Israel-Hamas (Gaza) War

[phkrause]

Gaza deal hangs on Trump-Bibi meeting

The future of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal hangs on the outcome of a White House meeting Tuesday between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to move forward with the first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas. Families of the hostages — and Israeli negotiators — are concerned he won't follow through to the second phase as he fights for political survival.

? The Israeli prime minister's office said Netanyahu spoke on the phone with White House envoy Steve Witkoff yesterday.

• The office said that later in the week, Witkoff will speak with the Prime Minister of Qatar and the director of Egyptian intelligence, who are mediators in the negotiations.

Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Gaza

President Donald Trump said that the US "will take over" Gaza — potentially with the help of US troops — while the Palestinians who live there should leave. His comments on Tuesday raised a host of questions and concerns about the forcible displacement of about two million Palestinians from their land. Trump added that "we'll own it," dismantle unexploded bombs and clear debris to build the "Riviera of the Middle East." Some Arab nations are pushing back on the brazen proposal and rejecting the notion of accepting additional Palestinian refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sitting alongside his US counterpart in the Oval Office, smiled at the remarks and said he believed Trump would help Israel achieve all of its war goals.

[phkrause]

Hamas to release three Israeli men Saturday in latest round of exchanges under ceasefire deal

Hamas is set to release three Israeli from Gaza on Saturday, in what will be the fifth round of exchanges under the ongoing ceasefire.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/07/middleeast/hamas-hostage-release-israel-intl/index.html?

[phkrause]

Hamas postpones next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of ceasefire deal

Hamas has postponed the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday “until further notice,” accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/10/middleeast/hamas-says-postponing-next-hostage-release-intl/index.html?

 

Hostage release

Hamas has postponed the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday "until further notice," accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal. Israel described the postponement as a "complete violation of the ceasefire" and called on the Israeli military to prepare for "any possible scenario" in Gaza. President Trump, meanwhile, urged Israel to cancel the ceasefire and "let all hell break out" unless Hamas releases all remaining hostages by noon Saturday. Trump is also set to meet with King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House today — a week after proposing a new plan to seize control of Gaza and push Jordan and Egypt to accept millions of new Palestinian refugees.

[phkrause]

Hamas’ threat to delay the next release of Israeli hostages raises fears for Gaza ceasefire Hamas’ threat to delay the next planned release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip has jolted a fragile ceasefire that’s seen as having the potential to wind down the war. The next handover of three hostages had been scheduled for Saturday, and families say time is running out for those still alive. Read more.

Why this matters: The developments have led to new fear in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have surged to what remains of their homes in the territory’s north after fleeing in the war’s earliest weeks. The uncertainty complicates talks on the far more difficult phase of the ceasefire, jeopardizes the pause in the fighting and the increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza, and raises concerns that the devastating war could resume in early March.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel’s fatal shooting of a pregnant Palestinian woman raises fears in the West Bank   WATCH: Trump warns ‘all hell is going to break out’ if Gaza hostages are not returned by Hamas   Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are targeted for alleged war crimes in Gaza

[phkrause]

?? Bibi sees big chance in Trump's Gaza gambit

President Trump's public ultimatum to Hamas this week, and his stunning Gaza takeover plan, have thrown the Israeli government into a frenzy of both excitement and confusion, Israeli officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Trump has twice now taken far more hawkish public positions on Gaza than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — himself a hardliner — at a very delicate stage of the ceasefire.

In the short term, that has complicated Netanyahu's decision-making.

• As one senior Israeli official told Axios, it's difficult for Netanyahu to go softer than Trump on issues connected to Gaza.
• "The atmosphere among the ministers was that the Israeli government can't be less Trump than Trump on this," the official told Axios after a marathon security cabinet session yesterday.

? Zoom in: But in the longer term, Netanyahu and his allies are beginning to believe Trump will help them get anything they want.

• "Bibi and the cabinet ministers are high on Trump," the senior Israeli official told Axios.

More radical members of Netanyahu's government have been particularly emboldened by Trump's rhetoric.

