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Tag: israel-hamas war

  • Letters: Trump succeeds in Mideast where diplomats have failed

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    Trump succeeds
    where diplomats failed

    Re: “Trump must be a disrupter in the Middle East” (Page A7, Oct. 16):

    The writer seems to think that Donald Trump isn’t up to the task of dealing with the problems in the Middle East because he went to business school, not the School of Foreign Service. Well, all of those people who went to the right schools don’t seem to have done very well in the Middle East.

    Letters To The Editor

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  • Egypt raises fuel prices for the second time this year

    CAIRO — CAIRO (AP) — Egypt increased fuel prices by around 12% on Friday, a step likely to drive up the costs of goods and services across the country. This is the second fuel price hike this year.

    In a statement posted on Facebook, the Egyptian government gave no reason for the move but said fuel prices will remain fixed in the local market with no further increases for at least one year.

    Egyptians have been grappling with soaring inflation as they navigate rising daily costs that reached another high last year. They included an increase in fuel prices, a hike in subway fares and a slide in the Egyptian pound against foreign currencies.

    According to the latest data from the Central Bank of Egypt posted Oct. 8, Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation reached 11.7% in September— down from 12% in August and 13.9% in July.

    Fuel prices last increased in April, rising between 11% and 14% on various fuel products.

    At the time of a previous price hike in late 2024, the government said that raising prices was meant to “reduce the gap between the selling prices of petroleum products and their high production and import costs.”

    According to the new prices taking effect on Friday, the cost of a liter of diesel — which is heavily relied on for public transport — increased from 15.50 pounds ($0.33) to 17.50 pounds ($0.37), while the price of the 92-octane gasoline rose to 19.25 pounds ($0.40) from 17.25 pounds ($0.36) and the 95-octane gasoline increased from 19 pounds ($0.40) to 21 pounds ($0.44).

    The petroleum sector will continue running refineries at full capacity and provide incentives to its partners to boost production, reduce import expenses, and stabilize costs — with the aim of narrowing the gap between production costs and selling prices, said the government on Friday.

    Earlier this year, the government raised the minimum monthly wage for both public and private sector workers to 7,000 pounds ($138), up from 6,000 pounds ($118.58).

    The Egyptian economy has been hit hard by years of government austerity, the coronavirus pandemic, the fallout from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and most recently, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthi attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea have slashed Suez Canal revenues, which is a major source for foreign currency. The attacks forced traffic away from the canal and around the tip of Africa.

    Egypt previously reached a deal with the IMF to more than double the size of its bailout to $8 billion. The price hikes have been deemed necessary to meet conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for further assistance to the country.

    In March, the IMF said it completed its fourth review of Egypt’s economic reform program approving a $1.2 billion disbursement for the North African country.

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  • The Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention

    She eventually reunited with her mother in 2016, when she entered the U.S. on a visitor visa. In Ramallah, she had studied fashion design; in the U.S, she enrolled in English-language programs on an F-1 student visa. Her mother, who is a U.S. citizen, filed a family-based petition for her to start the process of obtaining permanent residency, which was approved in 2021. While waiting for a green card, Kordia withdrew from school, voluntarily giving up her student status. According to court documents, a teacher had led her to believe—falsely, it turned out—that she was already a lawful permanent resident. In the years that followed, she cared for her mother, worked as a waitress, and helped look after her half brother, who is autistic. Paterson, which has a large Palestinian and Arab community, began to feel like home.

    Since Israel launched its war on Gaza, following Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, Kordia has lost more than a hundred and seventy-five relatives in the Strip. “My mind was all about Gaza, nothing else,” she said. The stories she heard from family members were horrifying. They were continuously displaced from one city to the next, fleeing for safety, only to confront more immediate dangers. Kordia, feeling “heartbroken,” didn’t know what to do. “To feel helpless—this is one of the most awful feelings in the world,” she said, adding that one of her aunts had already lost her home during Israeli bombardments in 2021. “There is no safe place in Gaza.”

    As Kordia watched loved ones going hungry or being indiscriminately killed, protest became her only lifeline. She was accustomed to going to New York, a forty-five-minute train ride from Paterson, to visit museums and stroll the city’s streets. On April 30, 2024, as Columbia students erected encampments in solidarity with Palestinians, attracting international attention, she joined a demonstration outside the university’s gates, calling for an end to the violence. Police ordered the crowd to disperse. “Something you only see in movies,” she said of the display of force. Kordia, who felt lightheaded, sat on a sidewalk and was swept up in the arrests; she was handcuffed and shuttled by bus to police headquarters, where she was forced to remove her hijab for a search. The next morning, she was released with a notice to appear in court. The charges were later dismissed. She assumed that was the end of it.

    When Kordia was arrested in March, the government accused her of terrorism. In a public statement issued shortly after her arrest, the Department of Homeland Security mistakenly identified her as a Columbia student. “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, said. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.” According to a report by the Associated Press, the N.Y.P.D. had turned over evidence of her arrest at the student demonstrations to ICE.

