Bodies of hostages paraded through Gaza before they were handed over to Israel

Important Takeaways:

  • The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday that the parading of the bodies of hostages through Gaza before they were handed over to Israel is abhorrent.
  • “The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”
  • In the statement, UN rights chief Volker Turk added that “under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
  • Hamas said that it returned on Thursday the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young redheaded boys, Kfir and Ariel, as well as that of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped at age 83.
  • Lifshitz’s family said Thursday that they received confirmation from Israeli authorities that his remains were returned. Israel has said it is still testing the other three bodies before providing the Bibas family with confirmation.
  • Before they were handed to the Red Cross, the coffins were placed on a stage, with armed Hamas gunmen wearing black and camouflage uniforms surrounding the area, and cruel psychological propaganda adorning the stage, including plaques on the coffins declaring the dates of their “arrest” and slogans blaming Israel for their deaths.
  • Since the start of the latest ceasefire last month, Hamas has freed 24 hostages in handovers featuring large public ceremonies and terrorist propaganda, forcing the hostages to wave and praise their captors before being freed.
  • 66 of the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.

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Netanyahu appoints adviser with Trump ties to lead negotiations for the second stage of ceasefire

Tent with photos Hostage Square

Important Takeaways:

  • The U.S.-born Ron Dermer is a Cabinet minister who’s widely seen as Netanyahu’s closest adviser.
  • He previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and is a former Republican activist with strong ties to the Trump White House.
  • Dermer currently serves as Israel’s strategic affairs minister, where he has been a key player in relations with the U.S. as well as Gulf Arab countries.
  • Talks have not yet started on the second stage, which is meant to include an end to the war, return of all hostages and Israeli pullout from Gaza.
  • Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove the Palestinian population from Gaza and take over the territory.
  • In a phone call with U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz on Wednesday, Lebanon’s president insisted that Israeli forces withdraw from five strategic hilltops inside Lebanon.
  • Israel is keeping its forces on Lebanese soil even after a deadline spelled out in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.

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Negotiations over second stage of ceasefire include administration of post-war Gaza and release of remaining 64 hostages

Important Takeaways:

  • The initial phase of the ceasefire deal, which includes a 42-day truce and the return of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, has remained on track despite a series of setbacks and accusations of violations that had threatened to derail it.
  • But negotiations over the second stage, aimed at securing the release of the remaining 64 hostages, are expected to be tough, because they include issues like the administration of post-war Gaza, where there are large gaps between the sides.
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said “We will not accept the continued presence of Hamas or any other terrorist organization in Gaza”
  • But he added that if the negotiations are constructive, Israel will remain engaged and may prolong the ceasefire.
  • “If we will see there is a constructive dialogue with a possible horizon of getting to an agreement (then) we will make this time-frame work longer,” Saar said.
  • So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been returned in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. If the six living hostages and four bodies are returned this week, as announced, four more would remain. Based on information from Hamas, all four are thought to be dead.
  • Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday he will set up a new unit in his ministry dedicated to facilitating the exit of Gaza residents who want to move to a third country, after reviewing an initial plan for it.

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Bibas children among four bodies to be released by Hamas on Thursday

Bibas Children Hostages

Important Takeaways:

  • 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.
  • The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached during negotiations in Cairo for “four slain hostages” to be handed over on Thursday and “six living hostages” to be released on Saturday.
  • It added that “four additional slain hostages are expected to be handed over to Israel next week.”
  • It is clearest indication that the Bibas children – who were just nine months and four years old, respectively, when they were kidnapped in October 2023 – are indeed dead.
  • Israel has not yet confirmed their deaths and has not yet commented on Hamas’ announcement.
  • Hamas’ announcement came on the day Israel said it would begin talks on the second phase of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement.
  • Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said negotiations could begin “this week” following discussions with “our American friends”.
  • He committed to aiming to reach an agreement by the 42nd day of the truce, as stipulated in the original deal, and said the possibility of a longer-term agreement was an “option”.

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Marking 500 days of War: ‘Hamas must be eliminated’ Marco Rubio says; Iran’s regime, the ayatollahs, are behind everything that threatens peace; No nukes for you

Important Takeaways:

