Reporting from Sheba Medical Center in Ramat-Gan
Dozens of reporters from Israel and around the world gathered at the children’s wing of Sheba Medical Center Sunday night to wait for the arrival of the three freed hostages: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher.
Israel police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne told NBC News that the hostages would arrive in a helicopter from Kibbutz Reim, where they first welcomed back to Israel.
Cameras were stationed by the hospital entrance where they hope to catch a brief glimpse of the ambulances as they pass by before stopping at the door.
Other reporters are stationed in a side corridor, where news networks have set up temporary studios and the hospital director is expected to speak after the arrival of the hostages.
Displaced Palestinians cheer as they return to Rafah by foot, motorcycle and donkey-driven cart during the delay before the ceasefire took effect.
“To Rafah, to Rafah, inside in Gaza” exclaimed one boy as his group passed by rubble to get to the enclave’s southernmost city.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release while calling for greater access to aid in Gaza.
“We stand ready to support this implementation & scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer,” he posted on X today.
“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security & political obstacles to delivering aid.”
The IDF has released footage it says shows the moment that the three released hostages crossed into Israeli territory after they were released by Hamas.
The footage shows an armored vehicle passing through what appears to be the tall border fence that separates Israel and the enclave, followed by a convoy of vehicles.
After passing through the fence, the footage shows 11 vehicles driving along a dirt track in the darkness, one of them with a large Israeli flag attached to the trunk.
A drone video shot by NBC News’ team in Gaza’s Rafah shows civilians returning to the city as well as the scale of the devastation caused by 15 months of Israeli bombing.
The video captured the scale of the devastation caused by Israeli bombing, with destroyed building stretching from the roadsides to the horizon.
Keith Siegel, 65, will be the first American hostage to be released, with Hamas due to set him free on day 14 of the ceasefire, two senior U.S. officials tell NBC News.
Soon after, Hamas will release 36-year-old hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is injured, the officials said. The other five Americans, alive and dead, will not be released until phase two of the complex three-stage process. The only one believed to still be alive is 20-year-old Egan Alexander, who is of military age and his condition is not known.
Siegel, originally of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was seized from kibbutz Kfar Aza. He was last seen in a video released in April by Hamas. In the video, the occupational therapist spoke directly to his family to say he was doing OK.
His wife, Aviva Siegel, 63, was taken hostage on Oct. 7 and released the next month. She has since become a vocal advocate for the hostages, fighting to keep their plight in the public eye.
In September, she said she was determined to keep “shouting and screaming for the hostages to come home.”
“Keith and I nearly died in the tunnel because there was no oxygen,” Siegel told NBC News’ Lester Holt during a trip to New York at the start of the United Nations General Assembly in September. She also recounted being starved for “24 hours or even more.”
President Joe Biden celebrated that the ceasefire deal brokered by the U.S. has “finally come to fruition” shortly after the first three female hostages were handed over by Hamas.
“The ceasefire has gone into effect in Gaza,” he told reporters in South Carolina. “After so much pain, destruction, loss of life. Today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent.”
Biden said four more women will be released in seven days, three additional hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two American citizens.
Biden also urged the Trump administration to help implement the full scope of the deal, and said the second phase of the ceasefire includes “a permanent end to the war.”
“I was pleased to have our team speak as one voice in the final days,” he said, adding that the success of the deal is “going to require persistence and continuing support for our friends in the region, and the belief in diplomacy backed by deterrence.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office welcomed the release of the three hostages release by Hamas today.
“The Israeli government embraces the three returns,” it said in a statement. “Their families were informed by the appointed officials that they joined our forces.”
The statement went on to say that the government was committed to the return of all abductees and missing people.
Videos given to NBC News from Gaza’s Al-Saraya Square show a white car with Red Cross insignia on the hood flanked by armed militants in camouflage gear, face coverings and green head bands.
Hamas militants hands over 3 Israeli hostages to Red Cross at al-Saraya as part a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza on January 19, 2025. Dawoud Abo Alkas / Anadolu via Getty Images
More scenes from the hostage handover location show men shouting as large crowds of civilians line up to witness the Red Cross vehicles, believed to be carrying the three Israeli hostages, driving through the square. Nearby, civilians standing on top of a destroyed billboard to catch a glimpse of the moment in Gaza’s largest square.
UNICEF trucks carrying water, hygiene kits, and food were seen entering the Gaza Strip as the ceasefire deal began earlier today, according to a post by the U.N. agency on X. Images showed trucks loaded with supplies lined up along the besieged territory.