    The government claims that money that Kordia sent to her family in Gaza—a few thousand U.S. dollars in total—is evidence of material support for Hamas. According to court documents, the money came from her waitressing job and from contributions from her neighbors. In late June, a federal judge concluded that Kordia’s detention likely violated her constitutional right to due process and recommended her release. No convincing evidence linking her to terrorist activity had been brought up. In response, the government contended that she posed a flight risk. Her petition is now pending in federal court alongside a separate asylum proceeding. “It breaks my heart to be labelled as something that I have nothing to do with,” she said.

    In early October, the Trump Administration helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which included an exchange of hostages and prisoners. “Together we’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible,” President Trump said. “At long last we have peace in the Middle East.” Kordia, meanwhile, is the last remaining campus protester still in detention from the Trump Administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the U.S. At Prairieland Detention Facility, in Texas, she is fighting for her release while living in constant fear of deportation. She holds a passport from the Palestinian Authority, a travel document that offers no protection if she is deported to Israel. Such deportation, her legal team contends, would send her into the custody of the same Army that has killed dozens of her family members. Both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have targeted those accused of being affiliated with Hamas. Photos of Kordia have circulated widely online. Her lawyers say that the gravity of the allegations against her have compelled her to seek asylum. “I’m not just scared—I’m terrified,” Kordia said. “I’m terrified of being subjected to jail, torture even. It could get to the point of getting killed.”

    In the facility, Kordia spends her days reading, praying, writing in her journal, and answering letters of support. She also finds solace and strength in the friendships she’s developed with the other detainees. “They’re beautiful women with dreams. They’re educated. They’re smart. They’re funny,” she said. “These beautiful women made it bearable.” She formed a particularly strong bond with Ward Sakeik, a Palestinian woman whose family is from Gaza. Sakeik was arrested by ICE in February while returning from her honeymoon in St. Thomas. In July, she was released.

    According to court documents filed in August, Kordia has lost a significant amount of weight in detention. The filing noted that Kordia, a practicing Muslim, “has only had a single halal meal on a religious holiday, even though the detention center accommodates the religious dietary needs of other people in custody.” Kordia said the Quran helps her stay strong, especially the verses that remind her that hardships can be a divine test. One reads, “God does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.” Kordia added, “Allah has chosen me for this, and I should be honored and proud.” ♦

    Aida Alami

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  • How Will Americans Remember the War in Gaza?

    There’s also a moral element to all this attention-span fearmongering. How long can we, as a people, actually care about an atrocity? How does the relative length of our haunting reflect our collective moral strengths and weaknesses?

    In that earlier column on Kirk, I asked what Kent State would look like in 2025. A single photograph from the day, in 1970, that four students there were killed by the Ohio National Guard is so powerful that, whenever I hear any mention of Kent State—its basketball team or its engineering program—the picture flashes in my mind. I’m sure I’m not alone. Can the public still cohere around a single image of a catastrophe in that way? Or, today, would we all see hundreds of chaotic pictures taken with cellphone cameras by people on the scene and uploaded directly into their feeds? Kent State was reduced to a single photo because the press was far more centralized at the time, and had the power and the influence to edit, curate, and promote a particular version of an event.

    The media still makes an effort to direct our attention in this way. When the war in Gaza reached the end of its first year, multiple major news outlets published collections of images that seemed to them representative of the tragedy so far. More were published at the two-year mark. I am guessing that you did not notice these compilations, and I am almost certain that you have little idea which specific photos were assembled.

    What are the images of the war in Gaza that you will never forget? A photograph of six dead children tucked under a sheet? Footage of a father stumbling around, apparently carrying the headless body of his baby? Pictures of the bloody aftermath in the kibbutz kitchens? Do you know which images I’m referencing? Do you have your own list of images that I’ll need to Google? And, even if we are both horrified by the carnage, does the fact that we all have our own personalized horror reel mean that we will forget what we have seen more quickly, because our memories won’t be refreshed by the repetition of a singular image? Will we trust our memories less, because we are no longer confident that the photos and even the videos that we see are real?

    I am not concerned about the attention spans of my children. But I do worry about what happens when every image becomes a site of contestation; when the rare sights we all see together, whether joyous or devastating, quickly fray into thousands, even millions, of threads, each with their own grip on reality. When historians look back at our era, they will find atrocities that have been documented in fuller detail than at any other time in history; they will see thousands of dead bodies; and they will find millions of hours of commentary. What they will not find is a coherent narrative that described those images as they took place. Consensus on why and how things happened, of course, can be used to exert terrible will, and so perhaps there might be some potential good to be had in all this chaos. But how do you build a community when nobody can hold any vision, or even interpretation, of what happened in common?

