Hamas

Israel to Release 602 Prisoners in Exchange for 6 Israeli Hostages Under Gaza Truce Deal

Israel will free 602 inmates from jails on Saturday as part of a hostage-prisoner swap with Hamas under an ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group. Among those released, 445 are people from Gaza who were arrested after Hamas' October 7 attack that sparked the war, 60 are serving long ...

Israel Says Hostage Body Returned by Hamas not Bibas Mother

Israel said Friday that one of the bodies returned from Gaza is not that of Shiri Bibas, as claimed by Hamas, and accused Palestinian "terrorists" of killing her two boys who have become symbols of the hostages' ordeal. Thousands of mourning Israelis had observed a moment of silence Thursday in honour of four dead hostages returned ...

Hamas Accuses Netanyahu of Delaying the Second Phase of the Truce

Hamas on Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "procrastinating" on negotiations for the second phase of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, after Palestinian militants returned the bodies of four deceased hostages to Israel. "The second phase negotiations have not practically begun, and we are ready to engage in them as ...

Hamas Returns Bodies of Four Israeli Hostages

On Thursday, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages –  including Shiri Bibas and her two young children  – to the Red Cross. This marks the first transfer of remains since the October 7 attack that triggered the conflict. Armed and masked Hamas fighters displayed the four black coffins on a stage set up in Khan Yunis, each ...

Arab Leaders meet to Counter Trump's Gaza Plan

Arab leaders will gather in Saudi Arabia on Friday to counter President Donald Trump's plan for US control of Gaza and the expulsion of its inhabitants, diplomatic and government sources said. The plan stirred rare unity among Arab states which roundly rejected the idea, but they could still disagree over who will govern the Palestinian territory ...

Hamas to Free 6 Israeli Hostages, Hand Over 4 Bodies this Week

Hamas said Tuesday that it would hand over all six living Israeli hostages due for release under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire this week, as well as the bodies of four dead captives. The fragile Gaza truce took effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian militant group's ...

Israel Security Cabinet to Discuss new Phase of Gaza Truce after Rubio Visit

Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss on Monday the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front against Hamas and Iran. Rubio was in Israel on his first Middle East trip as President Donald Trump's secretary of state, and landed on Monday in Saudi ...

Marco Rubio in Israel on First Leg of Mideast Tour

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israel's prime minister in Jerusalem on Sunday for talks on the Gaza ceasefire, launching a Middle East tour a day after the latest hostage-prisoner exchange. On his first visit to the region as Washington's top diplomat, Rubio is expected to push US President Donald Trump's widely condemned ...

Bus Carrying Freed Palestinian Prisoners Arrives in Ramallah

A bus carrying a group of Palestinian prisoners released Saturday by Israel under the Gaza ceasefire deal arrived to a cheering crowd in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to an AFP journalist. Wearing traditional keffiyeh scarves, the freed prisoners were hoisted onto the crowd's shoulders. They hugged relatives before heading to ...