Hamas and Tel Aviv have reached an agreement on releasing several hostages within the next week in exchange for mobile homes and construction equipment entering the Strip.
On Tuesday, Hamas announced they would release six living and four dead Israeli hostages this week. The four deceased Israelis will have their remains returned on Thursday, and the other six captives will be released Saturday.
The AP reports the new agreement came after Hamas received significant pressure from Egypt to release the captives. Under the initial deal, three of the six living Israelis were scheduled to be released next week.
Hamas says Israel agreed to allow mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza. Under the initial agreement, Tel Aviv pledged to allow construction equipment for clearing rubble and 60,000 pre-build homes and 200,000 tents to enter Gaza. Additionally, Haaretz reports that Tel Aviv agreed to release Palestinians who were freed as a part of a prisoner swap in 2011 but were rearrested by Israel.
Israeli officials confirmed the new deal with Hamas. The source added Israel expects four more dead hostages to be released next week. The dead Israelis include Kfir and Ariel Bibas, aged four and nine months, when they were taken by Hamas. The armed group says they were killed by an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli outlets reported that Israel used multiple bunker-buster bombs to target Hamas in tunnels below Gaza. Tel Aviv knew the large bombs would create a chemical reaction that could lead to the deaths of those in the tunnels. Some Israeli hostages were killed by asphyxiation.
The ceasefire deal has been in jeopardy of failing over the past week. Israel has largely failed to allow the aid into Gaza, according to Israeli officials. While Hamas has upheld its end of the deal in releasing hostages, last week, the armed group threatened to pause freeing Israeli captives until Tel Aviv was abiding by the deal.
President Donald Trump quickly escalated his rhetoric. He said he would support Tel Aviv breaking the ceasefire and unleashing “hell” on the Palestinians if all Israeli hostages were not released by last Saturday at noon.
Even after the six living Israeli hostages are released later this week, Hamas will still hold over 59 Israeli captives, although about 30 are estimated to be dead, who are scheduled to be released during Phase 2 of the deal.
However, the deal appears increasingly less likely to reach its second step. The Israeli Prime Minister has so far refused to engage in talks to hammer out the details of Phase 2, which is scheduled to begin the first week of March.
On Sunday, sources reported that Hamas was prepared to allow the rival faction, the Palestinian Authority, to take over Gaza. The PA is permitted by Tel Aviv to have some control over the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly rejected that proposal, saying the PA or Hamas would not be allowed to control the West Bank, adding he is committed to President Donald Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from Gaza. “I’m committed to US President Donald Trump’s plan to create a different Gaza,” he said Monday.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly rejected that proposal, saying the PA or Hamas would not be allowed to control the West Bank, adding he is committed to President Donald Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from Gaza. “I’m committed to US President Donald Trump’s plan to create a different Gaza,” he said Monday.
The gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, President
BidenTrump.Trump dazzles the people with a lot of stuff being uncovered so that they will eventually be on board with the Gaza Riviera.
Art of the deal or a good con.
Trump let a NAZI from apartheid South Africa buy his way into the oval office.
Any surprise in his beachfront idea?
I have family members I could not and cannot get through to that Trump is one evil SOB who does not give a damn about them.
That has more to do with the Adelsons, IMO.
But Israel and apartheid S Africa were kindred souls.
Israel colaborated with South Africa’s apartheid leaders | The Big Picture
In the 1970s and 80s, Israel developed a cosy relationship with apartheid leaders in South Africa – selling them weapons to suppress the Black population, and drawing inspiration from the Bantustans for their own oppression of Palestinians.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b0lfF9iu7pA
Tell me again why Hamas kidnapped a 4 year and a 9 month old child.
Tell me why Israel murdered 710 babies below the age of one
1,793 toddlers (1-3 years old)
1,205 preschoolers (4-5 years old)?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/10/8/know-their-names-palestinian-families-killed-in-israeli-attacks-on-gaza
This has been asked and answered many times. As you know Israeli sources and media are slowly divulging that Israeli commanders ordered the killing of those going back to Gaza including Israeli captives. No more denying of that. However, I digress.