    To complete the thought, Kent State might not be remembered without the anchor of that one photograph. When we say the public can’t remember anything anymore due to its shortened attention span or whatever else, what we’re really describing, at least in large part, is the lack of collective memory, shaped by iconic images that bind us. It is a lament from the lonely: those who understand that some unctuous new consciousness is being born—one that shapes the way their children regard the suffering world—but cannot make out what it looks like. ♦

    Jay Caspian Kang

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  • From darkness to daylight: The difficult journey ahead for freed Hamas hostages

    TEL AVIV, Israel — They will be treated for malnutrition, lack of sunlight and the trauma of wearing leg chains for months. They suffer from unexplained pain and unresolved emotions, and they will have to relearn how to make everyday decisions as simple as when to use the bathroom.

    What You Need To Know

    • The last 20 living hostages released by Hamas are beginning a difficult path to recovery that will include rebuilding a sense of control over their lives and following a carefully supervised diet

    • That’s according to Israeli health officials

    • Along the way, each one will be accompanied by a team of doctors, nurses, specialists and social workers to guide their reentry to society after two years of captivity in Gaza

    • The process includes treating malnutrition and pain, along with confronting emotions and relearning how to make everyday decisions

    • All of the hostages were in stable condition Monday following their release, and none required immediate intensive care

    The last 20 living hostages released by Hamas are beginning a difficult path to recovery that will also include rebuilding a sense of control over their lives, according to Israeli health officials. Along the way, each one will be accompanied by a team of doctors, nurses, specialists and social workers to guide their reentry to society after two years of captivity in Gaza.

    All of the hostages were in stable condition Monday following their release, and none required immediate intensive care.

    “But what appears on the outside doesn’t reflect what’s going on internally,” explained Dr. Hagai Levine, the head of the health team for the Hostages Family Forum, who has been involved in medical care for returned hostages and their relatives.

    The newly freed hostages will stay in the hospital for several days as they undergo tests, including a full psychiatric exam, according to protocols from the Israeli Ministry of Health. A nutritionist will guide them and their families on a diet to avoid refeeding syndrome, a dangerous medical condition that can develop after periods of starvation if food is reintroduced too quickly.

    Hostages emerged thin and pale

    After previous releases, some hostages and their families chose to stay together in a hotel north of Tel Aviv for a few weeks to get used to their new reality. Others returned home immediately after their discharge from the hospital.

    All of the hostages who emerged Monday were exceptionally thin and pale, the likely result of enduring long periods without enough food, Levine said.

    The lack of sunlight and nutrition can lead to issues with the kidneys, liver and cognition, as well as osteoporosis. Many hostages wore leg chains for their entire captivity, which can lead to orthopedic problems, muscle waste and blood clots.

    Elkana Bohbot told his family he suffers from pain all over his body, especially his back, feet and stomach due to force-feeding, according to Israeli television’s Channel 12.

    “Ahead of his release, he received food in large portions so he will look a bit better for the world,” Rebecca Bohbot, Elkana’s wife, told reporters Tuesday from the hospital.

    Some hostages who previously returned had minor strokes in captivity that were not treated, Levine said. Many also had infections and returned with severely compromised immune systems, which is why the number of visitors should be kept to a minimum, Levine said.

    “Previously released hostages were told they look ‘pretty good,’ but some needed surgeries that were very complicated. Some had constant pain. Many have all types of pains that they are not able to explain, but it’s really impacting their quality of life,” Levine said.

    Levine said Israel also learned from the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, when more than 60 Israeli soldiers were held for six months in Syria. Many of them later developed cancer, cardiovascular problems and accelerated aging and were at risk for early death.

    The war began when Hamas-led militants burst across the Israeli border, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. The fighting has killed more than 67,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not say how many of the deaths were civilians or combatants.

    Restoring a sense of autonomy

    The most important step for returning hostages is to help them regain a sense of control, explained Einat Yehene, a clinical neuropsychologist and the head of rehabilitation for the Hostages Families Forum. Many of the hostages were brought straight from Hamas tunnels, seeing sunlight for the first time in nearly two years, she said.

    “I’m happy to see the sun. I’m happy to see the trees. I saw the sea. You have no idea how precious that is,” Elkana Bohbot told his family, according to Israeli media.

    “Stimulation-wise and autonomy-wise, it’s really overwhelming,” Yehene said. “Someone is asking you a question — do you need to go to the bathroom? Would you like to eat something? These are questions they never heard for two years.”

    Hostages’ sense of autonomy can be jump-started by allowing them to make small decisions. According to protocol, everyone treating them must ask their permission for each thing, no matter how small, including turning off a light, changing bedsheets or conducting medical tests.

    Some returned hostages are terrified of the physical sensation of thirst because it makes them feel as if they are still in captivity, Yehene said. Others cannot spend time on their own, requiring a family member to be present around the clock.

    Among the hostages who have experienced the smoothest integration from long-term captivity were those who were fathers, Levine said, though it took some time to rebuild trust with their young children.

    “It’s a facilitator of recovery because it forces them to get back into the role of father,” Levine said. None of the women held in captivity for long periods of time were mothers.

