The two discussed Gaza in the context of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the status of Iran’s nuclear program, and more.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in the Middle East in a phone call on Saturday, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Kremlin said in a joint statement.
The two focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip, especially regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The pair also discussed the status of Iran’s nuclear program and issues related to further stabilization efforts in Syria.
The Prime Minister’s Office said that the conversation took place at the Russian leader’s request.
The Kremlin called the conversation “a thorough exchange of views.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin (credit: REUTERS)
Russia, Israel touch base on Gaza War
The two previously spoke on the phone last month about the US brokered ceasefire deal, with the Russian leader reaffirming Moscow’s position “in favor of a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
Like their discussion on Saturday, their conversation last month tackled issues surrounding Iran and Syria. Before October, the two had spoken on the phone in August.
KAN News reported earlier this year that Netanyahu’s office has been working closely with Russia in an effort to resolve several different issues, including the tension between the US and Russia following Putin’s insistence on continuing the war in Ukraine.
This also comes after Russia proposed its own draft of a UN resolution on Gaza on Thursday in a challenge to a US effort to pass its own text at the Security Council that would endorse the US-brokered Gaza deal.
Russia’s UN mission said in a note to Security Council members on Thursday afternoon, seen by Reuters, that its “counter-proposal is inspired by the US draft.”
“The objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” the note said.
The Russian draft, also seen by Reuters, requests that the UN Secretary-General identify options for an international stabilization force for Gaza, and does not mention the “Board of Peace” that the US has proposed as a transitional administration for Gaza.
The alleged abuse of the terrorist appears in the leaked Sde Teiman video central in the scandal around military advocate-general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s resignation.
The Palestinian detainee who was allegedly abused by five IDF soldiers at Sde Teiman was returned by the military to Gaza in October as part of the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages.
Despite the intense interest and scrutiny surrounding the case, the IDF did not publicize its decision to release the detainee at the time.
His release was leaked to the media, and at the time of writing, the IDF still had not explained why he was released if he was needed as a critical witness in the case against the five IDF soldiers.
Further, the IDF had not explained why he, reportedly, was not even questioned about the incident.
Later, the IDF responded to inquiries on the matter, accusing the Shin bet and the Israel Prisons Service of releasing the detainee.
Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned as IDF Military Advocate General on October 31, pictured on September 18, 2025 in Jerusalem. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
However, the Jerusalem Post pointed out to the IDF spokesperson’s office that it was the IDF legal division who had chosen not to question the detainee for over a year since the incident in July 2024, and who also decided not to question him even once they started to learn that he might soon be released to Gaza.
The IDF spokesperson had no explanation to address these issues, raising larger questions about who decided not to question him and why.
According to the indictment, among the five IDF soldiers, they took part in different aspects of beating him and breaking several of his ribs, as well as shoving an object up his anus.
Video involving terrorist center of leak scandal surrounding ex-military advocate-general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi
The news about his release broke as the country has been battered with dramatic development after development regarding the fate of former IDF military advocate-general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last Friday after admitting to illegally leaking a video allegedly showing the five IDF soldiers beating the detainee.
The video would be expected to be presented at trial, but it is illegal for law enforcement to leak such evidentiary material before the trial.
Some supporters of the IDF legal division have said that the defendants had been presented with the video before it was leaked, which might reduce the severity of their alleged violation.
The faces of the final twenty surviving Israeli hostages who are now reunited with their families can be seen as you walk into Temple Beth Israel in northwest Fresno.
“They will never be the same, but we hope they return to an existence that will be meaningful and positive,” Rabbi Rick Winer said.
Rabbi Winer says the release of hostages is a relief, but many questions remain.
“What happens next? Can they maintain the calm? Can they forge a peace that’s really going to be lasting?” Rabbi Winer asked.
Buses full of Palestinian prisoners and detainees are now returning home amid the ceasefire.
But Palestinian Layla Darwish- president of the Palestine Freedom Project in the Central Valley – says that’s only somewhat comforting.
“They’re likely to return to makeshift tents,” she explained. “Some will return to realize that they’ve lost loved ones including some will learn they’ve lost their entire family.”
She and Rabbi Winer say there is still a long road ahead.
“What will that resolve if we do not have, the Palestinians do not get their liberation?” Darwish stated on the ceasefire.
“It needs to be a livable place. it needs to have self-determination. The people that live there need to have a just and humane existence,” Rabbi Winer said. “If the people of Gaza and the West Bank can thrive together alongside the people of Israel then everyone is better off.”
(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.
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.The hostages, all men, returned to Israel, where they will be reunited with their families and undergo medical checks. The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.Meanwhile, a convoy of Israeli vehicles, Red Cross jeeps and buses left Ofer Prison for the occupied West Bank on Monday afternoon, carrying some of the 250 long-term prisoners set to be released in the exachange. The buses are headed to the center of Beitunia, the nearest Palestinian town, where friends and families await their arrival.In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.Earlier, while Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.”Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. Living hostages being released firstThe hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.Trump is traveling to Israel and EgyptTrump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.”The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.___Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had left scores of captives in militant hands.
