Important Takeaways:
- The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect Sunday morning, and just hours later, Israel welcomed its first three released hostages back home.
- Joy and tears filled the air as Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher, and Romi Gonen returned to Israel, reuniting with family and friends.
- As the three women arrived at Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, the crowd erupted in celebration.
- Juli Jerbi, a friend of released hostage Emily Damari, expressed the overwhelming emotion of the moment: “Our hearts are bursting, exploding. She looks just like she did when she left, as special and beautiful as she is.”
- Inside Sheba Medical Center, medical professionals took charge.
- Encouraging Israelis, he added, “Our mission is not over until every single hostage comes home.”
- Even in their final moments in Gaza, the three women endured psychological torment. Hamas gunmen, along with hundreds of Gazan civilians, surrounded their convoy, shouting at them.
- Before their release, Hamas handed them gift bags containing “Certificates of Release,” a map of Gaza, and photos of their time in captivity.
- The women were then transferred to the Red Cross, which transported them into the hands of Israeli forces.
- Meanwhile, the ceasefire also allowed Hamas to reassert control in Gaza. As soon as the agreement took effect, armed Hamas fighters emerged from hiding and flooded the streets, declaring their victory over Israel.
- Shortly after Hamas freed the three hostages, Israel began releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners, with hundreds more expected to be freed in the coming weeks. Among them are terrorists responsible for deadly attacks on Israeli civilians, one of the most frightening realities for many Israelis.
- However, Senator Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina, remains firm in his belief that Hamas’ victory declaration will not last.
- The head of Hamas’ military wing released a video urging Palestinians in the West Bank (biblical Judea and Samaria) to escalate attacks against Israel.
- Graham argues that Israel, with U.S. support, must act swiftly to confront an even larger danger: Iran’s growing nuclear ambitions.
- “I am hoping there will be an effort by Israel to decimate the Iran nuclear program, supported by the United States. And if we don’t do that, it’ll be a historical mistake.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Mediators reported Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire deal, pausing the 15-month war against the terrorist rulers of the Gaza Strip.
- Once the Netanyahu government approves the deal, 33 of the nearly 100 remaining hostages are to be reunited with their loved ones over the next six weeks. The hostages have been held in brutal conditions since October of 2023 with no access to medical inspection and no contact with the outside world. It’s unclear how many of them are still alive.
- The deal is being rolled out in three phases.
- The first phase is six weeks long:
- It allows 33 hostages to be returned to their families — although it’s unclear how many are still alive.
- The IDF would also pull back from population centers to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and receive an influx of aid.
- Phase two is considered the most difficult. It includes the release of all remaining hostages and the IDF’s withdrawal from Gaza.
- The third phase calls for the start of major reconstruction inside the Gaza Strip.
- President Issac Herzog addressed the nation late Wednesday.
- “As the President of the State of Israel, I say in the clearest terms: This is the right move. This is an important move. This is a necessary move. There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us—whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest,” he said.
- Herzog continued, “Let there be no illusions. This deal—when signed, approved, and implemented—will bring with it deeply painful, challenging, and harrowing moments. It will also present significant challenges. This is not a simple situation; it is among the greatest challenges we have ever known.”
- “Today, as the President of the State of Israel, I pledge: We will continue to act with all our might until every stage of the deal is realized and the last captive returns. We will not rest or relent until all our sons and daughters are back home,” he added.
- Retired Israeli General Amir Avivi, founder and chairman of the Defense and Security Forum… believes it’s possible the deal could break down before all the hostages return.
- “But if this happens and we don’t get all the hostages, the pressure on Hamas needs to be huge,” he cautioned. “Stopping humanitarian aid, attacking, firstly, eliminating all the leaders of Hamas outside of Gaza, deporting them from Qatar.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Agreement says 33 hostages are expected to be released over 42 days
- Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire deal that also ensures the release of hostages, Fox News has confirmed.
- “A Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was reached following the Qatari Prime Minister’s meeting with Hamas negotiators, and separately Israeli negotiators in his office,” a source briefed on the matter told Fox News
- The conflict, which began with Hamas’ brutal attacks on October 7, 2023, has left over 1,200 Israelis dead, more than 250 taken hostage, and thousands of others killed on both sides.