To answer your question: Due to the cowardly retreat of the Israeli army the Palestinian resistance found itself in control of much more territory and people than they wanted. After the initial cowardly shock of the army things got chaotic and civilians were brought back into Gaza perhaps by Hamas, the other factions and regular Gazans whose minds were blown away that that they penetrated the open air prison that was supposed to be invincible. Hamas in the first several days offered to release all civilians and foreign nationals, however, Israel which was still seething with its blood thirsty and maniacal vengeance would not stop slaughtering innocent civilians. Hamas said they were unintentionally taken in the chaos and had no use for them (which turned out to be true because they had to feed and protect them from Israeli bombs). Hamas had enough soldiers and high ranking military officials to get a pretty good captive swap. Seeing that Israel was unhinged, Hamas decided no one will come out unless by negotiations.
Unfortunately, according to Hamas those two children were killed by Israeli bombings. Surely Israel knew that if it used 2000 pound bombs on the tunnels they would be endangering the Israelis captives.
Final question. Why did Israel kill thousands of children under 5 years old even before October 7th?
@warsrus:disqus@existentialdread:disqus
Amazing. You are asked a simple question that addresses the cruel nature of your heroes of Hamas. Your convoluted answer tells me that you support their actions. No surprise I guess.
I am glad you're amazed. And since truth has no place in your dictionary, I'll give you the simplistic soundbite you so crave.
"War is hell. Bad things happen in war. When you dispossess and oppress an entire population, blow back and the death of innocents are the unfortunate outcome."
Unlike the zio-Fascists we believe those Israeli children are innocent. In fact they are born Muslim and with a good natural disposition. It's their parents and facsist society that brainwashes and makes them hate us for just existing.
@warsrus:disqus@disqus_lbkuZ0DrY6:disqus @
War is hell indeed. Bad things happen. When you launch a genocidal attack on peaceful, innocent men, women and children as Hamas did on October 7, expect Israel to respond. When you kidnap old women and babies, expect Israel to respond. When you hide your weapons in schools, mosques and hospitals and when your fighters hide underground while leaving civilians above ground, do not expect Israel to surrender. And when you lose the war and have caused the utter destruction of your society, don’t come crying to the rest of the world (again) about how you have been victimized. You are the source of your own misery.
Blah, Blah, Blah…. I see a lot of projection here. We have heard and lived with this racist mentality for decades. I take it you and @disqus_lbkuZ0DrY6:disqus and most of the other Israeli supporters are pretty up there in age.
Humble yourself and understand that our new generations are not the generation of our parents, who through no fault of their own were victims of Israel's establishment.
You live in this outdated Sharon-mentality that you use violence against the Arabs and they will cower in submission. This generation has broken that "fear" long ago. That is why you term the Hamas operation as genocidal when you know very well that all this is blowback for the inhumanity your kind has brought on the indigenous population.
Stop projecting. Yes we are victims but as a people we live with dignity. Just because we expect the rest of the world to live up to its own claims of International law and human rights, doesn't mean we are playing victims. And I guess if you mean the pathetic representatives of the PA who cry like wimps, they are just like their zio-masters.
Actually the world is coming to the Palestinians saying we failed you, how do you stand up to such hatred, what makes you so resilient in the face of so much devastation?
You're so deluded that you can't understand what Israel has done to itself since October 7th. It seems you don't understand what is transpiring in the Arab world since Oct. 7th. Arab and Muslim youth all over the world saw Palestinian resistance fighters run up to TANKS! and place explosives and get away. They saw Palestinian fighters attack Israeli encampments while barefooted as they popped up behind a sand dune. Washington knows that the Arab world is on the verge of an explosion and that's why they're trying to rein in the crazed Israelis. If you only know the training, preparations, recruitment, bomb making, rocket making and drone building going on in the lands surrounding Israel, you would drop dead on the spot from a heart attack. It is terrifying.