• "There was this feeling of intoxication in the room, like all of our Gaza problems are now solved because Trump said something," the official said.

Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Hamas says it will release hostages as planned, potentially resolving ceasefire spat with Israel

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be back on track after Hamas said it will release Israeli hostages this weekend as initially planned.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/13/middleeast/hamas-hostage-release-israel-gaza-intl/index.html?

Hamas says it will free 3 more hostages. That could resolve its ceasefire dispute with Israel

CAIRO (AP) — Hamas said Thursday it would go ahead with the release of three more Israeli hostages, paving the way toward resolving a major dispute over the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-02-13-2025-ceasefire-hostages-34526505868eb797266a0aa17f4208e7?

[phkrause]

Hegseth suggests Ukraine should abandon hope of winning all territory back from Russia U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops. Read more.

Why this matters: Hours later, President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said Zelenskyy and Trump also had a phone conversation.   Taken together, the statements by Trump and Hegseth offered the clearest look yet at how the new administration might try to end the war.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ VP Vance visits Dachau concentration camp memorial on eve of his meeting with Zelenskyy   NATO allies insist Ukraine and Europe must be in peace talks as Trump touts Putin meeting   NATO tests new deployment model without US ahead of Ukraine war anniversary

[phkrause]

Hostage release

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be back on track after Hamas said it will release Israeli hostages this weekend as initially planned. Hamas had postponed the release of more hostages, accusing Israel of violating the truce. In response, Israel warned it would return to fighting. But after talks with key mediators Egypt and Qatar, Hamas said that the releases — which will see Palestinian prisoners exchanged in return — will go ahead. So far, 16 out of 33 Israeli hostages scheduled for release in the current phase of the agreement have been freed by Hamas, and 656 Palestinian prisoners from a list of nearly 2,000 have been released by Israel.

[phkrause]

Israel and Hamas complete their latest exchange as ceasefire’s first phase has just 2 weeks left

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Saturday with just over two weeks remaining in their fragile Gaza ceasefire’s initial phase, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel to begin a Mideast tour.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-02-15-2025-22a2d731961eb766e6c7914cb84e3990?

Middle East tensions

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to "finish the job" against Iran with the support of President Trump. "Over the last 16 months, Israel has dealt a mighty blow to Iran's terror axis. Under the strong leadership of President Trump ... I have no doubt that we can and will finish the job," Netanyahu said. He spoke alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been visiting Israel on his first official trip to the region since assuming the role. US intelligence agencies recently warned both the Biden and Trump administrations that Israel will likely attempt to strike facilities key to Iran's nuclear program this year. US intelligence also cautions that such strikes could increase the risk of a wider war breaking out in the Middle East.

[phkrause]

Netanyahu signals he’s moving ahead with Trump’s idea to transfer Palestinians from Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday signaled that he was moving ahead with U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, calling it “the only viable plan to enable a different future” for the region. Read more.

Why this matters: Netanyahu discussed the plan with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who kicked off a Middle East visit by endorsing Israel’s war aims in Gaza, creating further doubt around the shaky ceasefire. Netanyahu has said all emigration from Gaza should be “voluntary,” but rights groups and other critics say that the plan amounts to coercion given the territory’s vast destruction.   For Arab leaders, facilitating the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza or battling Palestinian militants on behalf of Israel are nightmare scenarios that would potentially destabilize an already volatile region. Egypt hosts an Arab summit on Feb. 27 and is working with other countries on a counterproposal to allow for Gaza’s rebuilding without removing its population.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Woman killed as Israeli forces fire on returnees to southern Lebanon ahead of ceasefire deadline   Watchdog says Israel is advancing plans for nearly 1,000 more settler homes in West Bank   Here are some takeaways from the first month of Trump’s Mideast diplomacy

[phkrause]

Hamas says it will release bodies of four hostages, including Bibas children, on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday

Hamas on Tuesday said that it will release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest people held by the group, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/18/middleeast/hamas-israel-hostages-to-release-bibas-family-intl/index.html?

