Last Update

Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal officially signed by negotiators in Doha

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and end the war in Gaza, which has raged for more than a year.

30Posts

incoming update…

Coverage for this event has ended.

Breaking News
Pinned

Ceasefire plan on track, first hostages to be released

Cabinet discussion have begun at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem.

Senior Israeli legal officials have stated that pending the approval of the cabinet and the government, and following the implementation of the agreement, the release of the hostages will take place in according to the planned outline.

This will mean that the hostages are expected to be released starting Sunday leaving a shorter window for petitions.

According to the plan the Israeli government decided the IDF will remain inside the Gaza Strip until the last hostage is freed.

In parallel, forces will begin to withdraw during the cease-fire days until they reach the perimeter area a security zone surrounding the communities on the Gaza border.

This plan dictates a new defense approach, which is now being finalized under the Southern Command.

Posted by Christina Shaw

Cabinet discussions underway in Israel

Cabinet discussions are underway at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem after a cease-fire and hostage release deal officially was signed by Israel, Hamas, U.S. and Qatari officials.

Click here to follow the latest updates.

Posted by Greg Norman

Cease-fire and hostage deal signed by both parties

A cease-fire and hostage deal has officially been signed by Israel, Hamas, U.S. and Qatari officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed of the agreement and has instructed a meeting with his political-security cabinet, which would be followed by a government meeting to approve the plan, his office said in a statement translated from Hebrew to English.

"The families of the hostages were informed a short while ago of the agreements by the Directorate for Hostages, Missing Persons, and Returnees in the Prime Minister’s Office," the statement said. "Additionally, the Prime Minister instructed the Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons to coordinate preparations for the reception of the hostages upon their return to Israel."

Netanyahu has directed that the Security Cabinet be convened later Friday.

Originally, the Israeli government was set to vote on the measure on Saturday, which would delay the release of the first three hostages until Monday.

Government officials cited last-minute issues with Hamas for the delay.

Efrat Lachter contributed to this post.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Netanyahu speaks with Biden, Trump to thank them for involvement in cease-fire, hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Biden and President-elect Trump during a pair of Thursday phone calls to discuss the cease-fire and hostage deal, his office said.

Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader thanked Trump for his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages and for “helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families.”

“The Prime Minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism,” his office said.

The pair decided to meet in Washington D.C. soon to discuss other important issues.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu then spoke with US President Joe Biden and thanked him as well for his assistance in advancing the hostages deal,” Netanyahu's office said.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Trump says ceasefire better be finalized before his inauguration

President-elect Trump said a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas had better finalized before he is sworn into office on Monday.

During a podcast interview with Dan Bongino, the incoming commander-in-chief also said his involvement in the negotiations was crucial to the deal getting done.

“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he said. “I’m not looking for credit. I want to get these people out. We’ve got to get them out.”

Trump also said “we shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done," The Associated Press reported.

The deal is expected to begin on Sunday, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said issues with Hamas has held up his government’s approval of the truce. 

Posted by Louis Casiano

Hamas uses bodies as 'negotiation chips,' says father of American hostage in Gaza

The parents of an American-Israeli hostage who was killed by Hamas terrorists called a cease-fire and hostage deal “bittersweet" but thanked officials for working to free the remaining captives being held in Gaza.

Ronan and Orna Neutra said the body of their son, Omer Neutra, has been held by Hamas since he was captured on Oct. 7, 2023.

“It's a tough moment. On the one hand, we're happy and excited for the families that will hopefully get to see their loved ones after such a long time,” Orna Neutra told Sandra Smith on “Your World.” “We're really hopeful that this new administration will be able to bring the deal to fruition and will have all the gravitas to put on the different parties in the region to follow through on it. We trust President Trump that, you know, this is important to him and that he will make sure that this happens.”

Ronan Neutra said Hamas has used the bodies of dead hostages as “negotiation chips" to gain favorable conditions from Israel.