Seven of the hostages were released early Monday, while the remaining 13 were freed a few hours later.
The 20, all men, were being reunited with their families and expected to undergo medical checks.
The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.
Families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square in Tel Aviv broke into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.
Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home, including one showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.
The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.
Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. In the West Bank, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd waiting near Ofer Prison. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.
The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.
While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.
The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the region, where he plans to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.
The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.
The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
“Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday.
Living hostages being released first
The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.
As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.
It remains unclear when the remains of 28 dead hostages will be returned. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
Meanwhile, buses lined up in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning in anticipation of the release of prisoners.
The exact timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.
Trump is traveling to Israel and Egypt
Trump arrived Monday in Israel, where the White House said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.
“The war is over,” Trump told to reporters as he departed — even though his ceasefire deal leaves many unanswered questions about the future of Hamas and Gaza.
Among the most thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.
So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.
The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.
Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, according to a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.
The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.
The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel in Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad accused Israel of changing prisoner lists under the deal, warning that Netanyahu may resume the Gaza war
Senior Hamas political bureau member Ghazi Hamad, speaking to Al Jazeera from Cairo on Sunday night, accused Israel of “playing with and changing” the lists of Palestinian prisoners slated for release under the emerging ceasefire-for-hostages deal, and warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would “return to aggression” in Gaza without sustained international pressure.
He urged Arab states and mediators to “restrain the Zionist madness” and ensure full implementation of the agreement.
Hamad said Hamas was coordinating with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to carry out the exchange “as stated in the agreement,” but alleged that Israeli delays in verifying names on documents sent to the parties were creating obstacles.
He nevertheless said the process was “moving in a good direction” and that Hamas would “do everything we can” to make both the prisoner exchange and the wider deal succeed.
His claims came amid mounting disputes over prisoner lists. Israel’s Justice Ministry published 250 names of Palestinian prisoners set for release as part of the deal, while Palestinian officials said no final roster had been agreed upon, highlighting ongoing friction over the criteria and sequencing of releases.
Ghazi Hamad, member of Hamas Political Office, delivers remarks on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, October 28, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/AMR ALFIKY)
Al Jazeera Arabic reporting on Sunday also amplified Palestinian assertions that Israel was trying to impose its own terms on the prisoner file, with sources saying Hamas continued contacts via Cairo, Doha, and Ankara to amend the Israeli-published list.
The ICRC has reiterated that any exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners must be conducted safely and with dignity, underscoring the organization’s neutral role in transfers and family reunifications under the ceasefire framework.
20 Israeli hostages to be freed
The remarks came as Israel and Hamas prepared for the next phase of the agreement. Israeli officials and international media reported that 20 living Israeli hostages were expected to be freed on Monday in parallel with large-scale prisoner releases, part of a broader truce architecture brokered with the help of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
Hamad’s interview echoed past Hamas statements describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” rhetoric the group has used repeatedly while rejecting Israeli conditions tied to disarmament or postwar governance arrangements in Gaza.
Under the ceasefire terms reported over the weekend, Israel has been transferring detainees in preparation for releases while international agencies scale up humanitarian operations inside Gaza. Disagreements over specific prisoner names and categories have persisted in recent days, including last-minute changes approved by Israel’s government to the first batches.
The 1,700 Gaza detainees who will be released will not be terrorists who raided on October 7, 2023, and the release of Hamas operatives has been limited as much as possible.
The number of Palestinian security prisoners being released by Israel in exchange for the return of 48 hostages, 20 still alive, is the lowest ratio agreed upon in decades, Walla reported on Friday night.
Walla learned that the final list of security prisoners includes 195 prisoners serving life sentences and only 60 of them are Hamas operatives. Just for comparison, in the Shalit deal, 450 Hamas operatives were released, including prisoners who led significant terrorism against the State of Israel.
The 1,700 Gaza detainees who will be released will not be terrorists who raided on October 7, 2023, and the release of Hamas operatives has been limited as much as possible.
The Shin Bet managed to uphold the principles it had established at the beginning of the negotiations with Hamas regarding who would not be included in the list of those to be released:
Hamas’s 25 most senior prisoners were not included in the list despite Hamas’s initial demand to include them in the deal. This includes the bodies of Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Sinwar.
Illustrative image of former Hamas leaders Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar. (credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Shutterstock, IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT, REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)
Walla learned that the Shin Bet’s veto list included a total of around 100 security prisoners. In addition to Hamas senior officials and sergeants, it also included Hamas operatives who were heads of infrastructure, experts in sabotage and explosives, and child murderers. For example, the terrorists who murdered the Fogel family were not included in the list.
Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, their three-month-old baby sister and parents Ehud and Ruth were murdered by PFLP terrorists in March 2011. Only the 12-year-old eldest daughter Tamar, eight-year-old son Roi and 2-year-old son, Shay survived the attack on the Fogel family home.
