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 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.
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.”
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran that any attempt to revive its nuclear weapons program would be met with swift military action, signaling that Washington is prepared to strike again if Tehran resumes enrichment activity.
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.
At least hundreds of thousands of people marched through European cities Sunday in anti-Israel protests ahead of the second anniversary of the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, but some rallies expressed support for the Jewish nation.
Hamas has announced it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages, both alive and dead, and hand over governance of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats under a plan proposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
German authorities, working closely with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, arrested three men accused of belonging to a Hamas-linked terrorist cell plotting attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets.
Israel has intercepted the largest Gaza-bound flotilla in years, detaining dozens of international activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, in a dramatic escalation over the besieged territory, organizers and officials confirmed Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday it killed three Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon over the past two days, as tensions escalate along the northern border and Washington moves to bolster Lebanon’s official security institutions.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz declared Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are close to fully encircling Gaza City, urging remaining residents to flee south through Israeli checkpoints in what he described as their “last opportunity” before the city is sealed off.