Gaza ceasefire to begin Sunday morning after Israeli gov't votes in approval
98 Gaza hostages set for gradual return home after 15 months in Hamas captivity • Biden confirms US citizens to be released in first phase
Government approves the hostage deal after seven hours of deliberation
Netanyahu told the cabinet that President-elect Trump had given his full backing for Israel to restart the war should Hamas violate the agreement and would unfreeze arms shipments.
The Israeli government approved the hostage deal at 1 a.m. on Saturday after over seven hours of debate, Walla reported.
Twenty-four ministers voted in favor, and eight ministers voted against.
Go to the full article >>Explainer | Who is Hisham al-Sayed, the Bedouin Israeli held by Hamas since 2015?
Hisham al-Sayed, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, crossed into the West Bank, Jordan and Gaza multiple times before Hamas abducted him in 2015.
Hisham al-Sayed was 27 when he wandered into southern Gaza and was promptly abducted by Hamas. Now, at age 36, the Bedouin-Israeli may be returning to his hometown al-Hura as part of the first phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and his terrorist captors.
Go to the full article >>Foreign hostages expected to be released in first phase of deal
CNN reported that 10 foreign hostages could be released with the announced 33 hostages.
Foreign hostages in Gaza are expected to be released in addition to the announced list of 33 hostages, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
According to CNN, the Prime Minister's Office has previously confirmed that of the hostages in Gaza, eight are from Thailand, one is from Nepal, and one is from Tanzania. Three of them are believed to be dead.
Haaretz reported on Wednesday that the foreign hostages would not be released in the first phase of the deal but that the government expected Hamas to release them as a gesture of goodwill to their respective countries.
Gov't meeting to approve hostage deal begins
The Israeli government began the meeting to approve a hostage deal Friday evening.
Go to the full article >>Who is Avera Mengistu, the Hamas hostage set to be released after 11 years in captivity?
Avera Mengistu, a young Israeli of Ethiopian descent, mistakenly crossed into Gaza in 2014. Now 11 years after his abduction, his status has raised alarms for members of his community.
Among the 33 names of captives set to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas is Avera Mengistu. Unlike the majority of those listed, Mengistu was not abducted on October 7, 2023, but has spent 11 years in Hamas captivity.
Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, was said to have been suffering from mental illness when he voluntarily entered the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014.
Go to the full article >>Who are the Bibas family set to be released in first phase of new hostage deal?
The young family, Yarden Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. The youngest member, Kfir, has spent most of his life as a hostage.
Yarden Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas were among the 33 names listed to be released from Hamas captivity under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, which was confirmed to have been signed Friday.
The young family, abducted by invading terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz, has garnered wide coverage as sons Kfir and Ariel were the youngest civilians abducted by the Gaza-based terror group.
Go to the full article >>Justice Ministry releases names of Palestinian prisoners to be released in deal
The list of names on the ministry's website shows that a vast majority of those arrested were after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli Justice Ministry released a page on its website on Friday that listed 95 Palestinian prisoners that would be released in a hostage release deal with Hamas.
According to the deal's outline, their release will not take place before Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder, according to a Ynet report.
Go to the full article >>Israeli security cabinet votes to approve hostage deal ahead of gov’t vote
Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir voted against the deal.
The Israeli security cabinet voted Friday afternoon to recommend the government approve the outline for the hostage deal after "understanding that the proposed deal helps achieve some of the war's goals," the Prime Minister's office announced.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against the deal. Likud MK Dudi Amsalem also expressed his opposition.
Go to the full article >>Gov't set to meet at 3:30 p.m. to approve hostage deal
The government is set to convene at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to approve the hostage deal.
On Friday morning, the Security Cabinet meeting to approve the hostage deal began in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was cited by Israeli media as saying during the meeting that Israel had received guarantees from the US that were negotiations regarding the second phase of the deal to fail, Israel would be able to return to fight in the Gaza Strip.
Prior to the meeting, Netanyahu conducted a situational assessment with the Israeli negotiating team, which had returned from Doha, where the deal was signed in the early hours of Friday.
Cabinet meeting to approve hostage deal begins
The Security Cabinet meeting to approve the hostage deal began in Jerusalem on Friday morning.
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Details of the Gaza hostage deal
- 33 hostages to be released in the first phase
- IDF preparing to withdraw from areas of Gaza ahead of ceasefire
- Biden says American hostages to be released in first phase