“A ceasefire agreement is a critical first step, but it must be upheld. Parties to conflict must ensure safe, unimpeded access for aid to reach every child,” UNICEF added.
Reporting from BEITUNIA, occupied West Bank
BEITUNIA, West Bank — Small crowds of Palestinians gathered outside Israel’s Ofer Prison as they waited for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israeli forces as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Some huddled around small fires along the road near the prison as they waited for loved ones or simply watched for news.
At least 90 prisoners and detainees are expected to be released today, all of them women and children, according to a joint statement from the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club and the Prisoners’ Media Office.
A total of 69 women and 21 children are expected to be released according to the media office, with 76 people being from the occupied West Bank. The IDF has said it will have a ramped up presence in the West Bank amid the release.
The three hostages have crossed from Gaza into Israel where they will undergo a medical assessment at a reception point, the IDF said.
A video released by the IDF shows their mothers watching their return and awaiting them there.
Video released by the Israeli military has showed the mothers of the three young female hostages released today by Hamas — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher — waiting for their daughters.
The three are being flown to Tel Aviv to undergo medical examinations.
The transer of the women took place in Gaza, where there was a strong contingent of Hamas militants who arrived masked and armed. The Red Cross received them and brought them to the awaiting Israeli military.
The Red Cross has transferred three Israeli hostages to Israeli custody, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency says.
The three are heading toward Israeli military positions in the Gaza Strip.
Reporting from Hostages Square, Tel Aviv
Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered and clapped as the news came in that the first hostages had been transferred into Red Cross custody.
The Hostage Families forum earlier said that thousands of people had gathered in the square for a collective viewing alongside the families of the hostages.
Chris McGrath / Getty Images
Chris McGrath / Getty Images
People gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to watch a live feed ahead of a hostage release that is part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement began between Israel and Hamas on Sunday.
The three hostages have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, the first step in their release after 15 months in captivity, according to NBC News’ crew in Gaza.
The Red Cross is collecting Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher from their Hamas captors, where they will then driven through Gaza and transferred to the care of the Israel Defense Forces. They will be taken into Israel, then to Sheba Medical Center for medical checks and treatment, according to Israel’s Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces released images of Air Force helicopters prepared to receive the hostages from Gaza later today. One image posted on X showed long rows of seats inside with blankets and other supplies.
Israel is set to release 69 women and 21 child prisoners as part of the exchange for three Israeli hostages today, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ media office.
“The list includes 76 prisoners from the West Bank and 14 from occupied Jerusalem,” it said.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be freed for every Israeli hostage released, 50 if the hostage is a soldier.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said today that he is “hopeful” the ceasefire agreement will hold, but cautioned that Hamas is “not known to keep their word.”
“If Hamas breaks the ceasefire, they need to know the United States will stand with our ally, Israel,” Johnson said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And Israel will have to eradicate that threat. It’s very important for the stability of the region.”
Johnson added that he would also like to see the next round of released hostages to include Americans who have been held, and the ultimate goal is to prevent another Oct. 7 attack.
“There will be hell to pay for Hamas if they violate these terms,” Johnson said of the ceasefire, declining to elaborate what that might entail.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York later told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that Biden last May helped to lay the groundwork for a plan leading to a permanent ceasefire. Jeffries said that historians will have to answer how much credit Trump deserves.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar told reporters that “there is no future of peace, stability, and security for both sides if Hamas stays in power in Gaza Strip.”
Sa’ar’s comments came during a three-hour delay to the long-awaited ceasefire in the Gaza Strip earlier this morning.
President-elect Donald Trump has celebrated the release of the first three hostages due to be released by Hamas today.
“Hostages starting to come out today!” he wrote on Truth Social. “Three wonderful young women will be first.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received the plan for post-ceasefire recovery in Gaza, focusing on the first six months of the response, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Mustafa said the plan emphasizes cooperation with aid organizations and U.N. bodies, saying international support is necessary given the scale of destruction in Gaza.
Early steps of the recovery plan involve coordinating the delivery of aid, clearing rubble from main roads and institutions like hospitals, and re-establishing basic services like water, electricity, communication and sanitation in populated areas. The plan also looks to establish temporary housing for Gazans whose homes were destroyed and continue education for children.
NBC News video showed several armed Hamas militants on top of vehicles driving through crowds and celebrating the ceasefire deal after a three-hour delay. Israel delayed the ceasefire after it said Hamas had failed to produce the names of the first three hostages to be released.
