5 h. ago Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages as first phase of ceasefire nears end

Israel frees hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange

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5 h. ago Hamas hand over final four bodies of Israeli hostages in exchange which will see 600 Palestinian prisoners walk free in a matter of hours

The remains of Shlomo Mansour, 86, Ohad Yahalomi, 50, Tsachi Idan, 50, and Itzik Elgarat, 69, are due to be handed back to Israel this evening in exchange for 600 prisoners.

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6 h. ago Hamas to hand over four hostages’ bodies in exchange for release of 600 prisoners

Tsachi Idan, Ohad Yahalomi, Itzik Elgart and Shlomo Mansour set to be retured to their families on Wednesday

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15 h. ago Thousands of Israelis line streets for funeral of Bibas family killed in Gaza

National outpouring of grief comes amid reports that deal reached to resume ceasefire with HamasThousands of Israelis have lined the route of a funeral procession for two small children and their mother who were held hostage and died in captivity in Gaza.The national outpouring of grief for Ariel, Kfir and Shiri Bibas came amid reports that a deal had been reached to resume the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, with the handover of more bodies of hostages in return for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Continue reading...

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67 h. ago UN ‘gravely concerned by rising violence’ in West Bank; Gaza ceasefire in doubt as first phase nears end – Middle East crisis live

Israeli tanks in West Bank for first time in more than two decades amid tensions over ceasefire agreement with HamasThe UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has been speaking at the UN human rights council in Geneva.“I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation,” Guterres said, as he urged for the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel to remain intact.The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates warns of the Israeli occupation army’s deployment of heavy tanks around Jenin, viewing it as a prelude to expanding its crimes against the Palestinian people – particularly in the northern West Bank and its refugee camps. This escalation comes as Israeli ‘defence’ minister Israel Katz boasts that the Israeli occupation army will prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes and has ordered an extended military presence in the area. Israeli occupation forces have al...

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4 d. ago Steve Witkoff: from property developer to global spotlight as Trump’s tough

His friendship with the president dates back to a late-night encounter in a deli. Now he is a loyal envoy brokering the Gaza ceasefire and peace talks on UkraineWith the first phase of the ceasefire nearing its end, an American property developer has emerged as a key figure in determining whether Gaza attains a more enduring peace or slips back into war.Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s typically idiosyncratic pick as special Middle East envoy, has also found his way into the midst of talks with Russia over Ukraine’s future, sitting opposite Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, instead of the official special envoy for the region, Keith Kellogg. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. 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

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4 d. 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.

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4 d. 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

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4 d. 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

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6 d. ago Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages including 10

Hamas has returned the bodies of four hostages, including the two youngest captives seized in its 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

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6 d. ago ‘One of the hardest days’ in Israel as Hamas hands over hostages’ bodies

Remains of two young children, their mother and an elderly man arrived in Tel Aviv after a ceremony in GazaThe remains of two young children, their mother, and an elderly man taken hostage by Hamas have been returned to Israel in what onlookers described as one of the “hardest days” for Israelis since the Palestinian militant group attack that ignited the war in Gaza.A convoy carrying the bodies of Shiri Bibas, 32, her sons Ariel and Kfir, four years and nine months old respectively, and 85-year-old Oded Lifshitz, all from the Nir Oz kibbutz, arrived at a forensics centre in Tel Aviv on Thursday for DNA checks and autopsy procedures. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Middle East crisis live: remains of four hostages, including mother and two children, returned to Israel

Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas says were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as Oded Lifshitz, 83, handed overThe handover of the four bodies from Hamas to the Red Cross is now complete.The vehicles are on their way to Israel, and the crowd in Khan Younis is beginning to disperse. Continue reading...

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6 d. ago Israel's saddest day: President says 'our hearts lie in tatters' as coffins containing remains of four hostages including Shiri Bibas, her son Ariel and baby Kfir are returned from Gaza

At just nine months old, Kfir Bibas was the youngest captive taken on October 7, 2023. He was taken alongside his mother Shiri, and then-four-year-old brother Ariel.

Politics

6 d. ago Israel braces for its saddest day: Hamas terrorists stand over four coffins as they hand over the bodies of October 7 hostages Shiri Bibas and her young children Ariel and Kfir

At just nine months old, Kfir Bibas was the youngest captive taken on October 7, 2023. He was taken alongside his mother Shiri, and then-four-year-old brother Ariel.

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6 d. ago Middle East crisis live: Hamas hands bodies of four Israeli hostages, including two children, to Red Cross in Gaza

Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas says were killed in an Israeli airstrike, as well as Oded Lifshitz, 83, handed overThe handover of the four bodies from Hamas to the Red Cross is now complete.The vehicles are on their way to Israel, and the crowd in Khan Younis is beginning to disperse. Continue reading...

Events

7 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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8 d. ago Hamas says it will hand over bodies of Bibas family and free six hostages

Remains of Shiri Bibas and young sons Kfir and Ariel, whose deaths had not been confirmed, to be returned on ThursdayHamas has said it will release six hostages from Gaza this week and hand over the bodies of four others, including the remains of two young children from the same family whose deaths had not previously been confirmed.Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas negotiator, said the four bodies to be handed over on Thursday would include those of 32-year-old Shiri Bibas and her sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were nine months old and four years old when Hamas abducted them from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the 7 October 2023 attack that ignited the Gaza war. Continue reading...

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