In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, hundreds gathered to watch the release live on giant screens. Cries of joy erupted as the four women appeared on the screen
The four soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag -- returned to Israel under the terms of the agreement
Israeli authorities say they have released 200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. The release came hours after Hamas freed four young female Israeli soldiers from captivity in Gaza. Hamas militants handed over four captive female Israeli soldiers to the Red Cross in Gaza City on Saturday after parading them in front of a crowd. Israel followed with the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees as part of the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The four Israeli soldiers smiled broadly as they waved and gave the thumbs-up from a stage in Gaza City's Palestine Square, militants on either side of them and a crowd of thousands watching before they were led off to waiting Red Cross vehicles. They were likely acting under duress, with previously released hostages saying they were held in brutal conditions and forced to record propaganda videos. Israel then released 70 Palestinian prisoners who will not be allowed to return to the Gaza Strip o
Hamas released four young female Israeli soldiers on Saturday after more than 15 months in captivity. The release of the four comes days into a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and is part of a long and uncertain process aimed at eventually ending the war. Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag were captured when Hamas-led militants overran the Nahal Oz military base during the Oct 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war, killing over 60 soldiers there. A fifth female soldier in their unit, Agam Berger, 20, was abducted with them but not included in the release. Video of the abduction of the five female soldiers, who had worked as spotters monitoring threats along the border, was widely circulated. Israel and Hamas have agreed in the ceasefire's first phase to a gradual release of 33 hostages in Gaza, in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Three hostages were released previously during this truce in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners held by
Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers in a prisoner swap, handing them to the Red Cross in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, under a ceasefire deal aiming to end Gaza's 15-month conflict
The Hamas militant group on Friday published the names of four hostages it said it would release the following day as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate confirmation of the names from Israel. The hostages are to be freed Saturday in exchange for the release of dozens of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel. Relatives of hostages still being held by militants in Gaza had earlier Friday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure that all remaining captives are freed, while also appealing to US President Donald Trump to continue pressing for their release. As a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its sixth day, Israelis were waiting anxiously for the names of the next four hostages who will be released from among the more than 90 still held in Gaza. In the Palestinian enclave, civilians in the central and southern part of the Gaza Strip faced an agonising wait before they can return to the remnants of the
The Hamas militant group has published the names of four hostages it says it will release on Saturday as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate confirmation of the names from Israel. Hamas released the names on Friday. The hostages are to be freed Saturday in exchange for the release of dozens of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel. Relatives of hostages still being held by militants in Gaza called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday to ensure all remaining captives are freed, while also appealing to US President Donald Trump to continue pressing for their release. As a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its sixth day, Israelis waited anxiously for the names of the next four hostages who will be released from among the more than 90 still held in Gaza. In the Palestinian enclave, civilians in the central and southern part of the Gaza Strip hoping to return to the remnants of their home in the battered north
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he is considering going to the Middle East, but not immediately amid the return of hostages, as he reiterated that the attack on Israel by the Hamas on October 7, 2023, should not have happened. "We're thinking about going to the Middle East. But not yet, as hostages are coming back right now. Some of them have been very, very damaged. You look at the young lady with her hand practically blown off -- you know how that happened, right? Did you know how that happened," Trump said during a joint news conference at the White House with Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman. "When you find out, you're not going to be too happy because it was terrible. But the hostages are starting to come back," Trump said, as he took credit for the return of the hostages. "If I weren't here, they would have never come back. They would have all died. If this were done a year earlier, if (Joe) Biden would have done this .
He further emphasised the importance of continued cooperation between Israel and India, stating, 'We will continue working with India to promote cooperation in the region.'
Israel's far-right finance minister has threatened to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition if he doesn't resume the war in Gaza after the first phase of ceasefire expires in six weeks. Bezalel Smotrich made the threat on Monday, a day after the ceasefire went into effect. "If, God forbid, the war is not resumed, I will bring the government down," Smotrich told reporters. Smotrich, who leads an ultranationalist religious party, voted against the deal but has remained in the governing coalition for the time being. His departure would rob Netanyahu of his parliamentary majority, setting the stage for the government's collapse and early elections. Smotrich said he has received assurances that Israel will resume the war after the first phase, during which 33 hostages held in Gaza are to return home and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. The second phase, which must still be negotiated, is to work out an end to the war and return of all remaining hostage
As a ceasefire brought calm to Gaza's ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from hiding. The militant group has not only survived 15 months of war with Israel among the deadliest and most destructive in recent memory but it remains firmly in control of the coastal territory that now resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. With a surge of humanitarian aid promised as part of the ceasefire deal, the Hamas-run government said Monday that it will coordinate distribution to the desperate people of Gaza. For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims. That could make a return to fighting more likely, but the results might be the same. There was an element of theatre in Sunday's handover of three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, when dozens of masked Hamas fighters wearing green headbands and military fatigues paraded in front of cameras and held back a crowd of hundreds who surrounded the vehicles. The scenes ...
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US President-elect Donald Trump vowed swift action upon assuming office on Monday, pledging to prevent World War III and halt what he described as the 'invasion' of the nation's borders
The first three hostages were released from Gaza and the first Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli custody as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold following 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks. Palestinians across Gaza began making their way home, and the first trucks with a surge of humanitarian aid began to enter the devastated territory. The ceasefire that began on Sunday morning raises hopes for ending the devastating conflict and returning the nearly 100 remaining hostages abducted in Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack. But major questions remain about whether fighting will resume after the six-week first phase. First came the release of Emily Damari, 28; Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, in a tense handover to the Red Cross on a Gaza City street. Footage showed them surrounded by a crowd of thousands, accompanied by masked, armed men wearing green Hamas headbands. The women were taken to
Donald Trump won a second term as President of the United States after securing 312 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election
Israeli military said Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari had been reunited with their mothers and released a video showing them in apparent good health
Joe Biden spent his final full day as president Sunday in South Carolina, urging Americans to keep the faith in a better day to come and reflecting on the impact of the civil rights movement in pushing him into politics. On the eve of Monday's inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, Biden delivered a final farewell from a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in its 2020 Democratic primary set him up to achieve his life's goal of being elected president of the United States. Biden spoke to the congregation of Royal Missionary Baptist Church about why he entered public service Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were political heroes, he said and he thanked South Carolina for its support: I owe you big. Monday is the federal holiday honouring King, the slain civil rights leader. We know the struggle to redeeming the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing," Biden said. We must hold on to hope. We must stay engaged. We must alwa
As a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday, the charg d'affaires of the Palestine Embassy in India, Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, urged the international community to implement every detail in the long-awaited agreement. The envoy also sought India's assistance in the reconstruction work in war-torn Gaza. The deal involves numerous technical details that are complex and challenging. It requires not only a follow-up by the Trump administration or the UN but also by all the powerful countries around the world," Abu Jazer told PTI. "We urge the international community to ensure the implementation of every detail in the ceasefire agreement," he said. The ceasefire and hostage-release deal between the two sides followed 15 months of conflict that was triggered by a shocking attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. The deal is expected to stop the ongoing war in Gaza and facilitate the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Seeking India's assistance in the .
Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on technical field reasons