    The world starts ‘to move again’

    The first few days after being released, the hostages are in a state of euphoria, though many feel guilty for the pain their families have been through, Yehene said.

    For those who saw little media and have no idea what happened in Israel, people should take care to expose them to information slowly, she added.

    Yehene said she also saw an immediate psychological response from hostages who were released in previous ceasefires after Monday’s release. Many of the previously released hostages have been involved in the struggle to return the last hostages and said they were unable to focus on their own recovery until now.

    “I see movement from frozen emotions and frozen trauma,” Yehene said. “You don’t feel guilty anymore. You don’t feel responsible.”

    Iair Horn was released from captivity in February, but it did not feel real until Monday, when his younger brother, Eitan, was finally freed.

    “About eight months ago, I came home. But the truth is that only today am I truly free,” Horn said, sobbing as he spoke from the hospital where his brother is being evaluated. Only now that Eitan is back “is my heart, our heart, whole again.”

    Liran Berman is the brother of twins Gali and Ziv Berman, who were also released.

    “For 738 days, our lives were trapped between hope and fear,” Liran Berman said. “Yesterday that chapter ended. Seeing Gali and Ziv again, holding them after so long, was like feeling the world start to move again.”

    Associated Press

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  • Israel receives remains of 4 more hostages

    The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed that authorities received the remains of four more dead hostages. It said late Tuesday that the Red Cross handed the bodies over to Israeli forces inside Gaza. The transfer comes a day after…

    By SAM MEDNICK and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO – Associated Press

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  • Now What for Israel, Gaza, and Trump the Peacemaker?

    In an essay at The New Yorker, Palestinian journalist Mohammed R. Mhawish explains the political reality on the ground in Gaza and insists that self-determination is the only viable path forward

    Reconstruction that restores roads but not representation will only re-create dependency. The next phase of Gaza’s life must be shaped by those who have lived through its collapse. If the world tries to govern Gaza from abroad, Palestinians must insist on governing themselves from within. The rubble is already being cleared for a new administration. The question is whether Palestinians can transform the ruins of a political order into the foundation of another that belongs to them.

    In December, 2023, an Israeli air strike destroyed my home in Gaza, and it collapsed on top of me and my family. I fled to Egypt in 2024, and have been living in exile since. I have lost family members in Gaza. I have lost friends and colleagues. Even so, I count myself among those who have lost the least. I am not asking for pity, or charity, or anything in return. None of us is. The world will not make it up to us, and we are not waiting for it to try. What matters now is a restoration of Gaza’s political life. In my lifetime, Palestinian political participation has been almost nonexistent. Older generations in Gaza have voted once or twice, but I have never had the chance to take part in any political exercise. Most young people have had no say in who leads them or how policy is made in Gaza or in the West Bank. The only thing we ask for now is the right to chart our own political future on our own terms.

    There is no faster poison than despair declared permanent. For Palestinians, refugee camps have hardened into towns, and checkpoints into landmarks. The ration boxes meant to feed the hungry have become a generation’s economy. We grew up knowing walls better than schools. We were instructed to believe that ruins were homes, breadlines were governance, and silent misery was “calm.” Fear has been institutionalized—budgeted, distributed, sold as peace. Submission was repackaged as maturity. The cruellest occupation is not of land but of the imagination.

    We as Palestinians are often congratulated for our resilience. It has become the badge pinned on us—the costume of the noble victim. Our ability to breathe under rubble is praised as a virtue, when it’s actually an indictment of the world that put us there. If it does not lead to freedom, resilience delivers only another day of captivity. Survival is the most meagre inheritance. To call us resilient is to praise the caged bird while ignoring the cage’s latch. Surviving destruction is not the same as defeating it. There’s cruelty in this praise. It tells the world to marvel at our strength while ignoring the cost paid in blood and hunger. Our pain is romanticized, and our survival treated as the whole story—when it is only the beginning.

    Read the rest of Mwhaish’s essay here.

    Chas Danner

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  • Gaza’s Broken Politics

    Whatever fragile political system existed in Gaza has collapsed, along with the institutions that once gave public life its structure. Hamas, weakened militarily and decapitated by the assassinations of its leaders, faces isolation abroad and a diminished mandate at home. The Palestinian Authority, long discredited in the West Bank, has been absent in Gaza. Leftist factions survive as symbols rather than as real organizations. Independent political figures are scattered or silenced. After two years of war, Gaza has no functioning political body with the authority or legitimacy to shape what comes next.

