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7 hours agoDavid E. SangerEphrat Livni and Aaron Boxerman
Here’s the latest.
After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a long-awaited breakthrough that could point toward an end to the two-year war in Gaza.
President Trump, who helped broker the deal, announced on social media Wednesday that both sides had agreed to the first phase of his plan, including that Israel would pull back their troops to an agreed upon line. Qatar, one of the countries helping negotiate, and Hamas also indicated in statements that the deal would allow for the entry of aid into Gaza.
7 hours agoIsabel Kershner
Netanyahu described the agreement as “a critical turning point,” as well as “a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory” for Israel, in a new statement. He also thanked President Trump for “his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages.”
7 hours agoIsabel Kershner
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has spoken with President Trump and thanked him for his efforts and his “world leadership,” according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. “The two held a very emotional and warm conversation and congratulated each other on the historic achievement,” the statement said. Netanyahu has invited the U.S. president to address the Israeli Parliament, the statement added.
7 hours agoYara Bayoumy
The hostage release is expected as soon as this weekend and preparations are already underway, an official familiar with details of the deal said.
8 hours agoPranav Baskar
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in statement pos
ted to X on Wednesday the agreement had provoked “a mix of excitement, anticipation, and concern” among its members. The group expressed “profound gratitude” to President Trump, and called on the Israeli government to “convene immediately” to approve the agreement. “Any delay could exact a heavy toll on the hostages and soldiers,” the group wrote.
8 hours agoIsabel Kershner
It is nearly 3 a.m. in Israel and all the main television channels here are broadcasting live, though they usually shut down for the night around midnight. Tearful relatives of hostages and former hostages were posting emotional and joyful videos on social media. “That’s it, it’s over!” Meirav Gilboa-Dalal, the mother of hostage Guy Gilboa Dallal, 24, told Channel 12 News as family members cheered in the background.
8 hours agoFarnaz Fassihi
Iran had said earlier this week in a statement from its foreign ministry that it would support any decision made by Palestinians and their “resistance groups” as they negotiated with Israel on a Trump cease-fire plan. Iran has for years armed and funded Hamas as part of a regional policy that boosted regional militant groups known as the “axis of resistance’ to fight Israel. In the past two years, Israel has decimated groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Now if a cease-fire holds in Gaza, and Hamas disarms or retreats, it would deliver yet another blow to Iran’s regional strategy.
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Katya Emelianova kneels beside a portrait of a loved one at a memorial to victims, soldiers, and hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday.Credit…David Guttenfelder/The New York Times
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