And the only thing that can stop it is for decent people like you to say "not in my name" and then WORK to bring justice to those who have been wronged.
This is one thing I never understood about my cousins. They went down a dark path and they have lost so much hope in themselves that they can't see themselves rehabilitate and so they convince themselves they are righteous, they are chosen, they are justified in all that they do.
Honestly its a pathetic existence they live. A dumb settler fanatic gave it away in a debate I saw a while back. He was ranting and raving how his people were chosen and its their land, etc. When he was confronted with the basic facts on the ground and what was being done to those Palestinians next door to him in a moment of reality, he blurts out something to the effect of "I know you (Palestinians) are paying for our conflicted self aware hypocrisy." Because just before that he was saying how much he loved his Palestinian neighbors whose land he just had stolen.
It reminds me of the Mel Brooks film "History of the World" where the King Louis XVI character says "I love my people. Pull!" as he has one of his people catapulted as target practice for his skeet shooting.
@warsrus:disqus@disqus_lbkuZ0DrY6:disqus@existentialdread:disqus@disqus_yQfZ1jQKBt:disqus@disqus_ipWRUhe2NG:disqus
I imagine there are few things on which we will agree. You frequently call Israel a “settler colonial” project. Here lies the difference between us. You are unable to admit that Jews are indigenous to that land and that their presence predated the Arabs and Muslims by 1500 years. I agree that the Palestinians have a claim as well. There was a very powerful peace movement in Israel that wanted to see two states living in peace side by side. Unfortunately this feeling was not reciprocated and we are here today with little hope for any sort of peace. If the Palestinians want a bright and prosperous future for their children, they will need to discard their hatred of the Yahood and come to terms with the presence of Israel in the Middle East. Do not count on your Arab brethren who have only contempt for you. If Israelis see that the Palestinians truly want peace, they will happily reciprocate. Until that happens, expect only more misery. I know what I would want for my children.
Still talking from your haughty high horse. Of course Jews are indigenous to the land. Their indigeneity does not detract from our narrative in the least. Even the ethnically diluted ones who if they were "pure" semites wouldn't look like Nazi Aryan propaganda posters are still "Jews." Although, they would look like me. Zionism utilized western constructs of nationalism, secularism and liberalism to undermine judaism. In that sense it's a "colonial settler" project.
Regardless, the Middle East has been a melting pot of converging and diverging ethnicities. The Arabs and Hebrews have common roots. You are just wrong when you say their presence predated the Arabs. However, even that is irrelevant. You have no clue how we classify Arabs in history. We believe Prophet Muhammad was descended from tribes that were "Arabized." They weren't originally "Arabs" either by "Ethnicity" or "tongue." In addition, for the sake of argument even if the "Hebrews" were first, so what? What difference does that make? Their identity crisis whether religious or secular has nothing to do with us Arabs and Muslims. Our religion doesn't make us superior by ethnicity or nationality. The best of humans are those who are most virtuous and live up to those moral standards and rise up above racism ethnicity and nationality. Our problem is over the exclusivity of what Israel stands for against the very indigenous populations that didn't hurt Jews, but rather protected and treated them with decency.
And stop lying about this myth that there was a strong peace movement. Israel by birth has been an expansionist policy trying to uproot the Palestinians because they happened to be in its way. Under the Labor Party the left built settlements, the left killed Palestinians, the Left expanded Israeli territory. The peace movement was a figment of someone's imagination. Through the reslience of the Palestinians we exposed Israel for what it is, and the peace movement was just a fig leaf to try to cover up for the monster that is Israel. Don't misunderstand. There are many individuals who truly want peace and I consider them my friends.
The spectrum of Palestinian politics from the left to the "Islamists" have been ready to stop the bloodshed for a viable state. The difference is Israel needs to delegitimize our narrative in order to justify killing and displacing us. I believe the Zionist narrative is wrong, but I have no interest in demonizing them over it. That is the difference between us. I can believe the land is all mine but I am willing to live in peace and defer the ultimate solution to future generations. Your narrative requires my erasure. My narrative does not.