  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Their meeting follows a heart-wrenching Saturday when the Hamas terror group released three more hostages to their families. Monday also marks 500 days since the October 7th, 2023, attacks
  • After their meeting, Rubio and Netanyahu agreed that Hamas must be destroyed.
  • “Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force,” Rubio stated. “And frankly, as long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force that can administer, or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible. They must be eliminated. It must be eradicated.”
  • Netanyahu once again backed President Donald Trump’s plan to help all Gazans leave their war-torn, devastated region while others rebuild it under U.S. control. He believes many Palestinians want to leave but Hamas won’t let them.
  • “Everybody says this is the largest open-air prison in the world. Not because of us,” Netanyahu declared. “We tried to get the population to leave – to get them out of harm’s way. And Hamas – with rifles, with gunfire – try to prevent them from leaving.”
  • Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff recently visited Gaza and saw why people can’t reasonably live in much of it now.
  • “It’s completely devastated,” Witkoff observed. “And that begs the question: should people be allowed in there in those dangerous conditions? Thank God we’ve had no incidents. But, there’s 30,000 unexploded shells throughout Gaza, and the buildings are all down. It’s utter destruction.”
  • Netanyahu also indicated this weekend he and the Trump administration see eye-to-eye on the threat from Iran.
  • “Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran,” he claimed. “We agree that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons.”
  • “Them getting a bomb is devastating to the region,” Witkoff said. “It’ll force every other country in that region to get a bomb, too. We’ll have a nuclear arms race, and that simply can’t happen.”
  • Rubio concurred, saying, “Behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home is Iran. And by Iran, I mean the ayatollahs. By Iran, I mean its regime, a regime who, by the way, its people don’t support. The people of Iran are victims of that regime.”

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Israel celebrates release of hostages as Hamas vows to repeat Oct 7th

Important Takeaways:

  • Israel is celebrating the release of eight hostages and preparing to welcome three more on Saturday. However, the joy is tempered by the reality that terrorists are being freed from Israeli prisons, and there is still no clear plan for Gaza’s future.
  • Israeli officials say the three hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday are Ofer Calderon, American-Israeli Keith Siegel, and Yarden Bibas. Bibas is the father of 2-year-old Kfir and 5-year-old Ariel, who remain in captivity in Gaza along with their mother, Shiri.
  • The eight hostages released on Thursday returned to a hero’s welcome from family, friends, and the entire nation.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exclaimed, “Arbel, Agam, Gadi, Welcome Home! The entire State of Israel embraces you, as do my wife, Sarah, and I.”
  • 80-year-old Gadi Moses, who endured captivity for 482 days, returned to Israel smiling as he reunited with his children. He had been abducted from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where his partner was killed and many of his family members were also taken hostage. All of them were freed a year ago in a previous deal — except him.
  • Arbel Yehud reportedly spent her entire 482 days in isolation. Her chaotic exit from Gaza saw her surrounded by angry mobs of Gazans yelling and pushing as she made her way to safety.
  • Her ordeal was so disturbing that Netanyahu temporarily suspended the release of Palestinian prisoners until he received assurances from mediators that such incidents would not happen again.
  • The five Thai hostages, who have no family in Israel, were greeted at the hospital by Thailand’s ambassador. They appear to be in good health. “Thank you, thank you so much. I’m sure that they will feel at home here,” Thai Ambassador Pannabha Chandraramya told the Israeli crowd gathered to greet the hostages.
  • Palestinian Prisoners Released; Terrorists Celebrated
    • Among the 110 Palestinian prisoners released on Thursday in exchange for the hostages was Zakaria Zubeidi, a notorious West Bank terrorist leader responsible for numerous deadly attacks. He received a hero’s welcome in Ramallah, where he thanked Allah for his freedom.
    • Despite suffering over a year of devastating losses, Hamas continues to project an image of victory. A senior Hamas official recently stated, “The Palestinian people were not defeated. The enemy did not achieve its goals.”
    • In an interview with Iranian television, Mohammed al-Najjar, head of Hamas’ youth department, boasted, “October 7 will be repeated with attacks from the West Bank, Lebanon, Egypt — from the east and from all directions. We have achieved a great victory against an enemy that claimed to be invincible.”
    • Hamas official Taher Nounou insists that Hamas will continue to govern Gaza…
    • Negotiators will begin discussing the next phase on Monday, aiming for the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

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Meaningless: Deal failed to permanently end conflict with Hamas, allowing them to maintain control and power

Terrorist V for Victory

Important Takeaways:

  • Although the agreement may put an end to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, it does not, in any way, reflect a shift in the radical and dangerous ideology of the Islamist group, as outlined in its 1988 Covenant. The document quotes Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood organization (of which Hamas is an offshoot), as saying: “Israel will arise and continue to exist until Islam abolishes it, as it abolished what went before.”
  • The main points of the Hamas Covenant state:
    • The Palestinian issue is a religious-political Muslim problem, and the conflict with Israel is between Muslims and the Jewish “infidels.”
    • All Palestine is Muslim land and no one has the right to give it up.
    • An uncompromising Jihad must be waged against Israel, and any agreement recognizing its right to exist must be totally opposed.
  • The ceasefire-hostage deal does not require Hamas to disarm or cede control over the Gaza Strip…. The terrorist group seems to be convinced that the deal will enable it to keep control of the Gaza Strip and prepare for more massacres of Jews.
  • Shortly after the ceasefire-hostage deal was announced on January 15, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya made it clear that his group intends to pursue its Jihad against Israel.
  • The new US administration, to avoid more violence and bloodshed, must insist that Hamas be removed from power.
  • This can only be accomplished by applying pressure and sanctions on Hamas’s Qatari and Iranian sponsors.