“And we are just appalled from the whole situation and obviously are praising the incoming Trump administration for joining all the efforts that were done by the Biden administration, leading to this moment where the deal was finally announced yesterday,” he said. “But it's a very bittersweet deal because it's fragile.”

Orna Neutra was the head of a small post close to Gaza and was killed after responding with team members to the attack on Israeli communities by Hamas, his father said.

“They took him alive and he died in Gaza,” he said. 

Posted by Louis Casiano

Israeli ambassador confident cease-fire deal to be approved, implemented by ‘beginning of the week'

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said he was confident the cease-fire and hostage deal would be approved and start to be implemented by the beginning of the week.

“We are committed to bringing back all the hostages,” Danny Danon told “Your World” on Thursday. “Hopefully in the next week we will start to see a few hostages coming back home.”

Danon said he was optimistic the deal would be finalized despite attempts by Hamas to gain more concessions.

“Unfortunately, you know, in the last minute, Hamas tried to blackmail and to get more results for the other side to change some of the names," he said. "And we are not willing to do it. I believe we will be able to overcome those difficulties."

“Hopefully beginning of the week it will start to be implemented,” Danon added.

He noted that Israeli representatives, as well as intelligence officials, were in Doha, Qatar negotiating the final points of the deal, which is expected to be voted on in Israel in the coming days.

“That will be the first stage. And during the first stage, we will be able to negotiate the future,” Danon said. “But if you ask me about the vision, first, we bring them home, all of the hostages, and then we will not allow Hamas to control Gaza because we know if Hamas will stay there, it will be dangerous for Israel and there will be no future for the Palestinians in Gaza.”

Posted by Louis Casiano

Progressive foreign policy experts credit Trump in striking Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal

Progressive leaders in the foreign policy sphere are admitting that President-elect Donald Trump’s influence led to the cease-fire deal between Israel and terror group Hamas being struck this week. 

Politico reported Thursday that these experts have recognized Trump’s role in getting the deal done, with some noting that President Biden didn’t have the stomach to do what should have been done months ago.

Center for International Policy executive vice president Matt Duss told the outlet that Trump "made clear he wanted this war to end and pressed Netanyahu on it in a way that Biden clearly wasn’t willing to do."

IDF Reserve Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told Fox News that the incoming president was one of the major reasons this deal was agreed upon, even though it had been on the table since May.

"Once President Trump threatened them, that if they don't release hostages, there will be hell… I think they understand that if they don't get a deal now, the chances of getting a good deal for them will be very, very low, if at all," Avivi said on FNC’s "Your World."

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby recognized Trump's incoming Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the deal.

Trump last week warned Hamas that if all hostages weren’t released by the time he returns to office, "All hell will break out."

Duss – who was once a foreign policy aide for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.– told Politico how Trump’s involvement affected the deal. 

"Trump has made clear what he wants, he has his own priorities, and I think it was clearly the unconditional support that Biden gave that provided cover for Netanyahu to continue to prosecute this war, and also that there would be no costs for ignoring either private or public criticisms from the United States," he said.

This is an excerpt from an article by Gabriel Hays.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Netanyahu's Likud party criticizes Ben-Gvir over threats to leave coalition government

Israel's ruling Likud party criticized National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he said his party would leave the coalition government if it approves the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.

“Whoever dissolves the right-wing government will be remembered forever,” a Likud statement said.

The statement also denied claims by Ben-Gvir that the deal constitutes an end to Israel's war against Hamas.

“Contrary to Ben Gvir’s comments, the existing deal allows Israel to return to fighting under American guarantees, receive the weapons and means of warfare it needs, maximize the number of living hostages that will be released, maintain full control of the Philadelphi Route [on the Egyptian border] and the security buffer that surrounds the entire Gaza Strip, and achieve dramatic security achievements that will ensure Israel’s security for generations.”

Ben-Gvir said the cease-fire and hostage deal is a capitulation to Hamas, which started the ongoing conflict with its attack on Israel on Oct.7, 2023. 