[phkrause]

Israel and Hamas agree to expedite hostage and prisoner release in Gaza deal

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian mediators to expedite the release of six living hostages as part of the first phase of the hostage and ceasefire in Gaza deal, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and a statement from Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya.

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/18/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-expedite-hostage-prisoner-release?

[phkrause]

Hamas stages macabre ceremony to release bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include Bibas children and their mother

Hamas on Thursday put on a macabre handover ceremony in central Gaza to return the bodies of four Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/middleeast/hamas-israel-hostages-release-bibas-intl-hnk/index.html?

Israel identifies remains of child hostages but says another body from Hamas was not their mother

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military said Friday it had positively identified the remains of two young hostages but another body released by Hamas under a ceasefire deal was not the boys’ mother as the militant group had promised.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-02-20-2025-4c2ffabae1771cff1a9542fddfaf7d07?

Israeli hostages

Earlier today, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first time the group has released deceased captives since October 7, 2023. They are said to include the bodies of Shiri Bibas, who was 32 when she and her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel by Hamas-led militants more than 16 months ago. The two boys have become the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks, and the first return of hostage bodies marks a hugely emotional and somber moment for Israel.

[phkrause]

Mourning two young brothers, the Bibas family of Israel awaits fate of their mother

JERUSALEM (AP) — Until the end, the Bibas family refused to lose hope that their loved ones held captive in Gaza — Shiri, a young mother, and her two red-headed boys — would return home to Israel alive.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-ceasefire-hostages-bodies-bibas-1d8718176c8d2564cf23c3e77f09ad72?

[phkrause]

Netanyahu decries release of wrong body as a ceasefire violation. Hamas pledges to investigate

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge Friday for what he described as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement after authorities determined that a body released by Hamas was not an Israeli mother of two small boys, as the militant group had promised.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-02-21-2025-e8f2f233b4c07a23f06040a808081642?

Israel delays release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees following recovery of six Israeli hostages from Gaza

Israel has delayed an expected release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for returned Israeli hostages “until further notice,” the Palestinian Prisoners Society said early Sunday.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/22/middleeast/hamas-israel-hostage-release-intl-hnk/index.html?

[phkrause]

? What's next for Gaza ceasefire deal

Tal Shoham, 40, freed by Hamas today, gestures to a supporter after arriving at a hospital in Israel. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images Six Israeli hostages were released by Hamas today as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. What's next: The 42-day ceasefire of the first phase of the Gaza deal will end next Saturday. According to the agreement, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations over the second phase of the deal are taking place. But there are no signs yet that the parties are close to an agreement. Israel demands the end of Hamas' control of Gaza and the departure of its leaders to exile. Hamas demands the end of the war, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all remaining Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. "It's hard to square that circle," White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said this week. Read on.

[phkrause]

Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners, citing ‘humiliating’ handovers of hostages

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies” at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-02-22-2025-364c7abeb679e910cb5acba234469574?

Israeli hostages

A senior Hamas official tells CNN that any future peace talks with Israel are "contingent" on the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. They were meant to be freed after Hamas handed over six Israeli hostages on Saturday, but Israel said it would not release the prisoners unless Hamas guarantees the end of "humiliating ceremonies" during hostage releases. As the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza comes to an end, Israel is also warning that it could resume intense fighting "at any moment." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has military plans ready to go if needed.

[phkrause]

Gaza ceasefire

Israel's government has agreed to release Palestinian detainees in a new exchange, indicating the fragile ceasefire remains intact for now. The agreement between Hamas and Israel will see the exchange of the final four bodies of hostages due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees that should have been freed last Saturday, according to an Israeli source. Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce with the delay, casting some uncertainty over the precarious ceasefire deal, and said talks on a second phase would not be possible until they are freed.

[phkrause]

Israeli official says the army won’t withdraw from a Gaza corridor in potential jolt to truce Israel will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip as called for by the ceasefire, an official said Thursday. Israel’s refusal could spark a crisis with Hamas and key mediator Egypt at a sensitive moment for the fragile truce. Read more.

