Israel is demanding that Hamas hand over the remains of hostages still held in Gaza, as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed that “nobody is getting left behind,” underscoring Washington’s continued commitment to recovering every captive and fallen Israeli taken during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hamas must surrender its weapons or face dire consequences, saying that if the terror group refuses to disarm, “all hell breaks loose.” His comments came Tuesday in an interview with CBS, amid efforts to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s ceasefire and reconstruction plan for Gaza.
Israel announced Tuesday it would not reopen the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as planned under the ceasefire agreement, accusing Hamas of failing to fulfill its obligation to return the bodies of all slain hostages still held in Gaza.
As Israel celebrated the emotional return of 20 hostages freed from Hamas captivity, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping and historic address to the Israeli Knesset, proclaiming “the end of an era of war and terror” and “the dawn of peace” across the Middle East.
All 20 living Israeli hostages freed by Hamas on Monday have been transferred to hospitals in central Israel aboard Israeli Air Force helicopters, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. The final helicopters departed from the Re’im base near Gaza carrying released captives including Matan Zangauker, Maxim Herkin, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Evyatar David, Eitan Horn, and brothers David and Ariel Cunio.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared the Gaza war officially over at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he unveiled a sweeping 20-point peace framework and the creation of a “Board of Peace” — an international body that will guide Gaza’s transition toward civilian governance and reconstruction.
Hamas has launched a bloody campaign to reassert control over the Gaza Strip, killing more than 30 people in recent days as the group seeks to stamp out rival factions and reestablish dominance following a fragile ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump arrived in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Monday while the release of the last 20 living hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, was underway.
U.S. President Donald Trump departed Washington on Sunday for what he called a “historic” Middle East peace tour aimed at finalizing his long-promised regional peace plan. The trip comes on the heels of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza and a sweeping hostage release deal, hailed by the White House as a turning point for the region.
Hamas says the release of the remaining Israeli hostages will begin on Monday morning. “According to a written deal, the exchange of prisoners will start on Monday morning, as agreed,” confirmed Hamas official Osama Hamdan.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet early Friday approved a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework that aims to end active hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, despite unified opposition from far-right coalition partners.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump confirmed Thursday that he will visit Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deliver a major address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, amid rising hopes that his proposed ceasefire plan could end the devastating war with Hamas and bring peace to the Jewish nation and the region.
Hamas declared the end of more than two years of war between Israel and the Islamist group after both sides signed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal aimed at establishing a permanent halt to hostilities in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan, signaling the possible end of the two-year-long war in Gaza that began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel on Tuesday after fire from Gaza as Israelis began to mark the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack in which Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israeli archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old synagogue in the Yehudiya Nature Reserve, providing new evidence of Jewish continuity in the Golan region during the Roman and Byzantine periods, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the University of Haifa announced Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that Iran is advancing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking major U.S. cities, saying the Islamic Republic could soon “put New York City, Boston, Washington, or Miami under their atomic guns.”
As Jewish communities around the world solemnly marked the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, massacre, Hamas released a new propaganda video celebrating the attack as a “glorious day of crossing.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare phone conversation Monday focusing on regional stability, the Gaza peace proposal backed by Washington, and ongoing Middle East tensions, according to official statements from both sides.
While Hamas publicly declared its willingness to accept major portions of President Donald Trump’s peace initiative, deep divisions within the group threaten to derail what could be the most significant breakthrough since the war began nearly two years ago.