Posted by Louis Casiano

Hostage deal leaves woman conflicted as one son to be freed, the other left behind: report

News of a cease-fire and hostage deal has left a mother conflicted as one of her sons is expected to be freed, but a second will be left behind in captivity.

"It is not easy for a mother to hear this," Ruth Strum told Reuters, wearing a red t-shirt emblazoned with photos of her two burly sons and the plea: "Bring Iair and Eitan home".

Eitan Horn, 38, was staying with his brother Iair Horn, 46, at his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Both men were taken and dragged into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Some 98 hostages remain in captivity, but under the terms of Wednesday's ceasefire, only 33 will be released over the next six weeks, which includes women and children, men over 50 and sick or wounded people.

The freeing of Iair suggests he may not be well, although there has been no word about his health, Reuters reported. The handover of the remaining 65 hostages, some of whom are believed to be dead, will be negotiated separately.

Strum said she talks to her sons aloud all time, as though they were still with her.

"I ask them to wait just a little longer, it will happen and you will be back with us. I ask for their forgiveness, for all the time that has passed in which they are not back here.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Trump touts report that his envoy swayed Netanyahu more in one meeting than Biden did all year

President-elect Trump on Thursday touted a newspaper report saying he did more to sway Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in one meeting than President Biden did all year in efforts to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas.

The Times of Israel report said that a meeting between Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in negotiations.

Witkoff has been in Doha, Qatar for the past week to take part in the hostage negotiations, as officials try to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal before Trump’s inauguration next week.

While meeting with Netanyahu, Witkoff urged the premier to accept some key compromises necessary for an agreement, the two Arab officials on Monday told The Times of Israel.

Trump has criticized Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, saying he failed to do enough to secure a deal sooner.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Israeli cabinet set to delay vote on cease-fire, hostage deal: report

Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet are set to delay a vote on the cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas until Saturday, according to reports.

The delayed vote could mean the implementation of the deal may not happen before Monday. A Channel 12 report cited by the Times of Israel said that the cabinet ministers will meet Friday to discuss the deal.

The meeting is expected to continue into Saturday. After the vote, a list of Palestinian security prisoners to be freed will be published, and opponents will have 48 hours to petition against these releases to the Supreme Court.

The report states that Netanyahu's office has decided that if the original timetable were to be maintained, and a vote to be taken on Friday, it would mean opponents of the prisoner releases would have almost no time to lodge appeals.

The Channel 12 report said that judicial sources made clear that the formal 48-hour period for petitions can be shortened, but that Netanyahu's office was not persuaded.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Israel's Itamar Ben-Gvir threatens withdrawal of party if cease-fire, hostage deal moves forward

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his ultra-nationalist party "Otzma Yehudit" would withdraw from a government coalition if the hostage and cease-fire deal were ratified.

On Tuesday, Ben-Gvir threatened to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government over the deal, which he described as a capitulation to Hamas.

He said that if the fighting in Gaza were to resume, he would come back to the government.

The threat puts more pressure on Netanyahu, as Ben-Gvir’s party has 7 votes out of the current 68 Knesset members. It would bring him to 61 – the minimum majority.

It would also make other ministers vote against the agreement.

Opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid both said they will help Netanyahu if the deal goes through.

“I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal,” Lapid wrote on X. “This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had.”

Posted by Louis Casiano

Harris speaks with Israeli President Herzog, welcomes cease-fire deal, White House says

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday to discuss the cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

During the conversation, Harris expressed confidence that the deal will be implemented on schedule, the White House said.

“The Vice President welcomed that the deal would return hostages to their families, bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza through a surge in humanitarian aid, and form the basis for a lasting end to the war and security for Israel,” a White House statement said.

Harris expressed her belief that the deal will lay the foundation for a more peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians.

On Thursday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said that he was "confident" that the cease-fire and hostage exchange deal can still be "implemented" on Sunday.

Posted by Louis Casiano

Israeli cabinet to meet tomorrow to finalize deal: report

Israeli media is reporting that the country's cabinet will meet tomorrow to ratify the agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

"Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly insists on finalizing all the details of the agreement before he brings it to the approval of the cabinet and the government,” an Israeli political source told Fox News. 