Video and social media posts are showing International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles apparently on their way to pick up the Hamas three hostages.
We’re not expecting to hear any official comment from the Red Cross, who said they will not be commenting on operations. But things seem to be going according to schedule, after a week in which nothing has gone according to schedule. Things have been changing every hour.
In this case, Israeli officials have said that the hostages would not be released before 4 p.m. local time, and the reports of the Red Cross heading to pick up the hostages emerged just after 4 p.m.
The Israel Defense Forces have announced that operations in the occupied West Bank have been reinforced with additional combat soldiers for defensive and offensive operations. The move is part of the ceasefire agreement and Israel’s preparation for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The IDF says the troops will help establish additional checkpoints to thwart what it calls “terrorist activity and violent riots.” The ceasefire agreement stipulates that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be freed for every Israeli hostage released.
BASHAR TALEB Bashar Taleb / AFP via Getty Images
Bashar Taleb / AFP via Getty Images
Displaced Palestinians carried belongings as they walked through the devastation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, today after the ceasefire took effect.
Hamas has begun deploying thousands of Palestinian police officers in the Gaza Strip as it reopens offices and streets following the ceasefire deal, according to a statement released by the government’s media office this morning.
“We announce the beginning of deploying thousands of Palestinian police officers according to the government plan to maintain security and order in various governorates of the Gaza Strip, and municipalities have also begun to reopen and rehabilitate streets shortly after the ceasefire decision came into effect,” the office stated.
It added that Palestinian ministries and government institutions were “fully prepared” to begin working according to the government plan to implement all measures that “ensure the return of life to normal as soon as possible and gradually.”
The first trucks with aid from the World Food Programme have started crossing into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, carrying ready-to-eat parcels and wheat flour, the U.N. agency announced in a post on X.
The organization says it can provide more than 30,000 tons of food each month to reach more than 1 million people, and aims to deliver food daily along the crossing points into Gaza from Egypt, Jordan and Israel.
The WFP called for all border crossings to remain open and function efficiently.
OMAR AL-QATTAA / AFP – Getty Images
Jabalia, in northern Gaza, is one of the enclave’s historical refugee camps and had been under heavy Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.
After today’s Angelus prayer, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to the mediators of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. He said he hopes the hostages can finally return home and embrace their loved ones, and called for large quantities of aid to quickly reach the Gazans “who so urgently need it.”
He expressed hope for further dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, saying “I hope that the political authorities of both, with the help of the international community, can reach the right solution for the two states. Everyone can say: yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace. And let us pray for this: for dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”
Israel is expected to hand over the names of 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including women and children, who are set to be released today as part of the ceasefire agreement, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said in a statement.
The 90 names will come from a pre-agreed list of 120 prisoners, with the ceasefire agreement stipulating that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released for every one Israeli hostage. Three hostages are expected to be released today.
Large plumes of smoke were seen over northern and central Gaza after the expected start of the ceasefire was delayed for nearly three hours, but is now in effect.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli national security minister, resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government today in protest of the ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange.
The resignations represent a significant blow to Netanyahu, who relied on Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit Party to maintain his fragile coalition government. Two other two ministers from the Otzma Yehudit Party, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu, also tendered their resignations along with Ben-Gvir.
“A word is a word, we will not agree to a reckless deal. My friends in Otzma Yehudit and I submitted our resignation letters from the government and the coalition this morning,” Ben-Gvir posted on X today.
The minister had threatened to resign earlier this week, arguing that Netanyahu should “take steps” that would lead to the defeat of Hamas and the release of our hostages “without abandoning Israel’s security,” including completely stopping the transfer of humanitarian aid and fuel, electricity, and water to Gaza, along with continuing the military crushing of Hamas.
On Sunday, Ben-Gvir also urged the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in resigning from the government. “Although you did not help me prevent the first stage of the surrender deal, at least help me prevent its second stage,” he posted on X, adding that “we will return together only if the Prime Minister orders the IDF to return to a decisive war with force.” Smotrich has so far not resigned from his post.
Hamas has released the names of three hostages, all young women, who will be released today in the first part of the ceasefire agreement.
The Hostages Families Forum has released details on the three women, and said the organization “awaits their safe return to Israel to be reunited with their families after 471 days in Hamas captivity.”
