President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated a controversial proposal for the United States to take control of Gaza, transforming the war-ravaged territory into what he described as a “freedom zone.”
After 15 long months of bloodshed in Gaza sparked by the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people in Israel, a hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel was reached Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eliminate Hamas in Gaza while the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) 98th and 162nd divisions have been intensively preparing for upcoming operations in the Gaza Strip, focusing on the impending Rafah offensive.
Hamas is understood to be considering a proposal by Israel for a cease-fire in the Gaza war triggered by the Islamic terror group’s massacre and kidnapping of Israelis on Oct. 7 last year, the Associated Press reports.
An Israeli airstrike on Gaza resulted in the death of three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to a statement from the Hamas-affiliated news agency Shehab on Wednesday.
Early Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulled back all its ground troops from the Gaza Strip, retaining only one brigade to maintain security along a corridor that divides the Palestinian territory. The IDF declared on Sunday that it had completed the active combat phase of the conflict for the time being, but it did not rule out the chance of launching a new offensive into Rafah, located in the far south of Gaza, in the future.
Following weeks of silence by the United Nations concerning evidence that Hamas weaponized rape against Israeli women on Oct. 7, a special meeting was convened at the UN on Monday to raise awareness of the issue, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Monday’s meeting was organized by Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the World Zionist Organization, and the National Council of Jewish Women.
The Israeli military has verified the expansion of its ground operation into the southern region of the Gaza Strip, vowing to maintain the campaign’s intensity at the same level as observed in northern Gaza.
The Jewish sabbath was marred by bloodshed after a week-old truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed, with the Israeli army saying they struck over 400 “terror targets” in the Gaza Strip, including a controversial mosque.
Hamas said Thursday that 10 more Israeli hostages would be released from the Gaza Strip late Thursday, two of them also holding Russian citizenship, as part of a one-day truce extension.
After spending 54 days in captivity, Hamas released a total of 16 hostages on Wednesday. The released individuals comprise 12 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals who were freed from Gaza.
The European Union and the heads of a number of Arab states agreed on Monday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be resolved through a two-state solution, with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell adding that the Palestinian Authority should rule the Gaza Strip once the Hamas terror group has been removed from power there, Reuters reports.
Fourteen Israeli citizens who were taken hostage in Gaza were released by the Palestinian terror group Hamas and brought back into Israel by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) as confirmed by Israel on Sunday evening. Additionally, three Thai citizens were also released through the Rafah crossing on Sunday night.
In the recent hostage releases by Hamas, despite the explicit stipulation in the details of the release deal that families cannot be separated, several families have been split up in the first two batches. This action by Hamas is seen as a form of “psychological warfare” and a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that Hamas released 17 hostages, including 13 Israelis and 4 Thai citizens.
A tense ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in the Gaza Strip early Friday ahead of a long-anticipated release of hostages.
Israel achieved a historic milestone by deploying its “Iron Beam” laser defense system for the first time in operational use during the conflict with Hamas, according to Israeli Channel 14 on Monday.
Exhausted and tearful Israeli families praying and hoping to see their loved ones faced renewed uncertainty Thursday as Israeli officials said a ceasefire and hostage deal will not come into effect until Friday at the earliest.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that he believes a deal “is near” to free hundreds of Israeli and other hostages held by Hamas in Gaza although deadly clashes continued, including around a hospital.
Israel’s military showed a video it said revealed hostages being taken to Gaza’s largest hospital by Hamas and a tunnel beneath the same medical facility used by “the terrorist organization.”