a hostage-and-ceasefire deal, Netanyahu’s extremist coalition partners have threatened to topple his government if the war ended and the Israeli military withdrew entirely from Gaza. Shortly after the agreement was announced, Trump called into Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News and said that he had just spoken to Netanyahu. “He said, ‘I can’t believe it. Everybody is liking me now,’ ” Trump said, of Netanyahu, in an account that is not likely to be appreciated by the Israeli premier. “I said, ‘More importantly, they are loving Israel again,’ and they really are. I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi. They cannot fight the world.’ ”

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    Ruth Margalit

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  • Celebrations erupt over Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza

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    TEL AVIV — After two years of devastating war that killed tens of thousands, left millions displaced and pulverized much of Gaza into an apocalyptic moonscape, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a deal involving an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees.

    Though Israel had still not formally ratify the pact, it was expected to do so Thursday evening, and celebrations had already broken out in the country. The news was greeted with relief and joy in Gaza, where Hamas said the agreement would end the war and lead to Israel’s full withdrawal from the enclave and to the entry of desperately needed aid.

    The deal caps months of torturous ceasefire negotiations and delivers a denouement to a generation-defining fight in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Posting on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, President Trump announced the two sides had signed off on “the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” which would involve the hostage-detainee swap along with the Israeli military’s withdrawal from parts of Gaza — “the first steps towards a Strong, durable, and Everlasting Peace,” according to Trump.

    “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS,” he wrote.

    News of the agreement triggered celebrations across Gaza, with residents exhausted by Israel’s no-holds-barred assault that had upended their lives, erased entire families and brought famine to the enclave expressing cautious hope.

    “I never thought I’d see this day. We’ve been wanting it to come for months now, and then suddenly it happened so fast,” said Ali al-Azab, 34, from the central city of Deir Al-Balah in the enclave.

    “We’ve been living in fear for so long, waiting for the next bomb to come, to lose another friend. But I also know the war isn’t over yet.”

    Word of the ceasefire came early Thursday morning in Gaza, as Mohammad Rajab, 62, was still asleep. His son-in-law, he said, was the first to hear the good news.

    “We’re like drowning people clutching at straws,” he said, adding that the ceasefire meant for him the chance “to return to a normal life.”

    In Tel Aviv’s so-called Hostage Square, the area of this coastal city that has become the de-facto gathering point for Israelis’ large-scale protests to end the war and bring the hostages home, the mood Thursday was jubilant, with people dancing as they waved Israeli and American flags.

    Many sported stickers on their shirts with the words “They’re returning,” in reference to the hostages, replacing stickers that had before depicted the number of days they had spent in captivity. At one point, a man blew a shofar, the traditional musical horn used in Jewish rituals, to the crowd’s applause.

    Udi Goren, 44, a travel photographer whose cousin, 44-year-old Tal Haimi, was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and taken to Gaza, said his “first instinct was a sigh of relief.”

    “For the first morning in two years, we can actually have a true smile because we finally see the end: The end of the war, of fallen soldiers, of hostages being tortured and starved, of the horrific sights from Gaza.”

    He credited Trump for pressuring the belligerents to get the deal done.

    “There was no real intervention until what we’ve just seen with President Trump finally saying enough is enough,” he said.

    The deal, which is more of a framework centered on a 20-point plan Trump released last week, would see all 48 hostages — 20 of them alive, the rest deceased — released. Hamas officials have said in recent interviews that retrieving bodies of dead hostages will take time, as many are in collapsed or bombed-out tunnels or under the rubble. Those alive could be released as early as Sunday or Monday.

    Israel will release 1,700 Gaza residents detained during the war, along with 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel. For every Israeli body returned, Israel will release the bodies of 15 Gaza residents.

    Hamas said on Thursday it had handed over the list of prisoners to be released to mediators, and would announce the names once they were agreed upon.

    Earlier reports claimed the ceasefire had already begun, but Israeli airstrikes and artillery still continued to pound the enclave Thursday, with health authorities in the enclave saying at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured.

    Footage taken by Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera depicted tanks shelling Gaza’s main coastal road to prevent Palestinians from gathering in the area. Civil defense crews warned people attempting to return to the north of the enclave from doing so they received confirmation Israeli forces had left.

    In a statement to Israeli daily Times of Israel, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire would begin Thursday evening after the government officially ratifies the agreement. The government is set to vote on the agreement at 6 p.m. local time, according to Israeli media.