Excluded from the deal
Senior officials and sergeants that Hamas demanded were also on the Shin Bet’s veto list and constituted a red line throughout the negotiations. Israel will not release:
• Ibrahim Hamed – was the head of Hamas’ military wing in the West Bank during the Second Intifada. Considered the mastermind behind several serious suicide attacks, in which dozens of Israelis were murdered (the attack at Cafe Moment in Jerusalem, the attack at the Sheffield Club in Rishon LeZion).
• Ahmed Saadat – Secretary-General of the Hamas in the West Bank, who is a symbol for planning the murder of the late Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. A figure that Hamas has been trying to release since the Shalit deal and in all the deals throughout the current war.
• Marwan Barghouti – is a leadership symbol in the Palestinian public, from the days of the First Intifada he led the Tanzim in the West Bank. He was convicted due to his involvement in attacks in which Israelis were murdered.
• Hassan Salameh – a senior Hamas figure, was one of the planners of serious bomb attacks in which dozens of Israelis were murdered.
• Abbas al-Sayed – Head of Hamas in Tul During the Second Intifada, Kerem was responsible for planning the attack on the hotel in the park in which dozens of Israelis were murdered.
The list also did not include security prisoners who are Israeli citizens – another clause in the negotiations on the lists that the Shin Bet insisted on.
Walla learned from sources involved in the negotiations for the release of the hostages that pressure was exerted by Hamas to release prisoners who had committed murder and had not yet been sentenced, or extremely dangerous former prisoners who were recently arrested (for example, the heads of Hamas’s infrastructure in Hebron who were recently thwarted by the Shin Bet). The Shin Bet repelled these attempts and refused to release these Hamas prisoners. In practice, they are not being released.
A look at past deals
It is important to note that the Shin Bet negotiating team, led by two current and former Shin Bet deputy heads, S. and M., succeeded in bending the Hamas negotiating team, and the analysis of the data shows that the prisoner release ratio is low compared to past deals:
• Jibril Deal (1985) – three living IDF soldiers were traded for 1,151 prisoners, of which 380 were life prisoners.
• Deal with Hezbollah (2004) – Three bodies of IDF soldier and a living civilian (Elhanan Tenenbaum) were exchanged for 436 prisoners.
• Shalit deal (2011) – For a living IDF soldier, 1,027 prisoners were released (including 450 Hamas members), of whom 279 were life prisoners.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.Shelling continues through early hoursAfter the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.“The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.“It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.Details of the dealA senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.
TEL AVIV, Israel —
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time, the Israeli military said Friday, adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines. The announcement came hours after Israel’s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners.
Tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military’s announcement at noon local time. Beforehand, Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.
The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.
A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.
Shelling continues through early hours
After the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.
In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.
“The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.
In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.
The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.
“It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed.
Details of the deal
A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.
Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.
“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.
To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.
Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza, paving the way for a pause in the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians greeted the news cautiously Thursday as a possible breakthrough in ending the devastating 2-year-old war.Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by the administration of President Donald Trump — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and brought famine to parts of it, and triggered other conflicts across the Middle East.The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has sparked worldwide protests and increasingly isolated Israel, as well as bringing allegations of genocide that Israel denies.Even with the agreement expected to be signed later in the day, Israeli strikes continued, with explosions seen Thursday morning in northern Gaza. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes but earlier in the day said it had begun preparations for the implementation of the ceasefire, and troops were planning to transition to “adjusted deployment lines.”Following news of the agreement, Alaa Abd Rabbo, originally from northern Gaza but forced to move multiple times during the war, said it was “a godsend.”“This is the day we have been waiting for,” he said from the central city of Deir al-Balah. “We want to go home.”In Tel Aviv, families of the remaining hostages popped champagne and cried tears of joy when the deal was announced.“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on social media late Wednesday after the agreement was reached. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public.In an interview on Fox News, Trump said Hamas will begin releasing hostages “probably” on Monday.The breakthrough came on the third day of indirect talks in Egypt.“With God’s help we will bring them all home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed on social media shortly after Trump’s announcement. Netanyahu said he would convene the government Thursday to approve the deal.Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has opposed previous ceasefire deals, said he had “mixed emotions on a complex morning.”While he welcomed the return of the hostages, he said he had “immense fear about the consequences of emptying the jails and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders” and said that as soon as the hostages are returned, Israel must continue trying to eradicate Hamas and ensure Gaza is demilitarized.Hamas, meanwhile, called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements “without disavowal or delay” the troop withdrawal, the entry of aid into the territory and the exchange of prisoners.Ahmed al-Farra, the general director of pediatrics at Khan Yunis’ Nasser Hospital, which has seen many of the casualties of the war, said he was still skeptical of Israel following through on the deal but held out hope.“We need to go back to living,” he said.Trump’s peace planThe Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel two years ago. Some 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led militants in that assault, and 251 were taken hostage. Israel believes around 20 of the hostages are still alive.Under the plan, Israel would maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort in Gaza.The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu opposes. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years to implement.The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu firmly rejects.Even with many details yet to be agreed, some Palestinians and Israelis expressed relief at the progress.“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” Ahmed Sheheiber, a Palestinian displaced man from northern Gaza, said of the ceasefire deal.Crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City, he said he was waiting “impatiently” for the ceasefire to go into effect to return to his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp.Joyful relatives of hostages and their supporters spilled into the central Tel Aviv square that has become the main gathering point in the struggle to free the captives.Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker and a prominent advocate for the hostages’ release, told reporters that she wants to tell her son she loves him.“If I have one dream, it is seeing Matan sleep in his own bed,” she said.This would be the third ceasefire since the start of the war.The first, in November 2023, saw more than 100 hostages, mainly women and children, freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In the second, starting in January of this year, Palestinian militants released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel ended that ceasefire in March with a surprise bombardment.Praying for a dealIn the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians have been desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.The ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.Ayman Saber, a Palestinian from Khan Younis, reacted to the ceasefire announcement by saying he plans to return to his home city and try to rebuild his house, which was destroyed last year by an Israeli strike.“I will rebuild the house, we will rebuild Gaza,” he said.___Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
CAIRO —
Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza, paving the way for a pause in the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians greeted the news cautiously Thursday as a possible breakthrough in ending the devastating 2-year-old war.
Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by the administration of President Donald Trump — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and brought famine to parts of it, and triggered other conflicts across the Middle East.
The war, which began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has sparked worldwide protests and increasingly isolated Israel, as well as bringing allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
Even with the agreement expected to be signed later in the day, Israeli strikes continued, with explosions seen Thursday morning in northern Gaza. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes but earlier in the day said it had begun preparations for the implementation of the ceasefire, and troops were planning to transition to “adjusted deployment lines.”
Following news of the agreement, Alaa Abd Rabbo, originally from northern Gaza but forced to move multiple times during the war, said it was “a godsend.”
“This is the day we have been waiting for,” he said from the central city of Deir al-Balah. “We want to go home.”
In Tel Aviv, families of the remaining hostages popped champagne and cried tears of joy when the deal was announced.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on social media late Wednesday after the agreement was reached. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”
Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump said Hamas will begin releasing hostages “probably” on Monday.
The breakthrough came on the third day of indirect talks in Egypt.
“With God’s help we will bring them all home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed on social media shortly after Trump’s announcement. Netanyahu said he would convene the government Thursday to approve the deal.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has opposed previous ceasefire deals, said he had “mixed emotions on a complex morning.”
While he welcomed the return of the hostages, he said he had “immense fear about the consequences of emptying the jails and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders” and said that as soon as the hostages are returned, Israel must continue trying to eradicate Hamas and ensure Gaza is demilitarized.
Hamas, meanwhile, called on Trump and the mediators to ensure that Israel implements “without disavowal or delay” the troop withdrawal, the entry of aid into the territory and the exchange of prisoners.
Ahmed al-Farra, the general director of pediatrics at Khan Yunis’ Nasser Hospital, which has seen many of the casualties of the war, said he was still skeptical of Israel following through on the deal but held out hope.
“We need to go back to living,” he said.
Trump’s peace plan
The Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel two years ago. Some 1,200 people were killed by Hamas-led militants in that assault, and 251 were taken hostage. Israel believes around 20 of the hostages are still alive.
Under the plan, Israel would maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort in Gaza.
The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu opposes. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years to implement.
The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Netanyahu firmly rejects.
Even with many details yet to be agreed, some Palestinians and Israelis expressed relief at the progress.
“It’s a huge day, huge joy,” Ahmed Sheheiber, a Palestinian displaced man from northern Gaza, said of the ceasefire deal.
Crying over the phone from his shelter in Gaza City, he said he was waiting “impatiently” for the ceasefire to go into effect to return to his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Joyful relatives of hostages and their supporters spilled into the central Tel Aviv square that has become the main gathering point in the struggle to free the captives.
Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli captive Matan Zangauker and a prominent advocate for the hostages’ release, told reporters that she wants to tell her son she loves him.
“If I have one dream, it is seeing Matan sleep in his own bed,” she said.
This would be the third ceasefire since the start of the war.
The first, in November 2023, saw more than 100 hostages, mainly women and children, freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In the second, starting in January of this year, Palestinian militants released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel ended that ceasefire in March with a surprise bombardment.
Praying for a deal
In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians have been desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
Ayman Saber, a Palestinian from Khan Younis, reacted to the ceasefire announcement by saying he plans to return to his home city and try to rebuild his house, which was destroyed last year by an Israeli strike.
“I will rebuild the house, we will rebuild Gaza,” he said.
___
Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday defended its October 7 attacks on Israel but admitted to “faults” and called for an end to “Israeli aggression” in Gaza, where the health ministry said the death toll passed 25,000.
Southern Gaza is the latest focus of Israel’s battle to destroy the Islamist group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
In its first public report on the attacks that began the war, Hamas said they were a “necessary step” against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and a way to secure release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later vowed “complete victory” and said his government would not accept Hamas’s conditions for releasing hostages still held in Gaza.
Hamas’s 16-page report admitted “some faults happened… due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the border areas with Gaza”.