“This is how he firmly opposed Hamas's demand to change the deployment of our forces along the Philadelphi axis and this is how he firmly stands against other demands of Hamas today, which deviate from the understandings reached during the negotiations,” the source continued. “It seems that this insistence is bearing fruit, but until things are fully concluded, Prime Minister Netanyahu will not convene the cabinet and the government." 

Confusion over whether a deal had been successfully reached – as both the U.S. and Qatar had confirmed on Wednesday – erupted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed Hamas was "creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement." 

Fox News’ Yonat Friling and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

Posted by Greg Norman

Security escorts journalists berating Blinken out of press conference: report

Security escorted two reporters out of the room Thursday who began berating Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his final press conference, according to C-SPAN.

"I have even greater respect, even greater appreciation, for you asking the tough questions. For you holding us to account,” Blinken was saying to the press corps just moments before he was first interrupted. “Being on the receiving end sometimes that's not always the most comfortable thing, not always the most enjoyable thing, but it is the most necessary thing in our democracy." 

A man then started shouting at Blinken. 

"Why did you allow my friends to be massacred?" he said. "How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?"  

"Your grandfather was an Israeli lobbyist -- are you compromised by Israel? Why did you allow the Holocaust of our times to happen?” the reporter also asked. 

"I am happy to address questions when we get a chance, thank you,” Blinken was heard saying during the exchange. 

Another reporter later interrupted Blinken and was heard shouting "get your hands off me!" at security trying to remove him from his seat.

"I was sitting here quietly, and now I'm being manhandled by two or three people. You pontificate about a free press? You pontificate about a free press?" he continued. "You are hurting me. You're hurting me. You are hurting me."

"Please sir, respect the process, we'll have an opportunity to take questions in a few minutes," Blinken told him.

"Criminal! Why aren't you in The Hague?" the man was heard shouting as he was taken out of the room.

Posted by Greg Norman

Blinken expects Israel-Hamas deal to go into effect on Sunday

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he expects the agreement between Israel and Hamas to go into effect on Sunday. 

“I think this week was another reminder both of the power and the purpose of American leadership and American diplomacy. Over 15 months of devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas, we've worked to broker a deal that would bring hostages home, that would stop the fighting, that would surge humanitarian aid to people who so desperately need it. That would create the space to conclude a permanent cease fire,” Blinken said.”

“We now have that, and we expect implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday,” Blinken added. “As President Biden said yesterday, after more than 400 days of struggle, a day of success has arrived.”  

"Do I wish we could have gotten the cease-fire agreement months ago? Of course," Blinken later said.

"Look, it's not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation that has been this challenging, this fraught, you may get a loose end, we're tying up that loose end as we speak," Blinken also said.

Posted by Greg Norman

Kirby 'confident' Americans in Gaza will be freed Sunday amid reports of Israel, Hamas deal holdup

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday morning that he is "confident" that a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal can still be "implemented" Sunday as families of two Americans slated for immediate release await answers. 

"There's a deal," Kirby told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. "We're confident that we're going to be able to start implementing it on Sunday. There are some implementing details that still need to be ironed out. We're working with the Israelis on that very, very hard right now.

"But we're confident that we're going to get there," he added.

Confusion over whether a deal had been successfully reached – as both the U.S. and Qatar had confirmed on Wednesday – erupted after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday claimed Hamas was "creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement."

"Hamas is backing out of the explicit understandings agreed upon with the mediators and Israel in a last-minute blackmail attempt," he claimed, according to a statement shared by Israeli news agency TPS-IL.

Hamas has reportedly rebuffed the Israeli government’s accusations.

Netanyahu deferred a cabinet hearing that was supposed to be set for Thursday morning to vote on the deal until "the mediators announce that Hamas has approved all the details of the agreement."

But Kirby appeared determined to make clear that the deal had not collapsed and told MSNBC, "It’s not breaking down."

