Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Israelis across Israel celebrated Sunday the release of three women by Hamas, the first of nearly 100 hostages due to return home, dead or alive, following their abduction on October 7, 2023.

Hamas named the three hostages it planned to release Sunday, more than two hours after the ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to have begun. Israel had earlier made clear it would keep fighting until it received the names.

Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a hostage deal on Friday, where 33 Hamas captives will be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds serving life sentences.

Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, officials said on Wednesday, in the hope of ending the 15-month-war that has killed thousands.

Determined to ensure that the Holocaust is not forgotten or denied, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany on Monday launched a digital campaign featuring 80 survivors of Auschwitz, the most notoriously brutal death camp in history, i24News reports. The German Nazis murdered more than 1.1 million Jews at Auschwitz in occupied Poland during World War II.

Hamas is rapidly rebuilding “its terror infrastructure” in the Gaza Strip, exploiting humanitarian aid and convincing young Gazans to join its ranks, Israeli and U.S. sources said Tuesday.

A Belgium-based group named after a Palestinian girl it claims was killed by Israel’s military in Gaza has launched a global hunt for Israeli troops and others, including Christians, accused of “war crimes” against Palestinians, a Worthy News investigation shows.

In an effort to become less reliant on the United States and other nations for heavy weapons, Israel has signed two major arms deals with Israeli munitions company Elbit Systems totaling $275 million, i24News reports.

Archaeologists excavating in southern Israel have uncovered a unique Byzantine-era ((5th-6th centuries AD) mosaic floor with a Scripture from the Bible’s Book of Deuteronomy, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Israel is expanding the IDF’s Unit 504, part of the Military Intelligence Directorate, which specializes in HUMINT (human intelligence). Previously operating covertly, the unit’s critical role during the war has made its activities vital to the army’s success, leading to Tuesday’s announcement of its significant expansion.

Israel is committed to preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding in Lebanon and has stated that the Israel Defense Forces will remain in place until Hezbollah is fully dismantled, according to Brig.-Gen. Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of HaBithonistim.

The US State Department has notified Congress “informally” of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with the Jewish state, Axios reported exclusively on Friday, January 3.

Family members faced more agony on Sunday after fighters of Hamas released a video of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since its October 2023 attack.