The report did not make clear why it was issued now, more than three months into the war that began when militants broke through Gaza’s militarised border to attack Israelis and foreigners in the streets, in their homes and at an outdoor rave party.
This resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
With the border fence broken during the attacks, anybody could enter Israel.
Accounts of sexual violence emerged but the scarcity of survivor testimonies and the lack of forensic evidence made it difficult to assess their scale.
– Naval bombardment –
Militants seized about 250 hostages during the attacks, and Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza. At least 28 of them are believed to have been killed, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Hamas — considered a “terrorist” group by the United States and European Union — said in the report its fighters were committed to “Islamic values”, and if civilians were targeted “it happened accidently and in the course of the confrontation with the occupation forces.”
In response to the attacks, Israel has launched a military offensive that has killed at least 25,105 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll issued on Sunday by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
In early January, Israel’s military said the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza had been dismantled, leaving only isolated fighters.
But witnesses told AFP Israeli vessels were bombarding Gaza City and other areas in the north early Sunday. Hamas has also reported heavy combat in the north.
The Israeli army said it “eliminated a number of terrorists” in the main southern city of Khan Yunis and killed 15 militants in northern Gaza over the past day.
Netanyahu is under intense pressure to return the hostages and account for security failings surrounding the October attacks.
In a video statement released after the Hamas report, he said that “in exchange for the release of our hostages, Hamas demands an end to the war, the withdrawal of our forces from Gaza”, the release of Palestinian prisoners and guarantees that Hamas would stay in power.
“If we accept this, our soldiers have fallen in vain,” Netanyahu said. “If we accept this, we won’t be able to guarantee the safety of our citizens.”
The United Nations says about 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza, with about one million crowded into the Rafah area of Gaza’s south near Egypt.
– Donkey carts –
UN agencies have warned better aid access is needed urgently as famine and disease loom. Gazans are also struggling with shortages of water, medical care and other essentials.
With fuel scarce, they have increasingly turned to donkey carts for transport.
“Anyone who used to own a car now uses a donkey. Even businessmen or officials try to collect money just to buy a donkey,” said Badr al-Akhras, a trader of the beasts.
Diplomatic efforts have sought to secure scaled-up aid deliveries for Gaza and a truce, after a week-long cessation of hostilities in November saw Hamas release dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Hamas’s Qatar-based chief Ismail Haniyeh held a meeting with the Turkish foreign minister, diplomatic sources said on Sunday, in the first official contact between the two for more than three months.
Among their discussion was “a two-state solution for a permanent peace,” one of the sources said.
The United States and Arab countries are also seeking such a solution involving Palestinian statehood, but Netanyahu has rejected it, saying “Israel must retain security control over Gaza”.
Britain’s Defence Secretary Grant Shapps on Sunday called it “disappointing actually, to hear that from the Israeli prime minister.”
Hamas in its report rejected any international and Israeli efforts to decide Gaza’s post-war future.
Israel’s northern border with Lebanon has seen near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
On Sunday an Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah fighter, a security official and a source close to the group told AFP. Israel said its warplanes bombed Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Also adding to fears of wider conflict, a strike on Saturday killed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) Syria spy chief in Damascus, Iran’s Mehr news agency said. Iran blamed Israel.
The White House said it was taking “extremely seriously” a weekend attack by Iran-backed militants using “multiple ballistic missiles and rockets” against a base hosting US forces in Iraq.
Dozens of such attacks in Iraq and Syria have taken place since mid-October and most have been claimed by militants opposing US support for Israel, but the use of ballistic missiles marked an escalation.
Hamas has warned that not a single hostage would leave the territory “alive” unless the group’s demands were met.
“Neither the fascist enemy and its arrogant leadership… nor its supporters… can take their prisoners alive without an exchange and negotiation and meeting the demands of the resistance,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, said in a televised broadcast, referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
A one-week truce in the war that collapsed on December 1 saw 105 hostages held by the group freed, including 80 Israelis released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Israel on Saturday said 137 captives remained in the Palestinian territory.
He said that the “temporary truce proved our credibility”, and said that its fighters had partially or fully destroyed 180 Israeli personnel carriers, tanks and bulldozers in 10 days since fighting resumed in Gaza.
05:02 PM GMT
That’s all for today
Thank you for following our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The key developments from the day were the following:
Hamas has warned that not a single hostage would leave the territory “alive” unless the group’s demands were met.
Israeli tanks reached the centre of Khan Younis in a major new push into the heart of the main city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Mediation efforts are continuing to secure a new Gaza ceasefire and free more hostages held by Hamas despite ongoing Israeli bombardment that is “narrowing the window” for a successful outcome, Qatar’s prime minister said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regrets the Security Council’s failure to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, condemning the divisions that have “paralysed” the world body.
The IDF has reported that 1593 of its soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war on Oct 7, 559 of those in Gaza.
France said that one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted by two drones coming from Yemen. Both were intercepted and shot down.
Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Vladimir Putin and voiced displeasure with “anti-Israel positions” taken by Moscow’s envoys at the United Nations.
Some Hamas fighters have surrendered in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel said.
