At start of hostage-ceasefire process, prime minister offers assertions that seem to contradict some terms of the agreement, and could pose a major roadblock to the next round of talks The post As ceasefire begins,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Israel's negotiating team had finalized a deal on the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that Israel might not withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon by a deadline set in its ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The Israeli cabinet will meet to give approval to a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
The ceasefire as agreed to in Qatar is set to last 42 days. Over that period, 33 hostages are expected to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, there will be a slow withdrawal of the Israeli military from urban centers in Gaza and a surge of humanitarian aid.
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump at the White House next week, the US and Israel have confirmed. The Israeli Prime Minister and US President will meet on February 4 amid a fragile six-week ceasefire that has brought a temporary pause to 15 months of fighting between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas released seven hostages, including two Israelis and five Thais, amid a ceasefire with Israel. The handover in Khan Yunis led to chaos as crowds gathered, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to condemn the scenes and demand hostages' safety.
Trump made comments about what’s next for Palestinians in Gaza, saying, “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing.”
As part of the swap, Palestinian militants in Gaza freed five Thai and three Israeli hostages, handing them over to the Red Cross amid chaotic crowds.
Three more Israeli hostages — two females and an 80-year-old man — were released in Gaza Thursday as the third hostages-for-prisoners swap agreed to by Israel and Hamas got underway, but the chaotic nature of the handover of two of the Israelis angered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the extent that he delayed his country's part of the exchange until later in the day.