And stop with your racist tropes. I hate it that in order for my children and grandchildren to have a better future, live in peace and prosper they have to take up arms and throw off the yoke of tyranny and racism that tells them Jews are superior to them. And what are children but extensions of ourselves. They come from us. They are the only humans that we want that they should be better than ourselves. If I can't live under tyranny why should I raise them to accept their own subjugation.
And you delude yourself when you say we hate the yehud. We believe they can be good or bad. We fight the ones who wronged us and continue to do so and those who support them. In the Quran God praises them and condemns them based on their actions. They are humans just like the rest of us. In fact many Muslim scholars make the point that the examples of Jewish transgressions and haughtiness is not for us to gloat but to take heed and learn lessons not to deny God. The Zionist movement in so many ways is an expression of Jewish despair. They undermined their religion, made Jews less safe and caused others to resent them.
And stop twisting the truth and attempting to divide us. Arabs like anyone else have their traitors and the governments don't represent the aspirations of their populations. However, the Arab people support Palestine and Palestinians unconditionally.
And you seem to think that being homeless, cold, hungry, blockaded is misery. You are wrong. Misery is to hate other human beings for no good reason. Misery is to delude oneself of some superiority complex and then cry tears when the slightest attack devastates your world. Misery is to build a mighty tank and have it destroyed by an ant. Just because you are miserable you want the rest of us to be miserable.
A great scholar once said "What can my enemies do to me? My paradise is in my heart. If they imprison me, it is my seclusion with my Lord. If they exile me, it is a journey in the path of God. And if they kill me, it is martyrdom."
Since I didn't create myself, I for one will not belittle myself by turning against He who created me, and succumb to misery.
Finally, your vision only condemns your progeny to misery, even if you won't be around to see it. @warsrus:disqus@existentialdread:disqus@oded_samuel:disqus@disqus_ipWRUhe2NG:disqus@disqus_lbkuZ0DrY6:disqus@disqus_yQfZ1jQKBt:disqus
When you launch a genocidal attack
And when you respond with something that dwarfs that "genocidal attack" beyond anyone's imagination, what do you call that? By the way, there was over 300 Israeli security personal present at that music festival. Whether they were on duty is irrelevant because Israel's rules of engagement allows the IDF to kill Hamas whether they're on duty or eating dinner with their family. And Israels rules of engagement allows for 300 civilians to be killed to kill one Hamas battalion commander, so the music festival would have been fair game for the moral IDF.
And did you see the news coming out ever so consistently that Israel commanders ordered the killing of those going back to Gaza whether Palestinians or Israelis. They kill their own out of failure, cowardice and treachery and blame the other side. @oded_samuel:disqus@disqus_lbkuZ0DrY6:disqus
It wasn't a simple question. It was an attempt to single out Hamas as if those kidnappings were somehow proof that Hamas is more terroristic than Israel. They aren't. No one is.
You're right on top of Hamas' atrocities while ignoring Israel's atrocities that make Hamas' atrocities look so much less atrocious in comparison because of the sheer numbers of atrocities committed by Israel in comparison to Hamas.
Tell me again why the IDF shoots children and babies in the head and then celebrates but leaves it for the Israel propaganda machine to blame it all on Hamas. Israel has been killing men, women, children and animals since 1948 – so yes tell me again that the Palestinians are not allowed to defend themselves from a none human beast?
Cease Fire and exit stage right or left! (Israel)
Backstage exit, follow the fire exit signs, watch your ass because I’m not, I’ve got things to do…..
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/nobombs/?sourceid=1003452&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAqXRb9pGVF4M8etRRWx90Njju5IL3&gclid=CjwKCAiAn9a9BhBtEiwAbKg6fl76ZKgNeYZNQs8F7HmQim3YEMtvdIaimExV_goKnWhs6tQZT_O9ThoC5tMQAvD_BwE#donate