The impact of the conflict on Gaza’s healthcare sector has been “catastrophic”, the World Health Organization chief said on Sunday at an emergency board meeting, saying conditions were ideal for the spread of deadly diseases.
04:25 PM GMT
WHO urges immediate humanitarian aide for Gaza
The World Health Organization’s executive board on Sunday adopted a resolution by consensus for combatting the worsening health situation in the Gaza Strip.
After the UN Security Council declined to demand a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group, the 34 countries on the WHO’s executive board adopted by consensus a resolution calling for the “immediate, sustained and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief” into Gaza.
04:13 PM GMT
Israeli tanks reach centre of southern Gaza’s main city
Israeli tanks have reached the centre of Khan Younis in a major new push into the heart of the main city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Residents said tanks had reached the main north-south road through the middle of Khan Younis after intense combat through the night. Warplanes were pounding the area west of the assault, while thick columns of white smoke rose over the city.
Smoke rises in Khan Younis – IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / Reuters
“It was one of the most dreadful nights, the resistance was very strong, we could hear gunshots and explosions that didn’t stop for hours,” a father of four displaced from Gaza City and sheltering in Khan Younis told Reuters.
Israel launched the storm of Khan Younis this week after a truce collapsed, extending its ground war to Gaza’s southern half in a new, expanded phase of its two-month-old campaign to wipe out Hamas militants.
International aid organisations say this has left the enclave’s 2.3 million people with nowhere to hide.
03:54 PM GMT
In pictures
An Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer fires rounds – MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
Chickens walk on top of rubble, at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential area – REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Israel’s Chief of Staff lighting a candle in Nahal – IDF
03:37 PM GMT
White House to intensify push for Ukraine and Israel aid
The White House will step up its engagement with US lawmakers trying to strike a bipartisan deal that would provide military aid for Ukraine and Israel, a Democratic senator said on Sunday.
Republicans have insisted that additional funding for Ukraine must be paired with major US border security changes but a bipartisan group of senators trying to broker a compromise have made little progress with less than a week before the US Congress leaves for a Christmas break.
“The White House is going to get more engaged this week,” said Senator Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator.
Murphy said the current border security demands by Republicans were “unreasonable” and that they were “playing games with the security of the world” by linking the military aid to US border security measures.
03:24 PM GMT
Israel cannot recover its hostages without negotiations, says Hamas
Hamas’ armed wing said on Sunday Israel will not be able to recover any of its hostages unless it engages in talks over conditional swap deals.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades, said in an audio speech broadcast by Al Jazeera television that Israel will not be able to recover the captives by force, citing what he described a failed operation to free one of them.
He also claimed that Hamas fighters had partially or fully destroyed 180 Israeli personnel carriers, tanks and bulldozers in 10 days since fighting resumed in Gaza, and that the “temporary truce proved our credibility”.
03:08 PM GMT
Blinken: Palestinian civilian safety imperative
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday it is “imperative” that Israeli military operations in Gaza protect Palestinian civilians, adding that the fighting should be followed by a durable peace leading to a Palestinian state.
03:01 PM GMT
Watch: Israel claims ‘Hamas fighters’ surrender in northern Gaza
02:54 PM GMT
Israel says 1593 soldiers wounded and 425 killed
The IDF has reported that 1593 of its soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war on Oct 7, 559 of those in Gaza.
It added that 425 soldiers have been killed.
02:44 PM GMT
France says its warships was targeted by drones from direction of Yemen
France said that one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted by two drones coming from Yemen. Both were intercepted and shot down, according to the Associated Press.
A short statement from the Armies Ministry did not say who fired the drones at the French Navy frigate Languedoc.
France’s Armies Ministry said the drones “came straight at” the Languedoc two hours apart from the direction of Yemen. The warship destroyed them both about 110 kilometers (70 miles) off the Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah on the Yemeni coast, it said.
02:38 PM GMT
Pictured: Palestinian detainees
Israeli soldiers stand by a truck packed with shirtless Palestinian detainees – REUTERS/Yossi Zeliger I
02:26 PM GMT
Artillery Corps now operating inside the Gaza Strip
Since the start of the war, Israel’s Artillery Corps has been operating on the border of the Gaza Strip, assisting the ground forces with fire support for operations and rescue efforts.
In recent days, soldiers from the 282nd Brigade have begun operating in the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with the 188th Brigade in the Shuja’iyya area of the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.
02:09 PM GMT
Netanyahu: Israel helped Cyprus foil Iranian-ordered attack against Israelis and Jews
Israel helped Cyprus foil an Iranian-ordered attack against Israelis and Jews on the island, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday, saying such plots were on the rise since the Gaza war erupted.
Netanyahu’s office gave no details of the planned attack but said in the statement on behalf of the Mossad intelligence service that Israel was “troubled” by what it saw as Iranian use of Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus “both for terrorism objectives and as an operational and transit area”.
The breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, which is sharply critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza since Oct. 7.
The internationally recognised government in the south of Cyprus has close relations with Israel.