    President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan is being sold as the answer. Announced by Trump at the White House in late September, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, the twenty-point framework promises to end the war, restart aid, and stand up a transitional authority to run Gaza. It creates a “temporary International Stabilization Force,” an apolitical technocratic Palestinian committee under a new international “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump himself. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would help oversee the transition. The body will aim to manage Gaza’s redevelopment through modern, “efficient” governance, to attract foreign investment. The plan’s clauses include an exchange of hostages for prisoners and detainees, amnesty for Hamas members who disarm, safe passage for the members who choose to leave, a surge of humanitarian deliveries, and a multi-stage withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces tied to “security benchmarks”—including Hamas’s demilitarization and border-control arrangements, all verified by independent observers. The document also notes that civilians will be allowed to leave but “no one will be forced out” of Gaza, a shift from Netanyahu’s earlier talk of “voluntary” emigration and Trump’s “Riviera” proposal “to rebuild and energize Gaza.”

    Strip away the framing, and the design is clear. Gaza is to be managed from the outside, without a locally elected government. The P.A. is told to make reforms—anti-corruption and fiscal-transparency measures, increased judicial independence, a path to elections—before it can even be considered for a role in Gaza’s governance. Hamas is removed from political life by decree. Core questions—borders, sovereignty, refugees—are deferred. In this architecture, Gaza becomes a security-first regime, where aid, reconstruction, and “transition” are subordinated to Israeli security metrics under the oversight of the U.S. and its partners. Palestinians are offered administration without authority. The occupation is dressed in managerial language. The danger is that this “temporary” system becomes permanent, sustained by donors, monitors, and memoranda.

    As of this writing, the first phase of the deal has moved ahead. Hamas has released the remaining living hostages, and Israel freed some two thousand Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Aid convoys are scaling up, and Israel said that it has partially withdrawn troops from parts of Gaza. What remains unclear are the enforcement mechanisms and the timelines. Who commands the proposed “stabilization force,” and under what rules of engagement will it operate? Where will I.D.F. units be positioned during the transition? What binding guarantees—if any—protect Palestinians against an open-ended military return? Negotiators say that these questions are still being debated, paragraph by paragraph. A parallel diplomatic track is also opening. On Monday, Trump co-chaired the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, a meeting in Egypt focussed on postwar governance, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the P.A., was in attendance. Benjamin Netanyahu was not. The meeting was aimed at rallying broader backing for the plan and locking down its operational details.

    Hamas had little room to maneuver in the latest round of talks. Many Arab governments endorsed Trump’s Gaza plan before the organization had even received a formal copy of it, boxing the group into a defensive posture. Netanyahu, meanwhile, used the moment to reaffirm his rejection of a Palestinian state.

    Still, ending the war always required that Hamas agree to a deal—perhaps an ugly one, certainly an imperfect one, but one that would bring a stop to the killing. There were earlier windows during the war when a deal might have opened space for hard bargaining that could have won real gains for Gazans. Instead, Gazan leadership fell into refusals and delays without any coherent strategy. Each rejection narrowed the horizon until what Gazans face now is a comprehensive package imposed from the outside. This is the price of political failure. Leaders treated negotiations as a stage for factional gain rather than as a matter of national survival. Now the choices are brutally tight: partial occupation under terms the people can still contest, or a broader occupation that comes with more widespread displacement. Palestinian negotiators owed the people some kind of plan. It was necessary to get aid flowing and to spare lives. Anyone who gambled with that blood for the sake of symbolic triumph would have been accountable for the cost.

    The plan now opens a narrow opportunity—if Palestinians can turn its vague text into leverage. On paper, it pledges an I.D.F. withdrawal and sketches a “credible pathway” to self-determination and, eventually, statehood. Much of the machinery is still unspecified, but that uncertainty can be converted into demands: a public U.S. commitment on statehood, a dated and enforceable timetable for full withdrawal, a U.N. Security Council resolution that hardens the guarantees with penalties for violations, and third-party monitoring. Whatever form the final deal takes, it will serve as a hinge into a new political order in Gaza. Now that the bombardment has stopped, it has left a political vacuum in the territory. The question is, what will rush to fill it?

    There has never been a genuine internal reckoning with Palestinian political failures. The Oslo Accords—brokered by the U.S. and signed in the mid-nineties, after secret negotiations—were framed as the last great compromise. In practice, they created the Palestinian Authority as an interim administrator of Palestine, and postponed the conflict’s major questions to a later date that has yet to arrive. Palestinians were shifted from leading a liberation project to managing enclaves, while Israel retained control over their land, movement, and the map itself. Before Oslo, the first intifada had generated momentum for international recognition of Palestinian statehood. Oslo dismantled that momentum. It was meant to be a bridge to peace, but it became the final blow. It provided no way to implement U.N. Resolution 194 on the right of return for exiled or displaced Palestinians, and produced no method of insuring equality for some two million Palestinians inside Israel, whose struggle was written off as an internal matter. Every inch of Palestinian land remains under Israeli military control in one form or another. The labels changed, but the structure did not.