- President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened last week if a deal wasn’t struck before his Inauguration Day that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East, quickly offered his praise.
- The deal, brokered by Qatari negotiators and facilitated by Egyptian intermediaries, also saw significant involvement from the United States. Both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration applied strategic pressure to finalize the agreement, despite concerns about Hamas re-arming and internal tensions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
- The agreement calls for the release of three hostages on the first day, followed by weekly batches. Women, children, and men over 50 will be prioritized initially, with younger men in humanitarian cases included later. Updates on hostages’ statuses will alternate between announcements of survivors and confirmation of those who did not survive captivity.
- Approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be freed in exchange, with murder convicts barred from returning to the West Bank. Instead, they will be sent to Gaza, Qatar, or Turkey.
- The cease-fire will also facilitate significant humanitarian aid to Gaza, with up to 600 trucks of supplies entering daily. By the 22nd day, displaced residents will be allowed to return to northern Gaza. Qatari and Egyptian teams will manage vehicle inspections, while pedestrian crossings will not require checks. The IDF will withdraw from the Nitzarim corridor but maintain a limited presence along the Philadelphi Route.
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Important Takeaways:
- No final answer was given from Hamas regarding a hostage deal, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
- Earlier, the Associated Press reported, citing two officials involved in the negotiations, that Hamas has agreed to the proposed ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of numerous hostages.
- According to the report, an Israeli official noted that while progress had been made, the final details were still under discussion.
- “We have handed over drafts of the ceasefire agreement to both sides, and talks are now ongoing on the final detail,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday.
- “We have overcome the major differences. This is the closest point we have been to a deal over the past months,” the statement added.
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Important Takeaways:
- Both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Trump’s people are pushing hard for a hostage deal and ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Many in Israel see reports about this possible deal as excruciating.
- The ceasefire-hostage deal is still up in the air, but the U.S. is talking optimistically.
- Media reports indicate 33 hostages would be released at the start of the deal, but Israel’s government is not sure how many of those will be live hostages.
- The release of more would be negotiated in later stages. Israel appears ready to sign the deal, but whether Hamas will is unknown.
- Some hostage families and their allies have marched in Jerusalem to protest any deal that doesn’t free all the hostages at once and in which Israel gives up hope of crushing Hamas in Gaza.
- Protester Tamar Gesundheit appealed, “Please President Trump, do not pressure us to give into Hamas. Pressure them to give into us.”
- Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Gaza, and the Houthis fired missiles at Israel again overnight.
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Important Takeaways:
- After all the talk about hostage talks over the past year, it appears that a deal may really happen before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.
- Trump is repeating for emphasis what he’s said will happen if Hamas doesn’t free all the hostages.
- “If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East and it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out,” the president-elect said on a podcast Tuesday with conservative Hugh Hewitt.
- Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy in the next administration, remarked about Trump, “What he said, he expects. The red lines he’s put out there – that’s driving this negotiation.”
- Trump expressed anger about how Hamas has treated the hostages.
- “That beautiful girl where they (Hamas) threw her in the car, pulled her by her ponytail, and threw her in the car like she was a sack of potatoes,” he recalled. I said, what happened to her? So, she’s dead. Like a 19, 20-year-old beautiful girl.”
- Trump added, “They should have never taken them. There should have never been the attack of October 7th.”
- Witkoff’s taking part indirectly in the hostage talks in Doha, Qatar.
- “I think that we’ve had some really great progress,” Witkoff stated. “And I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural we’ll have some good things to announce.”
- Israel is taking part in the task force, and the only hold-up seems to be the unreasonable demands by Hamas.
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Important Takeaways:
- IDF is continuing to find weapons depots, Hamas terrorists, and tunnels. Hamas’ military abilities cannot be defeated as quickly as critics of the IDF strategy would like to believe.
- The Israeli military announced it had carried out airstrikes against over 100 targets, including Hamas terrorists and rocket launching sites.
- For over a year, Israel has staged a massive military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Its stated goals are to remove Hamas as a governing power in the territory and release all the hostages.
- Thousands of Israelis rallied on Saturday evening to protest the government and pressure it to reach a deal with Hamas.
- …The IDF also continued to operate in the north of the territory.