Doron Steinbrecher, named by Hamas as Doron Shtanbar Khair, age 31, was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7. She works as a veterinary nurse, has two siblings, and loves sports and running. She is described as a devoted aunt who loves her nephews.
Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, Doron SteinbrecherThe Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Romi Gonen, age 24, was taken from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. She has four siblings, and friends and family say she is energetic, funny, family-oriented, and full of life, according to the Hostages Families Forum.
Emily Damari, age 28, is a British-Israeli citizen who was also taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7., along with her friends Gali and Ziv Berman and Doron Steinbrecher. Her friends describe as a key figure in the kibbutz’s youth community and a lover of barbecuing, karaoke and hats.
The Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, is prepared to receive the three hostages expected to be released from Gaza today, the facility said in a statement.
The medical center said it was “committed to preserving the dignity and privacy of the returning captives and their families.”
The Israeli military confirmed to NBC News it has halted military operations in Gaza under the ceasefire deal.
Asked to confirm whether military operations in Gaza had halted and whether a ceasefire was underway in the enclave, the IDF’s situation room said “yes.”
Israel had said the ceasefire was expected to come into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET) after an hourslong delay, but did not make an announcement at that time. Asked to confirm that a ceasefire was underway after 11:15 a.m., a spokesman for Netanyahu reiterated the expected start time.
At least 19 people were reported to have been killed and more than 36 injured in Gaza today after the ceasefire expected to go into effect this morning was delayed, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said.
At least nine deaths were reported in Gaza City and three deaths reported in the enclave’s north, Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in a statement published to Telegram.
Since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced Wednesday, fighting in Gaza and a series of deadly airstrikes have killed more than 115 people.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that attacks by Israeli forces this morning had injured one EMT, Maha Wafi, who was en route to evacuate the wounded in central Khan Younis. A PRCS ambulance was also reportedly damaged.
PRCS posted on X that its team at the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City had been at risk when the hospital came under attack by Israeli forces.
Israel’s military continued attacks on Gaza after Israeli officials had delayed the ceasefire’s original start time of 8:30 a.m. Israel said that the ceasefire would begin about three hours later, but it is unclear whether military operations had stopped by 11:15 a.m. as announced.
At least 95 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Kerem Shalom crossing this morning, according to the Cairo Press Center.
The trucks were being examined by Israeli authorities, and it is unclear how many trucks were allowed entry into Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza could be seen moving en masse across the enclave this morning in video captured by NBC News’ crew on the ground, appearing to be unaware that today’s expected ceasefire had been delayed.
Displaced Palestinians walking north from Gaza City today. OMAR AL-QATTAA / AFP – Getty Images
In video captured by NBC News’ crew, large crowds of families could be seen moving to the area of Rafah in southern Gaza mostly on foot, with one family riding on a cart pulled by a donkey. “To Rafah, to Rafah, inside, in Gaza,” a smiling young boy exclaims as he steers the cart.
Many appeared to be unaware that the ceasefire had in fact been delayed, with Israel saying it would not move forward until it had received the names of the three hostages expected to be released today. It later announced it had received the names but was still running checks on the information.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was continuing to strike parts of the enclave, with Gaza’s Civil Defense agency reporting at least 19 people killed since 8:30 a.m., when the ceasefire had originally been expected to get underway.
The first three female hostages to be released under the ceasefire deal are expected to be freed from Hamas captivity after 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) Israel has said.
The families of the hostages held in Gaza were updated with list of three names provided by Hamas to Israel this morning via mediators, the Coordinator for Hostages, Returnees, and Missing Persons in Netanyahu’s office said in a statement this morning.
Four additional living hostages are expected to be released in seven days, the statement said, adding that their families would be informed of the names of those to be released 24 hours prior to that date.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal will come into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET), Netanyahu’s office has said.
It comes after a delay to the ceasefire, which was initially scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET), with Israel attributing the delay to Hamas’ failure to provide a list of the names of the three hostages expected to be released today.
Hamas attributed the delay to “technical” difficulties on the ground, but said it had provided the list to mediators earlier this morning. Israel confirmed it had received the list shortly afterward but said it still needed to perform checks before the ceasefire could get underway.
Israel has received the list of the three female hostages expected to be released by Hamas today, but is still “checking the details” before a ceasefire can move forward, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said.
Netanyahu’s office said the families of the hostages named on the list had been informed through representatives of the IDF. But it urged caution in reporting the details of the list, saying “the security system is currently checking the details.”
It said more information would follow.