Also telling NBC "We're aware of these issues that the prime minister has raised… We're confident that we'll be able to solve these last-minute issues and get it moving."

This is an excerpt from an article by Caitlin McFall.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Israel kills Hamas terrorist who participated in Oct. 7 attack, IDF says

Israeli forces killed a Hamas terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in airstrikes overnight Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The Israeli air force struck and killed Muhammad Hasham Zahedi Abu Al-Rus, a militant with the Nukhba forces, who the IDF says participated in the massacre at the Nova Music Festival.

"In other joint IDF and ISA activities over the last day, the IAF conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, weapons storage facilities, launch posts, weapons manufacturing sites, and observation posts," the IDF said.

"Prior to the strikes, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the use of aerial surveillance, precise munitions, and additional intelligence.

"The Hamas terrorist organization continues to exploit the civilian population for its terror attacks against the State of Israel in violation of international law. The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of these terrorist organizations."

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Cease-fire agreement has not been finalized, Netanyahu spokesman says

A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that a cease-fire arrangement between Israel and Hamas had not been reached and blamed Hamas for adding conditions at the last minute.

“As of this time, the details of the agreement have not yet been finalized and the negotiation team is continuing its efforts to reach a solution,” said David Mencer, according to TPS, an Israeli news agency.

“We thought we had an agreement last night. Today, Hamas has been making changes to this agreement,” he added.

“As such, the Israeli Cabinet cannot meet to agree this deal. It cannot convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement that were already agreed,” Mencer said.

Israel's security cabinet was expected to meet Thursday morning to vote on a proposed cease-fire deal mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. 

The agreement would have required Hamas to release 33 women, children, elderly and sick captives in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences in the first stage.

But Netanyahu coalition members and officials are objecting to the agreement, because it did not immediately guarantee the release of another 65 hostages held by Hamas, instead requiring that negotiations over those hostages begin 16 days after the cease-fire was scheduled to take effect on Sunday.

As many as 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel could be released under the terms of the agreement in exchange for the 33 hostages and an end to hostilities. 

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

UN prepared to ramp up humanitarian aid to Gaza, officials say

The United Nations is prepared to ramp up delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israel and Hamas reached a potential cease-fire agreement, officials said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the announcement of a deal a "critical first step" and told reporters the U.N.'s top priority must be to ease the suffering in Gaza cause by a conflict that started after Hamas launched the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Isreal.

“The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels,” he said. “From our side, we will do whatever is humanly possible, aware of the serious challenges and serious constraints that we will be facing.”

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said aid agencies have been mobilizing supplies in preparation for a ceasefire to scale up deliveries of food, medical supplies and other key items.

Less than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, water production is at a quarter of capacity, 95% of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed and nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity, said Catherine Russell, executive director of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF.

The top U.N. humanitarian aid official for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, has met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week to discuss how to increase aid after a cease-fire is reached, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Cease-fire agreement requires Israel to release dozens of prisoners with life sentences

Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement, Hamas will release nine ill and wounded from a list of 33 hostages in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences in Israel.

The text of the agreement, reported by The Times of Israel on Thursday, also requires Israel to release 1,000 Gazans detained on Oct. 8, 2023, who were not involved in the Oct. 7 attacks. 

Male hostages over age 50 will be released from the list of 33 at a ratio of one for every three Palestinian prisoners with life sentences in Israel. 

Israeli forces would also be required to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, starting with heavily populated areas along the border, including Wadi Gaza.

Israel must reduce forces in the Philadelphi corridor and begin a full withdrawal once the last hostage is released, per earlier terms in the agreement. 

And the Rafah border crossing must be made open for civilians and a limited number of wounded military personnel to cross, with supervision from Israel and Egypt. 

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

IDF general credits Trump threat as 'big change' in securing cease-fire

IDF Reserve Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi says "two things" changed regarding the Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement after fifteen months of conflict in the Middle East.