01:43 PM GMT
Netanyahu speaks to Putin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and voiced displeasure with “anti-Israel positions” taken by Moscow’s envoys at the United Nations, an Israeli statement said.
Russia backed a UN Security Council resolution for a Gaza truce, which was vetoed by the United States on Friday.
Speaking to Putin, Netanyahu also voiced “robust disapproval” of Russia’s “dangerous” cooperation with Iran, the Israeli statement said
Netanyahu also expressed his appreciation of the Russian effort to release an Israeli citizen with Russian citizenship.
01:31 PM GMT
Pictured: Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting
Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting – AFP
01:22 PM GMT
North Korea condemns US veto of Gaza ceasefire call at UN
A North Korean senior official criticised the United States for blocking a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, claiming the veto showed Washington’s “double standards”, North Korean state media KCNA said on Sunday.
The United States vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza at the United Nations Security Council on Friday.
The ceasefire resolution at the UN failed to pass after the United States vetoed the proposal and Britain abstained.
“The United States’ abuse of its veto power to protect an ally that massacred tens of thousands of civilians is not only a manifestation of illegal and unreasonable double standards, but also the height of inhumane evil,” Kim Son Gyong, North Korea’s vice foreign minister for international organisations, said via KCNA.
Kim argued the United States was contradicting itself by condoning continued fighting in Gaza while condemning North Korea’s recent satellite launch that caused no harm to any other country.
01:10 PM GMT
Hamas fighters surrender in northern Gaza, claims Israel
Some Hamas fighters have surrendered in the northern Gaza Strip, Israel said late on Saturday.
The Israeli military did not specify how many Hamas militants had been captured, but said they had surrendered in and near Gaza city, in the Shajaiya and Jabaliya neighbourhoods.
The claims come two days after Israel said it had detained hundreds of terrorism suspects.
Videos circulated on social media and Israeli news channels this week believed to show Hamas fighters detained by Israeli forces. The men in the videos had been forced to strip to their underwear and were blindfolded. The videos could not be independently verified, and reports emerged that there were civilian Gazans among those described as Hamas fighters.
12:50 PM GMT
Iran accuses jailed Swedish EU diplomat of conspiring with Israel
Iranian authorities have accused a Swedish EU diplomat, held in a Tehran prison for more than 600 days, of conspiring with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel to harm the Islamic republic, the judiciary said Sunday, reported by AFP.
“Johan Floderus is accused of extensive measures against the security of the country, extensive intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime and corruption on earth,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency said.
Corruption on earth is one of Iran’s most serious offences which carries a maximum penalty of death.
“The defendant has been active against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of gathering information for the benefit of the Zionist regime in the form of subversive projects,” Mizan quoted the prosecution as saying.
Earlier Sunday, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for the immediate release of the Swedish diplomat, arguing “there are absolutely no grounds for keeping Johan Floderus in detention.”
Floderus, 33, works for the European Union diplomatic service. He was arrested on April 17, 2022, at Tehran airport as he was returning from a trip abroad, and is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison.
12:33 PM GMT
Hamas attacks do not justify Israel’s punishment of Palestinians, says Russia’s Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said it was not acceptable for Israel to use Hamas’ terror attack on Oct 7 as justification for the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and called for international monitoring on the ground in Gaza.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly blamed the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas on the failure of years of US diplomacy in the Middle East, while aiming to position Russia as an important player with ties to all the major actors in the region.
12:22 PM GMT
Pictured: Fighting on Dec 10
Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling on the outskirts of Yaroun, a Lebanese border village with Israel – AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during an Israeli strike – MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo from the IDF of fighting in the Gaza Strip – IDF
12:03 PM GMT
Iran unveils drones armed with air-to-air missiles
Iran has reinforced its air defence capabilities by adding combat drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to its arsenal, state media reported on Sunday.
“Dozens of Karrar drones armed with air-to-air missiles have been added for air defence in all border areas of the country,” the official IRNA news agency said, reported by AFP.
The drones, with an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), were exhibited Sunday morning during a televised ceremony organised at a military academy in Tehran.
“The enemies will now have to rethink their strategies” because the Iranian forces have “become more powerful”, IRNA quoted the commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, General Abdolrahim Mousavi, as saying.
The development of Iran’s military arsenal has sparked concern among many countries, particularly the United States and Israel, the sworn enemies of the Islamic republic.
The latter accuse Tehran of providing fleets of drones to its allies in the Middle East, notably to Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, and to the Huthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran also backs the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
11:43 AM GMT
Watch: Israeli offensive continues as Netanyahu rebuffs calls to end fighting in Gaza
11:27 AM GMT
Jordan says Israel aims to expel Palestinians from Gaza
Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday Israel was implementing a systematic policy of pushing Palestinians out of Gaza by a war that has killed thousands of civilians.
In remarks at a conference in Doha, Safadi, whose country borders the West Bank and had absorbed the bulk of Palestinians after Israel’s creation in 1948, also said Israel had created an “amount of hatred “ that would “haunt the region” and “define generations to come”.
