Ceasefire holds as Israel and Hamas look set for further discussions to ‘build on progress’
Previously during the truce, Hamas fighters released 50 Israeli women and children, some of them toddlers, from among the 240 hostages they captured in southern Israel during a deadly rampage on October 7. In return, Israel released 150 security detainees from its jails, all women and teenagers.
More hostages set for release as Israel, Hamas extend ceasefire for two more days
Monday’s releases bring to 50 the number of Israelis freed under the truce, along with 19 hostages of other nationalities. So far, 117 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons.
Arab states, EU agree on two-state solution to Israel crisis during Mediterranean nations conference
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said any talk of administration of Gaza after the conflict should focus on the West Bank and Gaza as one entity and that the Palestinian people should decide who rules them.
Irregular meals, benches as beds: As freed hostages return to Israel, details of captivity emerge
The fullest image yet of life under Hamas captivity was conjured by 85-year-old Yocheved Lipschitz, a hostage who was freed before the current cease-fire. Upon her release, Lipschitz said she had been held in tunnels which stretched under Gaza “like a spider web.” She said her captors “told us they are people who believe in the Quran and wouldn’t hurt us.”
Qatari mediator says there’s slim chance Israel, Hamas will pause war further to free more hostages
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, the final day of an agreed four-day pause in the fighting, an official briefed on the matter said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed...
German police raid Hamas supporters’ properties in Berlin as clamp down on lawlessness picks up
In Berlin alone, more than 300 police officers carried out searches at 11 locations in order to seize evidence and assets. Seven searches were related to Hamas and four to Samidoun. The searches mainly took place at the homes of supporters and the premises of a Palestinian association, German news agency DPA reported.
Americans mark Thanksgiving against backdrop of rising antisemitism touched off by Gaza war
Thanksgiving Day as an official holiday dates to 1863, in the middle of the American Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a day to give thanks and seek healing.
White House, Qatari officials share details of how Israel-Hamas hostage deal was reached
The US continuously pushed Hamas, with Qatar and Egypt acting as critical intermediaries. All the while, President Joe Biden and other senior US officials assured distraught family members of hostages through emotional Zooms and in-person meetings that they were doing everything they could to secure their loved ones’ release.
Israel, Hamas to free hostages in instalments, pause fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza
Hamas said the 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children who are held in Israeli jails. The truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid to enter Gaza, the Palestinian group said in a statement.
Hamas hopeful of agreement with Israel is near, US cautions ‘sensitive negotiations can fall apart at last minute’
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he hoped for an agreement “in the coming days” while Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that the remaining sticking points were “very minor.”