    Hamas won elections in Gaza in 2006. What followed were boycotts and sanctions from the international community; a power struggle with Fatah, the party that controls the P.A., that exploded into a street war in 2007; and, ultimately, a geographic divorce. Hamas was left governing Gaza, and the P.A. was confined to the West Bank. Israel then tightened a land-sea-air blockade of the territory, which made normal governance impossible and turned every budget line into a permit request. Hamas never allowed further elections. Over successive wars and siege years, Hamas’s authority hardened until it ran a kind of bunker state: an exiled political bureau abroad, a Gazan command increasingly dominated by the organization’s military wing, and a public living under limited movement, rationed goods, and permanent emergency.

    Mohammed R. Mhawish

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  • Key moments from a momentous day for Israelis and Palestinians

    (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.

    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

    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.

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

    Neal Augenstein

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

    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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  • Tampa Bay Jewish, Palestinian communities react to ceasefire

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Jewish and Palestinian communities are weighing in on the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

    The ceasefire agreement, along with the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, is being met with hope, but also some caution among these communities.

    What You Need To Know

    • Jewish and Palestinian residents in Tampa Bay are reacting to the latest developments out of the Middle East

    • The CEO of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee called the video of Israeli hostages being reunited with their families “overwhelming” and said he’s hopeful a ceasefire will last

    • Leali Shalabi, a Palestinian-American woman, said she’s happy for the Palestinian prisoners who were released but is concerned for those who remain in custody

    • PREVIOUS COVERAGE: As hostages and prisoners are freed, complex issues remain for Israel-Hamas ceasefire


    Shepard Englander, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, said even though the violence of Oct. 7, 2023 happened across the globe, the pain of it was felt locally.

    Englander said there are a number of people in the area the federation serves whose relatives were taken hostage or killed.

    He told Spectrum News he wore a pendant with the words “Bring them home now” on it from just after the attacks until Monday morning. Englander called the support the local Jewish community has received “unbelievable” including when it came to organizing a gathering just after the Oct. 7 attacks.

    “We called the city. They opened the municipal auditorium, they staffed it, they welcomed us. We had over 800 people,” Englander said. “At least a third of them were not members of the Jewish community. They just cared about us. They were just friends.”

    Palestinian-Americans, like Leali Shalabi, have also been watching the violence in Gaza unfold.

    Shalabi said she felt a flood of relief for the families of the Palestinian prisoners released Monday, but also immense sadness for those still being held. When it comes to the ceasefire deal, she said she has doubts it will hold up.

    “I think this ceasefire is probably only going to end at its phase one, same way the last one did. It’s very hard to be hopeful when there’s a pattern, and we are looking at the patterns, and the pattern time and time again is that these ceasefires have been broken,” Shalabi said.

    Englander said he’s optimistic the ceasefire will last. The freeing of hostages was the first step, but there are other issues, like whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza, that still have to be worked out.

    Sarah Blazonis

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  • Living Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners released as part of ceasefire

    DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, while Israel began releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners 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.

    What You Need To Know

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

    • Israel began releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal

    • Over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel are set to be released

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

    The hostages, all men, arrived back in Israel, where they will reunite 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.

    Buses carrying dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah and in the Gaza Strip, as Israel began releasing more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire deal.

    Cheering crowds met the buses arriving in Ramallah from Ofer prison, in the Israel-occupied West Bank. At least one bus also crossed into the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Prisoners Office said.

    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.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that he was “committed to this peace” in a speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.

    U.S. President Donald Trump is also expected to address the Knesset, and later will attend a summit 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.

    Hostages freed

    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 the freed hostages, 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 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.

    The prisoners being released 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.

    A painful chapter

    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 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.

    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.

    Trump in Israel and Egypt

    Trump arrived Monday in Israel, where he was to 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.

    Egypt’s presidency said Netanyahu would attend as well, but the Israel leader’s office later said he would not because due to a Jewish holiday.

    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.

    Associated Press

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  • Sarasota woman reflects on loss of her brother amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire

    SARASOTA, Fla. — As a ceasefire continues overseas in the Israel-Hamas war, a Sarasota resident who lost her brother in the conflict is feeling a mix of emotions.

    What You Need To Know

    • A Sarasota resident, Keren Shani-Lifrak, lost her brother in the Israel-Hamas war

    • Sgt. Major Adi Shani was killed in combat in December 2023

    • Shani-Lifrak expresses cautious optimism following the ceasefire and return of hostages

    Keren Shani-Lifrak’s brother, Sgt. Major Adi Shani, lived in Israel. He was 39-years-old when he got the call to return to active duty in the military. He was killed in combat in December 2023.

    Shani-Lifrak says his sacrifice was to protect his wife and kids, but also for all Israelis.

    “We’ve been all praying for this nightmare to end. It’s the longest war ever. Nobody wanted it. I hope he has peace now and that we all can have peace now,” she said.

    When President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Shani-Lifrak felt cautiously optimistic.

    “We are so hopeful. We want to believe that it will end, and the soldiers and the hostages will come home. The soldiers will come home to their families and their kids. But it was kind of like—until I see it, I’m not going to believe it,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot for us to rebuild and recover and regain some kind of sense of normalcy and trust again.”

