11 h. ago Hamas frees six hostages as first phase of ceasefire nears end

First phase of effort to end more than a year of conflict set to conclude on Thursday

Events

11 h. ago Hamas freed five Israeli hostages under phase one of ceasefire

Hamas has released five Israeli hostages, including Avera Mengistu, who had been held captive in Gaza for over ten years.

Events

14 h. ago Hamas frees five hostages as first phase of ceasefire nears end

Militant group due to release one more hostage on Saturday as part of exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners

Events

15 h. ago Three more Israeli hostages released by Hamas as Israel to free Palestinian prisoners

The hostages are among the final living captives to be freed under phase one of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, over 600 Palestinians are due to be released from Israeli prisons

Events

16 h. ago Hamas frees two hostages as first phase of ceasefire nears end

Militant group due to release a further four hostages on Saturday as part of exchange for 600 Palestinian prisoners

Events

16 h. ago Two Israeli hostages released by Hamas as Israel to free Palestinian prisoners

The hostages are among the final living captives to be freed under phase one of a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, over 600 Palestinians are due to be released from Israeli prisons as well

Events

3 d. ago Hamas offers handover of all hostages to Israel if next phase of ceasefire agreed

Benjamin Netanyahu signals readiness for talks on second phase by appointing adviser Ron Dermer to lead delegationHamas has said it is ready to release all its remaining hostages in a single exchange if the ceasefire agreement with Israel moves forward to a second phase next month.The offer came as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signalled his readiness to talk about a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire after an extended delay, by appointing one of his closest advisers, Ron Dermer, a US-born cabinet minister and former ambassador to Washington, to lead the Israeli delegation to the talks. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Trump’s Gaza takeover won’t happen. But it has already changed the face of Israeli politics | Yair Wallach

The US president’s support for forcibly relocating Palestinians has laid the ground for Netanyahu’s ultimate fantasyWhen President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas last week to release all hostages by noon on 15 February, warning that otherwise “all hell [will] break loose”, the Israeli right was ecstatic. Here was a chance to finally move ahead with the complete occupation and annihilation of the Gaza Strip. The families of Israeli hostages were petrified about the prospect of the ceasefire collapsing, yet members of the ruling coalition called to kill the deal. “We have international support, give the order!” demanded the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.But the order never came. Hamas abided by the agreement and freed three hostages; Israel then released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Trump shrugged and said that it was Israel’s decision. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, who visited Israel on Sunday, signalled that the direction of travel is not towards resuming h...

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