Israel has now received the names of the three female hostages who are due to be released first by Hamas, an official has confirmed.
They are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, the official said. All three are civilians.
Hamas’ military spokesman listed the same names in a public statement earlier this morning.
Hamas has provided the list of the three hostages who were expected to be released today to mediators, but the list has yet to be received by the Israeli side, an Israeli official told NBC News.
It is not clear when the list is expected to be provided to Israel. Israeli officials have said a ceasefire will not take place until they have the list.
Hamas confirmed it handed the list over to mediators.
Hamas has released the names of the three female hostages expected to be released in today’s ceasefire once it takes effect.
They are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, according to Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military arm, in a statement published on Telegram just now.
Israeli officials have yet to confirm that the list has been received, with Netanyahu spokesman David Mencer telling NBC News there was “nothing to confirm officially at this time” ahead of Hamas’ statement.
Israel announced that the ceasefire expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET) today had been delayed after saying the list of the three names of the first hostages to be released had not been received from Hamas.
At least ten people were reported to have been killed in Gaza in the hour after the ceasefire expected to go into effect this morning was delayed, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said.
At least five deaths were reported in Gaza City with three deaths reported in the enclave’s north, with more than 25 people injured, Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in a statement published to Telegram this morning.
He said that death toll had been recorded between the time the ceasefire was expected to be “implemented” at around 8:30 a.m. this morning local time (1:30 a.m. ET) and 9:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET.)
It came as the IDF said it continued to strike parts of Gaza in northern and central areas of the enclave under the delay in the ceasefire taking effect.
It was not immediately clear how many Palestinians in Gaza would have been aware of the delay, with a limited lack of access to the internet and cell service under Israel’s offensive. NBC News’ crew on the ground reported that many Palestinians had begun looking to move north after the time the ceasefire was expected to go into effect.
Several people were killed and injured by Israeli forces as the fighting in Gaza continued shortly after Israel announced a delay in implementing a ceasefire.
NBC News crews on the ground saw at least three people dead and dozens injured at a hospital in Gaza City, and received reports of shooting and injuries in Rafah, in the enclave’s south.
Earlier, thousands of people had begun returning to areas of the Gaza Strip, including Rafah and Jabalia, in anticipation of the ceasefire and expected withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Hundreds of trucks to be used to bring aid into Gaza were seen heading toward border crossings this morning, shortly after Israeli officials said the ceasefire was delayed.
NBC News crews saw the trucks going toward the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel and the Rafah crossing with Egypt this morning.
A surge in humanitarian aid is a key part of the agreement, and it is unclear how the delay in the ceasefire will affect the entry of aid into Gaza today.
Just minutes after announcing that a ceasefire deal with Hamas was delayed, Israel said it had continued striking targets in Gaza.
The strikes by artillery and aircraft were carried out in northern and central Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
“The IDF remains ready in defense and offense and will not allow any harm to the citizens of Israel,” it said.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was delayed from going into effect Sunday morning in the Gaza Strip after Israeli officials said Hamas had yet to provide a list of names of the hostages it planned to release under the truce deal agreed days ago.
The ceasefire deal was expected to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET). But Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in an on-camera statement around that time that under the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the ceasefire would not take effect “as long as Hamas fails to fulfill its commitments.”
“The IDF continues its operations inside the Gaza area at this moment, as long as Hamas does not adhere to the agreement and with all that it entails,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the nation’s armed forces that the 8:30 a.m. Sunday local time (1:30 a.m. ET) start of the ceasefire will not begin as scheduled until Israel gets a list of hostages to be freed under the deal with Hamas militants.
After a “security situation assessment” focused on the delay by Hamas to provide a list of hostages, Netanyahu ordered Israel Defense Forces to forgo the ceasefire for the time being, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office released the morning the plan was to go into effect.
“The Prime Minister instructed the IDF that the ceasefire, which is supposed to go into effect at 8:30, will not begin until Israel has the list of freed hostages, which Hamas has pledged to provide,” the office said.
On Sunday, Hamas blamed the delay on “technical reasons in the field,” and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. It would come more than two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel and the latter’s response in the form of all-out war on the militant group in neighboring Gaza.
The long-awaited ceasefire, desired by the administration of President Joe Biden as he bids farewell to the White House this weekend, was approved by the Israeli government just after midnight on Saturday.
Two Israeli Americans are among the 33 Israeli hostages who were scheduled to be released from Gaza on Sunday as part of the ceasefire agreement.
