Israel vowed yesterday to continue fighting in Gaza until all hostages are returned, as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a ceasefire. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reports that more than 400 people have been killed. Hamas accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to “resume war” after an impasse in truce negotiations, and warned that the return to fighting could be a “death sentence” for hostages still alive in Gaza. The strikes were by far the biggest and deadliest since a truce took effect in January. Netanyahu warned Hamas this month of consequences it “cannot imagine” if it does not free hostages still in Gaza, and Israeli media reported on plans aimed at ramping up pressure on Hamas dubbed the “Hell Plan”. The White House
Tag Archives: CeaseFire
Mar
Is Trump’s approach one of strategic diplomacy, or could it be a potentially dangerous posture that puts the remaining captives at risk? By JPOST EDITORIAL MARCH 7, 2025 05:51 Updated: MARCH 7, 2025 06:00 US President Donald Trump meets with a delegation of former hostages in the Oval Office, and shows off a plaque of gratitude from Hostage Families Forum, March 5, 2025. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/POTUS) It was impossible to not be moved by Wednesday’s emotional meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump and a group of freed Israeli hostages – Eli Sharabi, Keith and Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Noa Argamani. Almost all of them were freed as part of ceasefire deals between Israel and Hamas. During the meeting
Mar
The Israeli government says it has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza because the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas has expired. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas had so far refused to accept a temporary ceasefire extension under a proposal by US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. A Hamas spokesman called the move “cheap blackmail” and a “coup” on the ceasefire agreement and urged mediators to get Israel to resume the supply of aid. The Palestinian group wants phase two of the deal to go ahead as originally negotiated, with the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. On Friday night, Hamas said it would not agree to any extension of phase one without guarantees from
Feb
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries are increasingly important in some of this focus on what happens next. By SETH J. FRANTZMAN FEBRUARY 27, 2025 21:08 Updated: FEBRUARY 27, 2025 21:35 Hamas terrorists stand guard in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 22, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled) The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire appears to be headed for an extension. This is because it is in Hamas’s interest to keep the ceasefire going. Now that Hamas has emerged above ground and Gazans are seeking to return to a more peaceful life amid the destruction of the war, many people will want the ceasefire to continue. Hamas has shown flexibility. It always wanted a ceasefire, and it wanted to use the hostage deal to draw it
Feb
LONDON — Hamas said in a statement Thursday it would release the next group of hostages as planned in accordance with its ceasefire agreement with Israel, adding that Egyptian and Qatari mediators had confirmed they will work to “remove obstacles and close gaps.” The next hostage-prisoner exchange is set to take place Saturday, as previously agreed in the current ceasefire deal. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. MORE: Netanyahu warns ‘ceasefire will be terminated’ if Hamas doesn’t free hostages This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jan
Hamas’s failure demonstrates how quickly years of diplomatic work can be jeopardized by chaos on the ground, which could derail future releases. By JPOST EDITORIAL JANUARY 31, 2025 06:01 Updated: JANUARY 31, 2025 06:07 Palestinian terrorist surround hostage Arbel Yehoud, held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack, on the day they hand her to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Yunis. (photo credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters) Our ceasefire and hostage exchange deal is hanging by the thinnest of threads, and no instance proved that more than Thursday’s hostage return. On yet another emotional and miraculous occasion, Israel saw the release of eight hostages: three Israelis and five Thai
![Rifaat Jouda walks with his son as he enters Gaza City following a long journey from southern Gaza,on January 28, 2025 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Exhausted-Palestinians-arrive-in-Gaza-City-to-no-homes-killed-family.jpg)
Al-Rashid Street, Gaza City, Palestine – There are many stories among the tens of thousands of people walking along Gaza’s al-Rashid Street, heading for the north. In the crowds is a man with a white beard walking with determination alongside his family. In one hand, he carries a blanket and a few meagre possessions. In the other, he holds onto his adult son, who has Down Syndrome. Rifaat Jouda doesn’t pretend that he isn’t tired. He started his journey in the morning in southern Gaza, in Khan Younis’s al-Mawasi, where his family had been displaced for 15 months during Israel’s war on Gaza. The aim was to reach Gaza City, a journey finally possible since Israel allowed Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip to travel north on Monday, after a
In a devastating turn of events, Israeli airstrikes in northeast Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of 23 Syrian refugees and a Lebanese national, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The strikes, which occurred on Thursday, targeted a building housing workers, highlighting the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Additionally, an airstrike on an apartment building […]