- “The area consists of structures overlooking Israeli territory and serves as a central terror hub containing anti-tank firing positions, booby traps, shafts, numerous explosives, and launch sites for targeting Israeli territory,” read a statement by the army.
- In addition, the army continues to control the Philadephi and Netzarim corridors in southern and central Gaza, respectively, aimed at blocking Hamas from being able to re-arm and re-position itself.
- …according to Shamir, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University
- “Hamas had over twenty years to accumulate a massive amount of firepower, dispersing it in many areas, including in its widespread underground tunnel network,” Shamir told The Media Line. “Combined with other terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), it had approximately 30,000 fighters. This could take two to three years to get rid of.”
- “There is an estimated 40% of the tunnels still remaining, hundreds of kilometers of tunnels the Israeli intelligence was not aware of,” said Yoni Ben Menachem, an expert of Middle Eastern affairs from Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told The Media Line. “There are still very long tunnels that Israel has yet to have located, some of them with hostages inside. This requires a very big operation and a massive amount of explosives that Israel currently does not possess.”
- Hamas stunned Israel on October 7th, 2023, when it attacked the south of the country in a rampage that killed approximately 1200 Israelis and wounded thousands more. It also took approximately 250 people hostage, 100 still in captivity.
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Important Takeaways:
- With Hezbollah in Lebanon disabled and Hamas’ strength waning, Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching missiles at Israel, and Israel is striking back.
- Israeli airstrikes pounded the rebel regime in Yemen early Thursday after the Houthis launched another missile at Israel – one of several fired at the Jewish state in recent days.
- Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to huddle with top officials to discuss a hostage deal that may be fast approaching.
- A Palestinian negotiator told the BBC the talks are in the final stage. Though issues remain, it may include a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas would free 30 of the remaining 100 hostages.
- IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said from Gaza that Israeli troops continue to do their part there.
- “We are exerting pressure on Hamas daily, driving it into greater distress, to ensure the return of the 100 hostages,” Halevi said.
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Important Takeaways:
- The supreme leader of Iran, which backs the Hamas and Hezbollah militants fighting Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, said Monday that death sentences should be issued for Israeli leaders, not arrest warrants.
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was commenting on a decision last week by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.
- “They issued an arrest warrant. That’s not enough. … Death sentence must be issued for these criminal leaders,” Khamenei said, referring to Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant.
- In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza.”
- The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which called it shameful and absurd.
- Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies committing war crimes in Gaza.
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Important Takeaways:
- How long will it take to unwind the Biden-Harris Middle East policy? About five minutes, according to Mike Huckabee.
- The former Arkansas governor-turned-U.S. ambassador to Israel nominee suggested that President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office would signal a dramatic change, bringing unwavering loyalty to Israel while “taking the money tree” away from terrorist groups.
- “To be fair, sometimes Joe Biden has been very supportive of Israel, and we’ve heard often he and Blinken and others talk about the ironclad relationship [between Israel and the United States], and then the next day, we would hear pressure on Israel not to continue their efforts against Hamas. You’re thinking, ‘well, why wouldn’t you continue your efforts against people who massacred innocent civilians and just had a bloodthirsty attitude about it?'”
- “The fact remains that the real problem here is not Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthis. It’s Iran,” Huckabee told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Monday.
- “They’re the ones who fund it [terrorism], and when the Biden administration reversed the maximum pressure campaign that was effectively shutting down Iran’s ability to have money to fund this nonsense, that’s what changed everything, so I expect the president [Trump] will put the maximum pressure back on Iran, and that’s going to take the money tree away from some of these terrorist groups and make it much harder for them to do their incredibly horrible and dastardly deeds of murdering civilians.”
- More shakeups will come with the changing of the guard, Huckabee insisted, as he weighed in on Trump’s Cabinet nominees thus far.
- “[They are] disruptors, people who don’t come just to oil the machinery of DC, and if there ever was a time when this country needed a disruption in the ebb and flow of the unit party, the deep state, the establishment, call it what you will call it, the swamp, the sewer [it’s now]… this president has putting together a team that is going to be disruptive to Washington, but restorative to the American families living out here in the middle of the country. That’s why he was overwhelmingly elected, and it’s why there is a solid mandate that he carries into office on January 20th.”
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