"This deal has been on the table since May last year and Hamas opposed it completely. Why? There was no real pressure on Hamas," Avivi told "Your World" on Wednesday. "Israel wanted to stop some of the humanitarian aid, especially some of the gasoline, but the administration wouldn't let us do that. So Israel has no major leverage on them." 

"What's changed is two things," Avivi told Fox News. "One, Israel defeated Hezbollah and Hezbollah cannot support Hamas anymore. Also, Syria fell. Iran is weaker. But the big change is President Trump's threat." 

"Once President Trump threatened them, that if they don't release hostages, there will be hell… I think they understand that if they don't get a deal now, the chances of getting a good deal for them will be very, very low, if at all. And therefore, they made their own assessment, and they are inclined to do the deal, thinking that they'll maximize what they can get now and not wait to see what 'hell' means," Avivi stated. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Joshua Comins.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Israeli families of soldiers killed in Gaza conflict rally against cease-fire deal

A group representing some families of Israeli soldiers killed fighting in Gaza protested Thursday against a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.

The Gvura Forum opposes the deal, saying it won’t lead to Hamas’ destruction and that it will free Palestinians convicted of deadly crimes against Israelis. The agreement could also leave some Israeli hostages behind in Gaza if it collapses, the group said, according to the Associated Press.

The group displayed rows of mock coffins draped in the Israeli flag in Jerusalem to emphasize their point that a cease-fire could cost Israeli lives.

“It’s a very dangerous deal,” said Yehoshua Shani, whose son Ori Mordehai Shani was killed in battle in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He believed the incoming Trump administration could exert more pressure on Hamas and secure better terms.

Many Israelis support the cease-fire agreement, which would bring dozens of hostages home and end the war in Gaza. But others do not want to give any concessions to Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks, in which terrorists invaded Southern Israel and brutally slaughtered more than 1,200 people. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

World leaders, US politicians react to Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal: 'Long-overdue news'

Leaders in the U.S. and around the world commended the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal on Wednesday.

The response to the deal was overwhelmingly positive. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said that she was "very encouraged" to see the cease-fire come to fruition.

"This is something I've called for many, many months over the last year since the horrific, barbaric attack on innocent civilians in Israel that occurred on October 7 of last year," Hochul said. "My main priority has been bringing home the hostages."

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote on X that he felt "an indescribable sense of relief," about the return of the hostages.

"The return of the hostages will mark the beginning of closure for Israelis and Jews, as well as countless others, who continue to be deeply affected by the indelible terror and trauma of October 7th," Torres wrote. "The hostages have been brought home by the power of the world’s most powerful friendship – the US-Israel relationship."

The deal also attracted international attention. In a statement, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer called the cease-fire "long-overdue news."

"[The Israeli and Palestinian people] have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023," Starmer said. "The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families.

"But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them. "

In an X post translated from French to English, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the cease-fire must be respected.

"After 15 months of unjustifiable ordeal, immense relief for the Gazans, hope for the hostages and their families," Macron said. He also referenced Ohad Yahalomi and Ofer Calderon, two French-Israeli hostages.

This is an excerpt from an article by Andrea Margolis.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Biden balks when asked if Trump deserves credit for Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal: 'Is that a joke?'

President Biden balked at a question posed by Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on Wednesday about whether President-elect Trump deserves credit for the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal.

The deal comes during Biden's final days in office, less than a week before Trump's second term starts on Jan. 20. A recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was reportedly an integral part of the deal, sources told Fox News Digital.

"Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?" Heinrich asked Biden at Wednesday afternoon's White House news conference.

"Is that a joke?" the president responded.

When Heinrich denied that her question was in jest, Biden responded, "Oh. Thank you," and walked away.

Minutes earlier, Biden explained that the cease-fire would consist of two phases. The first phase, which will last around six weeks, "includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded." 

"And I'm proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release and phase one as well," the president said. "And the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home."

This is an excerpt from an article by Andrea Margolis.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Hostage families in Israel express cautious optimism after cease-fire deal

TEL AVIV — Israeli negotiators have reached agreement with the Hamas terror group for a hostages-for-cease-fire deal that will also reportedly see the release of thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, many with blood on their hands, and an Israeli military withdrawal from key areas of the Gaza Strip.