What to know: The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli forces needed to remain in the so-called Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent weapons smuggling. Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor on Saturday, the last day of the first phase, and complete it within eight days.   The official spoke hours after Hamas released the remains of four hostages in exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned swap of the ceasefire’s first phase, which ends this weekend. Talks over the second and more difficult stage have yet to begin.   Much could hinge on a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days. There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Egypt. But in a statement earlier on Thursday, the militant group said the only way for Israel to secure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza was through negotiations and adhering to the ceasefire agreement.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Who are the hostages released by Hamas?   Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?   Pro-Palestinian protesters force their way into Barnard College building, injuring an employee

[phkrause]

Israel's army admits failures on Oct. 7. Its probe of the attack could put pressure on Netanyahu

An investigation by the Israeli military has determined that Hamas was able to carry out the deadliest attack in Israeli history on Oct. 7, 2023, because the much more powerful Israeli army misjudged the militant group’s intentions and underestimated its capabilities. Read More.

[phkrause]

Gaza ceasefire

The US is now negotiating directly with Hamas militants about the hostages and ceasefire in Gaza. This marks an abrupt change in US policy, which for decades has refused to engage with groups it considers terrorists. The US declared Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997. President Trump on Wednesday also issued what he said was a "last warning" to Hamas to release all of the hostages in Gaza immediately. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would send Israel "everything it needs to finish the job," and warned that "not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say."

[phkrause]

? New hostage and ceasefire talks

People walk among destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza yesterday. Photo: Ramez Habboub/GocherImagery/Future Publishing via Getty Images White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Doha on Tuesday evening in an effort to broker a new hostage-release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. The talks would be the first since President Trump took office, and since the original agreement between Israel and Hamas that led to a 42-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 33 hostages. What to watch: The Trump administration is pushing for a deal that would lead to the release of all remaining hostages, extend the ceasefire until after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover and possibly lead to a long-term truce that would end the war. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages in Gaza. Among them are five Americans, including 21-year-old Edan Alexander who is believed to be alive.

[phkrause]

Israel cuts off electricity supply to Gaza, affecting a desalination plant producing drinking water Israel cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, officials said Sunday, affecting a desalination plant producing drinking water for part of the arid territory. Hamas called it part of Israel’s “starvation policy.” Read more.

Key points: Israel last week suspended supplies of goods to the territory of more than 2 million Palestinians. Israel is pressing the militant group to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.   Hamas instead wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.   Israel has faced sharp criticism over suspending supplies. “Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment,” the U.N. human rights office said Friday.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says   Israel will send a delegation to Qatar to try to ‘advance’ ceasefire negotiations   Syria’s worst violence in months reopens wounds of the civil war

[phkrause]

Israel resumes war in Gaza

Palestinians Ali Marouf and his mother, Aisha, cook on fire on the roof of their destroyed house in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, yesterday. Photo: Jehad Alshrafi/AP Israel resumed the war in Gaza with a series of massive airstrikes against what it described as Hamas targets all across the enclave overnight, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The strikes come exactly two months after the signing of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal that the Biden administration brokered with the help of the incoming Trump administration. Last week, the Trump administration tried to extend the ceasefire and presented a proposal to the parties. But the talks in Doha ended without a breakthrough. The airstrikes began around 2 a.m. local time. The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet domestic security agency said in a joint statement that they started attacking numerous Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Two Israeli officials told Axios that Israel notified the Trump administration in advance of the airstrikes and briefed it on the objectives. Keep reading.   Israel-Gaza Gaza’s fragile ceasefire shattered early Tuesday as Israel carried out what it described as “extensive strikes” on Hamas targets, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to use “increasing military strength” against the militant group and Defense Minister Israel Katz declaring: “Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza.” Hamas accused Israel of overturning the nearly two-month-long ceasefire agreement and “putting the captives in Gaza at risk of an unknown fate.” Israel accused Hamas of “repeatedly” refusing to release hostages and rejecting mediation offers. Israel’s attack killed over 320 people and wounded hundreds more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. A doctor told CNN the scenes at one hospital were “nothing close to anything I’ve experienced before” and that the majority of cases she had seen were children. Israel consulted the Trump administration before the Gaza strikes.