11:14 AM GMT
Israeli army says five soldiers have died
The Israeli army have said in a statement that five of its soldiers have died in the Gaza War.
Four soldiers were killed in the battle in Southern Gaza, while the fifth succumbed to his wounds after fighting on October 7, according to the Israeli army statement posted on X.
11:00 AM GMT
Two Iranians questioned over suspected plots to attack Israelis in Cyprus
Two Iranians have been detained in Cyprus for questioning over suspected planning of attacks on Israeli citizens living in Cyprus, a Cypriot newspaper reported on Sunday.
The two individuals were believed to be in the early stages of gathering intelligence on potential Israeli targets, the Kathimerini Cyprus newspaper said, without citing sources.
The paper added that the Iranians were political refugees in contact with a person linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
A senior Cyprus official declined to comment, citing policy on issues concerning national security.
Barely a 40-minute flight from Israel, Cyprus is a popular holiday and investment destination for thousands of Israelis.
10:50 AM GMT
Watch: Crowding in Rafah as displaced Palestinians flee after evacuation orders
10:40 AM GMT
Yemen rebels threaten Israel-bound Red Sea ships
Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels have threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine are allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.
The latest warning comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and surrounding waters following a series of maritime attacks by Huthi rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
In a statement posted on social media, the Huthis said they “will prevent the passage of ships heading to the Zionist entity” if humanitarian aid is not allowed into Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The Huthis have recently attacked ships they claim have direct links to Israel, but their latest threat expands the scope of their targets.
Regardless of which flag ships sail under or the nationality of their owners or operators, Israel-bound vessels “will become a legitimate target for our armed forces”, the statement said.
Hamas welcomed the rebels’ “courageous and bold” decision.
“We call on Arab and Muslim countries to use all their capabilities, based on their historical responsibilities and in the spirit of chivalry, to lift the siege of Gaza,” it added in a statement sent to AFP.
Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said his country would not accept the “naval siege”, noting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked US President Joe Biden and European leaders to take measures to address the situation.
10:29 AM GMT
‘Apocalyptic’ situation in southern Gaza
Israel is continuing to push on with its punishing air and ground offensive in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled in search of shelter.
Aid groups have described the situation as “apocalyptic” and warned it is on the brink of being overwhelmed by disease and starvation.
Hamas said on Sunday that Israel had launched a series of “very violent raids” targeting the southern city of Khan Younis and the road from there to Rafah, near the border with Egypt.
At least 17,700 people, mostly women and children, have died in two months of fighting in the narrow strip of territory, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its “just war”, while army chief Herzi Halevi said his forces needed to “press harder” in Gaza.
10:25 AM GMT
Pictured: Damage to homes in Gaza
A Palestinian man inspects the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on houses – REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
10:13 AM GMT
Netanyahu rebuffs calls to end fighting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed on Sunday international calls to end the Gaza war, describing them as inconsistent with supporting the war-aim of eliminating Hamas.
Briefing his cabinet, Netanyahu said he had told the leaders of France, Germany and other countries: “You cannot on the one hand support the elimination of Hamas and on other pressure us to end the war, which would prevent the elimination of Hamas”.
10:00 AM GMT
Gaza health situation is ‘catastrophic’, says WHO chief
The impact of the conflict on Gaza’s healthcare sector has been “catastrophic”, the World Health Organization chief said on Sunday at an emergency board meeting, saying conditions were ideal for the spread of deadly diseases.
“It’s stating the obvious to say that the impact of the conflict on health is catastrophic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the 34-member board.
“In summary health needs have increased dramatically and the capacity of the health system has been reduced to one third of what it was,” he said.
09:44 AM GMT
Displaced Palestinians shelter in Rafah
Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, shelter in Rafah – REUTERS/Mustafa Thraya
09:31 AM GMT
Qatar says efforts to renew Israel-Hamas truce ‘continuing’
Mediation efforts are continuing to secure a new Gaza ceasefire and free more hostages held by Hamas despite ongoing Israeli bombardment that is “narrowing the window” for a successful outcome, Qatar’s prime minister said Sunday.
“Our efforts as the state of Qatar along with our partners are continuing. We are not going to give up,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum.
He added that “the continuation of the bombardment is just narrowing this window for us.”
Qatar was a key mediator in negotiations that resulted in a seven-day truce, which saw scores of Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinians prisoners and humanitarian aid, until it ended at the start of the month.
“We are going to continue, we are committed to have hostages released, but we are also committed to stop the war,” Qatar’s prime minister said.
However, he said, “we are not seeing the same willingness from both parties”.
09:24 AM GMT
UN chief says its credibility is ‘undermined’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Sunday said he regrets the Security Council’s failure to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, condemning the divisions that have “paralysed” the world body.
Addressing Qatar’s Doha Forum, Guterres said the council was “paralysed by geostrategic divisions” that were undermining solutions to the Israel-Hamas war which started on October 7.
The body’s “authority and credibility were severely undermined” by its delayed response to the conflict, he said two days after a US veto prevented a resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
“I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared,” he told the forum.
“Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it,” he added. “I can promise, I will not give up.”