    The Israeli military said in a statement it had “begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement” and would adjust deployment lines “soon.” Meanwhile, it was still “deployed in the area,” it said, and the military’s Arabic-language spokesman said in a statement that Gaza City was still surrounded by the army and that returning to it was dangerous.

    The ceasefire will be accompanied by a surge of aid into the enclave, a crucial component of the agreement meant to alleviate a crushing, months-long Israeli blockade that had triggered famine in parts of the enclave, according to aid groups and experts. Aid groups and the Palestinian Health Ministry said more than 400 people had died of starvation in recent months.

    Writing on X, Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, said the group was “on the ground and ready to scale up operations.”

    “But we need to move NOW — there is no time to waste,” she wrote.

    The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants blitzed into southern Israel, leaving 1,200 people — two thirds of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities — and kidnapping some 250 others.

    In retaliation, Israel launched a furious response that has so far killed 67,183 people, encompassing more than 3% of the enclave’s population and including 20,179 children, the Palestinian Health Ministry says. Though it does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, its figures are seen as reliable.

    Yet much remains unclear, including the fate of Hamas’s arsenal and what sort of presence, if at all, Israel will maintain in the enclave.

    Speaking to the Qatari channel Al-Araby TV, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel would pull out militarily from all populated areas in Gaza — including Khan Yunis, Rafah, and Gaza City by Friday. Another spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday the group will not be part of Gaza’s governance in the future. but that the group’s arms were to “guarantee the independence of Palestinian decision-making.”

    Other Hamas officials have said handing over weapons would only occur as part of a move towards an independent Palestinian state.

    Despite Trump’s rhetoric, the agreement remains far from the comprehensive peace agreement he has promised. And its success kicks up thornier questions for Netanyahu, a deeply unpopular leader with many Israelis and whose critics accuse of prolonging the war to guarantee his political survival at the expense of hostages’ lives.

    Implementing the agreement is likely to alienate his right-wing allies in the government, including extremist figures such as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has called for Gaza to be emptied of Palestinians. He said in a statement on X that he will vote against the deal.

    He added the government had “an enormous obligation to ensure that we do not return to the Oslo track,” referring to the Oslo peace process, and to becoming “addicted again to artificial calm, diplomatic embraces, and smiling ceremonies, while mortgaging the future and paying horrific prices.”

    At Hostage Square, Israelis demonstrated their rage at Netanyahu and others associated with his leadership during the war. When Benny Gantz, an Israeli opposition leader who served in Netanyahu’s cabinet until last year walked through the crowd, hecklers shouted at him “to go home,” accusing him of claiming a success he had not earned.

    “When the war began, Gantz joined Bibi and saved him instead of bringing down his government,” said Einat Mastbaum, a 50-year-old Hebrew teacher, employing Netanyahu’s nickname.

    Yet even politicians’ presence couldn’t detract from the happiness of the crowd, according to Mastbaum, who has been coming to Hostage Square every week for the last two years.

    “I’m so excited,” she said, her voice cracking as tears appeared in her eyes.

    “Today I’m crying from happiness and hope, not sadness.”

    Times Staff Writer Bulos reported from Tel Aviv. Special correspondent Bilal Shbeir contributed from Al-Balah, Gaza Strip.

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    Nabih Bulos

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  • Live fact-checking Trump’s October Cabinet meeting

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    Live fact-checking Trump’s October Cabinet meeting

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  • Live updates: Israel and Hamas set to sign

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    “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform Wednesday night, announcing the agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

    Two regional sources told CBS News there was an agreement on all sides in principle on a hostage release, but that procedural issues remained. Once those details are handled, it will be 48 hours before any release starts, the sources said. 

    Mr. Trump, in an interview Wednesday night with Fox News host Sean Hannity, said hostages would “probably” be released on Monday, U.S. time, and that the exchange would include the release of the bodies of deceased hostages still held by Hamas.

    Mr. Trump told Hannity that other parts of the 20-point Israel-Hamas peace plan he laid out last week — including a committee to oversee governance in Gaza — could be forthcoming, without giving a timeline. 

    “I think you’re going to see people getting along, and you’ll see Gaza being rebuilt,” the president said. “People are going to be taken care of. It’s going to be a different world.”

    Majed al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, also confirmed the deal on Wednesday, writing on X that an agreement was reached on “the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.”

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