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Israel, Hamas ceasefire-hostage deal involves 3 phases

3 Phase Ceasefire Deal CBN News screenshot

Important Takeaways:

  • Mediators reported Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, pausing the 15-month war against the terrorist rulers of the Gaza Strip.
  • Once the Netanyahu government approves the deal, 33 of the nearly 100 remaining hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones over the next six weeks. The hostages have been held in brutal conditions since October of 2023 with no access to medical inspection and no contact with the outside world. It’s unclear how many of them are still alive.
  • The deal is being rolled out in three phases.
  • The first phase is six weeks long:
    • It allows 33 hostages to be returned to their families — although it’s unclear how many are still alive.
    • The IDF would also pull back from population centers to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and receive an influx of aid.
  • Phase two is considered the most difficult. It includes the release of all remaining hostages and the IDF’s withdrawal from Gaza.
  • The third phase calls for the start of major reconstruction inside the Gaza Strip.
  • President Issac Herzog addressed the nation late Wednesday.
  • “As the President of the State of Israel, I say in the clearest terms: This is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us—whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest,” he said.
  • Herzog continued, “Let there be no illusions. This deal—when signed, approved, and implemented—will bring with it deeply painful, challenging, and harrowing moments. It will also present significant challenges. This is not a simple situation; it is among the greatest challenges we have ever known.”
  • “Today, as the President of the State of Israel, I pledge: We will continue to act with all our might until every stage of the deal is realized and the last captive returns. We will not rest or relent until all our sons and daughters are back home,” he added.
  • Retired Israeli General Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of the Defense and Security Forum… believes it’s possible the deal could break down before all the hostages return.
  • “But if this happens and we don’t get all the hostages, the pressure on Hamas needs to be huge,” he cautioned. “Stopping humanitarian aid, attacking, firstly, eliminating all the leaders of Hamas outside of Gaza, deporting them from Qatar.”

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Israel-Hamas agree to Ceasefire and Release of Hostages

Israel Hamas Ceasefire FOX NEWS SCREENSHOT

Important Takeaways:

  • Agreement says 33 hostages are expected to be released over 42 days
  • Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire deal that also ensures the release of hostages, Fox News has confirmed.
  • “A Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was reached following the Qatari Prime Minister’s meeting with Hamas negotiators, and separately Israeli negotiators in his office,” a source briefed on the matter told Fox News
  • The conflict, which began with Hamas’ brutal attacks on October 7, 2023, has left over 1,200 Israelis dead, more than 250 taken hostage, and thousands of others killed on both sides.
  • President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened last week if a deal wasn’t struck before his Inauguration Day that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East, quickly offered his praise.
  • The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators and facilitated by Egyptian intermediaries, also saw significant involvement from the United States. Both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration applied strategic pressure to finalize the agreement, despite concerns about Hamas re-arming and internal tensions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
  • The agreement calls for the release of three hostages on the first day, followed by weekly batches. Women, children, and men over 50 will be prioritized initially, with younger men in humanitarian cases included later. Updates on hostages’ statuses will alternate between announcements of survivors and confirmation of those who did not survive captivity.
  • Approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in exchange, with murder convicts barred from returning to the West Bank. Instead, they will be sent to Gaza, Qatar, or Turkey.
  • The cease-fire will also facilitate significant humanitarian aid to Gaza, with up to 600 trucks of supplies entering daily. By the 22nd day, displaced residents will be allowed to return to northern Gaza. Qatari and Egyptian teams will manage vehicle inspections, while pedestrian crossings will not require checks. The IDF will withdraw from the Nitzarim corridor but maintain a limited presence along the Philadelphi Route.

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Hamas makes demands and then refuses to agree to proposal when they’re met

Site-of-Israeli-strike

Important Takeaways:

  • US officials believe hostage-ceasefire deal unlikely by end of Biden’s term
  • Multiple senior US officials have reportedly acknowledged that a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is unlikely before the end of US President Joe Biden’s term in office in January, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
  • The US officials told the outlet that one of the biggest obstacles to a deal has been the ratio of Palestinian security prisoners Israel must release in exchange for each hostage.
  • The US has said publicly that Hamas has raised the number of prisoners it originally asked for, even after executing six hostages earlier this month.
  • More broadly, WSJ reported that Hamas has made demands and then refuses to agree to a deal after Israel accepted them.
  • “There’s no chance now of it happening,” an official from an Arab country told the newspaper. “Everyone is in a wait-and-see mode until after the [US] election. The outcome will determine what can happen in the next administration.”

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