Israel-Hamas delegations in Egypt discuss conditions for hostage release in Gaza

The families of the Israeli hostages gathered this evening in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence for a prayer on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Einav Zangauker, the mother of the 25-year-old hostage Matan Zangauker, recited a prayer for the hostages, asking God to "break their chains, release them from their anguish and quickly bring them back to the embrace of their families". This year Sukkot coincides with the second anniversary of the 7 October massacre. The families of the hostages said that this day marks "another Jewish holiday without their loved ones". In a statement the families of the hostages stressed today that they "will not rest" until the last hostage returns home.

"I am optimistic. We are on a good path - it is a long prepared process, also with German help. I hope that by next week a first understanding will be reached - ceasefire, release of hostages and humanitarian aid for Gaza. The possibility is there'.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said this from Tel Aviv, speaking to Bild. Wadephul thanked US President Donald Trump for his political weight, but warned that "many details remain to be negotiated". Wadephul urged Hamas to seize the opportunity and release all hostages immediately: 'If they want the good of the Palestinians, they must act now'.

'We will be careful, we always worry, there are no specific alarm signals but the attention is very high'. This was said by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi to Cinque Minuti when speaking about tomorrow, especially in Rome. On the case of Bologna, he explained: 'We are always very cautious about banning demonstrations for ideological reasons, but to glorify 7 October is to make an apologia for a terrorist act. That theme also recalls the violent people who then carry out the devastation, which is why we have banned it to some extent'.

"It must be the right time. The path is still all uphill. The pitfalls are many. The real will to solve them is not quite there. But there is also a lot of fatigue. There is also popular pressure, including international pressure, as well as pressure from the United States. And this makes one think that perhaps it is something new anyway'. Thus, in an interview with Tg3, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, responds on Trump's peace plan for Gaza and whether it is the right time for him, two years after 7 October.

Il patriarca latino di Gerusalemme, l'arcivescovo Pierbattista Pizzaballa. EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which they discussed events in the Middle East, the Kremlin said today. "Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. The current developments in the Middle East were discussed in detail, including in the context of the plan presented by the US president for the normalisation of the Gaza Strip. Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's unwavering position in favour of a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on a known international legal basis,' the statement read.

"Should these reports be confirmed, they will add to the shame on those who accused us of self-sabotage. We hope that all this information will be taken into consideration by the prosecutors, also because of the complaint made to the public prosecutor's office'. Thus the spokeswoman of the Global Movement to Gaza, Maria Elena Delia, on the news spread by foreign media according to which Netanyahu ordered a drone attack on the Flotilla on 8 and 9 September against two boats moored in Tunisia.

A senior US official, on condition of anonymity, told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that Washington wants to reach an agreement on its proposal to end the war in Gaza this week. The official added that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not leave Egypt without an agreement.

Washington is aiming for an agreement this week on its proposal to end the war between Israel and Hamas. This was announced by a senior US official quoted by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. According to the same source, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not leave Egypt without an agreement, reports the Times of Israel.

Since Friday evening, when Hamas declared it was ready to release the hostages (with conditions), Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has been in constant contact with far-right ministers who oppose ending the war in Gaza. The prime minister met with Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for two hours immediately after the end of Shabbat, and in the following days he constantly updated them. Leftist leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz warned the two hawks that they will not allow them to sabotage the agreement. "Make no mistake: we have a long and complex road ahead of us until all our hostages are released and the Hamas regime is replaced," said Gantz. And Lapid, who first informed the US of his support for the plan, made it clear that his Yesh Atid (There is Future) party will provide the premier with a safety net to implement the deal. Ben Gvir, at least publicly, threatened to leave the government if Hamas 'continues to exist' after the release of the abductees, declaring that his party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Force) will not be part of 'a national defeat'. In a clear reference to the part of the US programme which says that Hamas members who 'commit to peaceful coexistence and dismantle their weapons will get amnesty'.

For his part Smotrich did not explicitly say that he was willing to give up on Bibi, but he launched fierce criticism of the decision to halt the IDF offensive operations in the Strip, as the US President specifically requested. Both ministers have historically opposed cease-fires during the war, while Netanyahu has tried to prevent the government from collapsing under the blows of the two messianic leaders. Even this time, despite the fact that it seems to be the last chance for an agreement, Ben Gvir and Smotrich continue to say they are frustrated with the prime minister's stance of fully accepting the Trump plan. But they are definitely isolated: a large majority of the Knesset supports the American document, as does public opinion. And the families of the hostages sent a letter to Oslo on Monday demanding that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to Donald Trump. In fact, while there are fragile balances within the coalition, outside there is an entire country pressing for an end to the hostage nightmare. And not even two 'hotheads' like Ben Gvir and Smotrich are likely to want to take responsibility for bringing down the government at the most delicate moment since 7 October.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu directly approved military operations early last month against two boats that were part of the Flotilla bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian supporters, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Cbs News reported exclusively, citing two informed US intelligence officials. According to the sources, on 8 and 9 September, Israeli forces launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices on boats moored off the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, causing a fire.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Hamas to accept the US plan to end the Gaza war. "Now it is Hamas' turn," Wadephul said in Tel Aviv, explaining that he welcomed the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the plan presented by US President Donald Trump to end the Gaza war. "Israel will have to compromise to free the hostages, but no one can expect Israel to compromise on matters of national security," the German minister said. "We need a ceasefire for Gaza as soon as possible so that the hostages can be freed and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza can finally end," Wadephul said.