"I am trying to breathe," Efrat Machikawa, the niece of Israeli captive Gadi Moses, told Fox News Digital in response to the development.

"We will not know for sure that it is really happening until we will get the phone call to come see Gadi at the hospital. Although I am optimistic by nature, I am trying to control myself because we were very close to so many deals since the last one when my aunt Margalit was released," Machikawa said.

In November 2023, a weeklong Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement saw 105 hostages freed from Gaza.

Palestinian terrorists are still holding 98 hostages in Gaza, 94 of whom were abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Thirty-six of the hostages have been confirmed dead.

"I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way that shows when my son will be released from captivity," Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital.

Chen visited Qatar last week to meet with U.S. negotiators.

"We will continue the fight until all the hostages come out," he said. "With the inauguration of President-elect Trump next week, my hope is that in his speech he will say, ‘Mr. Chen, I am able to get your son back.’"

This is an excerpt from an article by Amelie Botbol.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

John Kirby says Biden, Trump worked as 'one team' in securing cease-fire deal

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said he is "confident" the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal will be implemented after 467 days of war and says there is "plenty of credit to go around."

"We're not focused too much on the credit," Kirby told "The Story" on Wednesday. "As the president said, I mean, we approach this as one team, a team of Americans, to try to get Americans back home with their families. And that's what matters. I think there's plenty of credit to go around. And it's not just here in the United States... Egypt, Qatar, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, who made some courageous decisions throughout this negotiation, and there's plenty of credit to go around to everybody." 

Kirby recognized President-elect Trump's incoming Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the deal. 

"We worked on this as one team, as the American people would expect us to do," Biden's national security communications adviser stated.  

"The president made it clear to us on the national security team that we needed to make sure that the Trump team, in particular Mr. Witkoff, were part and parcel and fully invested in everything we were doing because they were going to own it when we left office," Kirby revealed. 

"Mr. Witkoff traveled to the region. He and Brett McGurk, our special coordinator for the Middle East, talked multiple times a day over the last week or so as we were getting down to the fine details and trying to get it over the finish line. Mr. Witkoff himself credited the work that he was able to enjoy by working with us." 

Kirby says the "bottom line" is "getting the deal, getting the hostages home, getting the war to end."

This is an excerpt from an article by Joshua Comins.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Israeli strikes kill at least 70 in Gaza, Palestinian authorities say

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 72 people in Gaza overnight on Thursday, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said, hours after a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas was announced. 

The cease-fire agreement was unveiled Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to bring an end to 15 moths of fighting that has ravaged Gaza and brought the Middle East to the brink of war.

The agreement would have stopped fighting for six weeks and ensured the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Dozens of hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, including some accused of terrorism.

"This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity," President Biden said in Washington, D.C.

Israel's security cabinet and government must first approve the deal by vote before it goes into effect. 

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this update.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Israel's Netanyahu delays Gaza cease-fire deal, accusing Hamas of trying to back out

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and bring a pause to more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip. 

Netanyahu's office said Thursday his Cabinet won't meet to vote on the Gaza cease-fire deal until Hamas backs down from what it called a "last minute crisis."

Netanyahu's office accused Hamas, without elaborating, of trying to go back on part of the agreement in an attempt "to extort last minute concessions." 

The Israeli Cabinet was set to ratify the deal Thursday.

President Biden joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a Wednesday news conference announcing that the deal would roll out in three phases. 

Biden said the first phase will last six weeks and "includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all the populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded. And I'm proud to say Americans will be part of that hostage release and phase one as well. And the vice president and I cannot wait to welcome them home," he said. 

In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said, and Palestinians "can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza will begin."

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group "is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators."

Netanyahu's office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.

Under the terms of the cease-fire deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what's left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.

This is an excerpt from an article by Bradford Betz.

Posted by Chris Pandolfo

Live Coverage begins here