    On Monday, Hamas returned all 20 remaining living hostages to Israel, while hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel were freed.

    Shani-Lifrak hopes this will be the end of the war.

    “I’m so happy for them,” she said. “I know that the whole country has been waiting for them to come home, and I can’t imagine what they have suffered. I just want them to be happy and have a good life. And I want peace for everyone.”

    Looking at a collection of pictures, Shani-Lifrak remembers her late brother.

    “It’s really sad,” she said. “I look at his really kind eyes, and I keep telling him, ‘You did it. You brought them home.’ So other families can have their loved ones back.”

    Spectrum News also received a statement from the Jewish Federation of Manatee County. It reads, in part:

    “We also take this moment to recognize the enormous sacrifice and service of Israel’s soldiers and their families, who put their time, their economic well-being, their bodies, and their lives on the line to protect Israel during this horrific period. We mourn the loss of 915 soldiers who died as they fought successfully to get the hostages home and defeat Israel’s enemies.”

    Julia Hazel

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  • Israel prepares to welcome last living hostages from Gaza

    CAIRO — 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.


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    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    By SAMY MAGDY and JOSEF FEDERMAN – Associated Press

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  • Hamas releases first seven hostages under ceasefire deal

    Hamas released seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday, the first to be released as part of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. 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.

    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 are watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv.

    THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

    CAIRO (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday it had begun “a multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war.

    Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead.

    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, and a list of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said will be released by Israeli authorities.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross was moving toward a site to collect several hostages held by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. The Israeli military said others would be released later.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Hamas said it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, as long as “the field conditions for the exchange are met” and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.

    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.

    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.

    Families of Israeli hostages react to a phone call from President Trump letting them know the hostages are supposed to be returned by Hamas on Monday.

    ___

    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.

    Samy Magdy and Josef Federman | The Associated Press

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  • Hamas releases first seven hostages under ceasefire deal

    Hamas released seven hostages on Monday, the first to be released as part of a ceasefire that paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip.

    There was no immediate word on the condition of those freed. Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

    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.

    Living hostages expected first

    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.

    The living hostages were 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.

    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.

    Hamas said it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, as long as “the field conditions for the exchange are met” and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.

    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.

    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.

    Families of Israeli hostages react to a phone call from President Trump letting them know the hostages are supposed to be returned by Hamas on Monday.

    ___

    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.

    Samy Magdy and Josef Federman | The Associated Press

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  • Israel takes over 13 more hostages released by Hamas as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal

    The Israeli military said Monday it had taken custody of the 13 living hostages still in the Gaza Strip.

    The military said it received the hostages from the Red Cross.

    The 13 hostages will be transferred to a military base in southern Israel to be reunited with their families. They’ll then be taken by helicopter to Israeli hospitals.

    Hamas earlier said it would release the 20 living hostages in the Gaza Strip in exchange for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. The exchange comes as part of the ceasefire reached in the two-year Israel-Hamas war as President Donald Trump visits the region.

    THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

    Hamas released seven hostages on Monday, the first to be freed as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the Gaza Strip, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and left scores of captives in militant hands.

    The seven were expected be reunited with their families and undergo medical checks in Israel. Meanwhile, the remaining 13 living hostages were handed to Red Cross officials, who began transporting them through Gaza, the Israeli military said.

    In addition to the 20 living hostages expected to be released, over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel are set to be freed. 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 hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.

    Later, Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home. Among them was a photo of Gali and Ziv Berman with expressions of disbelief as they reunited with each other. Hostages previously released said the 28-year-old twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.

    In the initial photos, those released appeared 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.

    Video recorded Thursday from the air shows the extent of the destruction in Gaza, nearly 2 years since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

    Living hostages expected first

    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.

    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.

    Hamas said it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, as long as “the field conditions for the exchange are met” and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East.

    Trump is traveling to Israel and Egypt

    Trump arrived Monday in Israel, where a 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.

    Families of Israeli hostages react to a phone call from President Trump letting them know the hostages are supposed to be returned by Hamas on Monday.

    ___

    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.

    Samy Magdy and Josef Federman | The Associated Press

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  • Trump sets off for the Mideast to mark Gaza ceasefire deal

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is setting off for Israel and Egypt on Sunday to celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas and urge Middle East allies to seize the opportunity to build a durable peace in the volatile region.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump is setting off for Israel and Egypt to celebrate the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. He’s also expected to urge Middle East allies to seize the opportunity to build a durable peace in the volatile region
    • Trump is stopping first in Israel to meet with hostage families and address the parliament
    • Vice President JD Vance says Trump could also meet with hostages themselves
    • In Egypt, the Republican president and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will chair a summit on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East with leaders from more than 20 countries

    It’s a fragile moment with Israel and Hamas only in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the Trump agreement designed to bring a permanent end to the war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.

    Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the Mideast and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

    It is a moment, the Republican president says, that has been helped along by his administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    The White House says momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States

    “I think you are going to have tremendous success and Gaza is going to be rebuilt,” Trump said Friday. “And you have some very wealthy countries, as you know, over there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that. And I think they want to do it.”

    A tenuous point in the agreement

    The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas, including about 20 believed to be alive; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

    Israeli troops on Friday finished withdrawing from parts of Gaza, triggering a 72-hour countdown under the deal for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages, potentially while Trump is on the ground there. He said he expected their return to be completed on Monday or Tuesday.

    Trump will visit Israel first to meet with hostage families and address the Knesset, or parliament, an honor last extended to President George W. Bush during a visit in 2008. Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said Trump also was likely to meet with newly freed hostages, too.

    “Knock on wood, but we feel very confident the hostages will be released and this president is actually traveling to the Middle East, likely this evening, in order to meet them and greet them in person,” Vance told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

    Trump then stops in Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

    It is a tenuous truce and it is unclear whether the sides have reached any agreement on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

    “I think the chances of (Hamas) disarming themselves, you know, are pretty close to zero,” H.R. McMaster, a national security adviser during Trump’s first term, said at an event hosted by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies on Thursday. He said he thought what probably would happen in the coming months is that the Israeli military “is going to have to destroy them.”

    Israel continues to rule over millions of Palestinians without basic rights as settlements expand rapidly across the occupied West Bank. Despite growing international recognition, Palestinian statehood appears exceedingly remote because of Israel’s opposition and actions on the ground,

    The war has left Israel isolated internationally and facing allegations of genocide, which it denies. International arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister are in effect, and the United Nations’ highest court is considering allegations of genocide brought by South Africa.

    Hamas has been militarily decimated and has given up its only bargaining chip with Israel by releasing the hostages. But the Islamic militant group is still intact and could eventually rebuild if there’s an extended period of calm.

    Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would continue with its demilitarization of Hamas after the hostages are returned.

    “Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt that the sword was on its neck — and it is still on its neck,” Netanyahu said Friday as Israel began to pull back its troops.

    Trump wants to expand the Abraham Accords

    Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and rebuilding is expected to take years. The territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions.

    Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

    Trump is also standing up a U.S.-led civil-military coordination center in Israel to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into Gaza.

    Roughly 200 U.S. troops will be sent to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players. U.S. troops will not be sent to Gaza, Adm. Brad Cooper, the U.S. military commander for the region, said in a social media post Saturday.

    The White House has signaled that Trump is looking to quickly return attention to building on a first-term effort known as the Abraham Accords, which forged diplomatic and commercial ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

    A permanent agreement in Gaza would help pave the path for Trump to begin talks with Saudi Arabia as well Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, toward normalizing ties with Israel, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

    Such a deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways.

    But brokering such an agreement remains a heavy lift as the kingdom has said it won’t officially recognize Israel before a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Associated Press

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  • Florida nonprofit has been vital in Israel evacuations

    TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida nonprofit has played a major role in getting Americans out of Israel since the country’s war with Hamas began in October 2023.

    What You Need To Know

    • Grey Bull Rescue has brought thousands back to America over the course of the Israel-Hamas war

    • The organization’s leaders said moving people across borders was complex

    • The founder of the nonprofit was there on Sunday as the first part of the peace plan plays out


    Grey Bull Rescue has brought thousands back, including Robyn and Neil Spirtas, who were in the Middle East on a volunteer mission.

    What was supposed to be a trip of giving back unexpectedly changed overnight. 

    “In the middle of the night we were awakened by the missile sirens. They were on our phones and in the air. So we woke up and didn’t really know what was happening,” Robyn Spirtas said.

    This was when the conflict between Israel and Iran began. The airports closed, so the Spirtas had to find a new way home. After many phone calls, they were connected to the nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue. Their mission is to rescue Americans in need. 

    “It took us 75 hours to get back. Three days of planes, buses, hotels,” Robyn said.

    Through the challenges, the Spirtas are now home and join the roughly 7,000 people that Grey Bull has rescued over its lifetime.

    “Took great courage and leadership to get us where we needed to go. We commend Grey Bull Rescue for everything that they do now and into the future,” Neil said.

    Even though moving people across borders has been complex, it’s what Grey Bull is all about.

    “Getting all those people together and trying to move them to areas where they can actually get evacuations through Cyprus, through Jordan, working with Syria, and dealing with all the conflict that’s going on over there, (it is) very, very difficult,” said Andy Wilson, who is on the Board of Directors for Grey Bull Rescue.

    On Sunday, Grey Bull’s founder Bryan Stern was on the ground in Israel to witness the first phase of the peace plan play out.

    “Seeing this come to fruition is going to give great closure to the team for something that we’ve been working on so long, as part of this particular mission set,” Wilson said.

    Grey Bull Rescue is a nonprofit and relies on donations for support.

    Tyler O’Neill

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