The European Union wants to play a role in Donald Trump's peace plan and be part of the new international transitional body planned for Gaza, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas said during a visit to Kuwait. "We believe that Europe has an important role and we should be part of it," she said in response to a journalist's question about the possible participation of the EU in the 'Peace Committee' mentioned in the US president's plan.

The Israeli Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories said that almost 600 trucks of humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday, about twice the daily average.

The trucks entered through three different crossings in southern Gaza. "Hundreds of trucks have been recovered and will continue to be recovered during the holidays," said Cogat, pointing out that the crossing will not be open during the first day of Sukkot, which begins tonight.

"The Joint Council welcomed President Trump's peace proposal to end the war in Gaza and reaffirmed its readiness to cooperate constructively with the United States and all relevant parties to ensure its implementation in order to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity to the peoples of the region." This was stated in the joint statement of the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas started in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort in Egypt. An Egyptian official covered by anonymity said the talks began this afternoon. The Israeli delegation is led by chief negotiator Ron Dermer, while the Hamas delegation is led by Khalil al-Hayyah. Hamas said the negotiations will focus on the first phase of a ceasefire, including the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. According to reports in the Egyptian state newspaper al-Ahram, US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are also expected to attend the talks. The talks in Egypt are expected to proceed rapidly. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would be "limited to a few days at most", although some Hamas officials warned that more time might be needed to locate the bodies of hostages buried under the rubble.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry represented on its X profile the reasons why it believes that "the Hamas-Sumud flotilla was nothing more than a publicity stunt". "It is not surprising that the Hamas-Sumud flotilla, which carried fake aid, rejected all proposals by Israel, Italy and Greece to peacefully unload aid for Gaza at one of the regional ports," the Israeli ministry reported. "After checking all the ships and yachts in the flotilla, the total amount of 'aid' we found amounted to just 2 tonnes spread over 42 vessels," the ministry noted.

To make a comparison,' Tel Aviv continues, 'a single truck of aid entering Gaza carries about 20 tons of aid,' 'about 300 trucks of aid enter Gaza every day,' the ministry states. "The Hamas-Sumud flotilla was nothing more than a publicity stunt," the note concludes.

Israel has lost 1,152 soldiers and police officers in two years of armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and across the Middle East, the Israeli Ministry of Defence said in an updated death toll.

"Since that morning, on the occasion of the holiday of Simchat Torah (7 October 2023, ed.), the number of casualties of the Israeli Security Forces has risen to 1,152, including IDF soldiers, policemen, members of the Israel Security Agency and fighters from other units who fought in the Gaza Strip.... in Lebanon, as well as in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),' reads the report released on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre and according to which some 42% of the victims (487) were under the age of 21, while 141 soldiers were over 40.

Indirect negotiations between the Israeli government and a Hamas delegation - scheduled to begin this afternoon - will focus on "a number of preliminary steps". This was reported by the online version of the daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing sources informed about the negotiations in Egypt. According to the sources, the preliminary steps 'will include the elaboration of general rules and principles that will govern the negotiations in their various stages, as well as the definition of general guarantees', which, according to one of the sources, is so far an 'unresolved' issue. In particular - the sources suggest - "Hamas insists on a clear guarantee for the implementation of what will be agreed, emphasising the need for binding mechanisms to avoid delays or deviations, as happened in previous rounds of negotiations that failed in 2024".

An Egyptian source familiar with the mediation, reports the newspaper close to the Qatari authorities, revealed that "an unresolved obstacle persists, related to the modalities of the release of the living Israeli hostages and the bodies of the deceased, which specifically concerns operational details: how to ensure the security of the transfer during the initial ceasefire, the verification of the identity of the bodies through neutral intermediaries such as the Red Cross, and the sequential order of the exchange, e.g. giving ownership to the living over the deceased". Hamas reiterated that without agreement on these aspects, it will not proceed beyond the preliminary phase, fearing that Israel may exploit the process to "delay the withdrawal or maintain key military positions in Gaza".

"I express all my closeness, in daily prayer for their suffering, continuing to assure all our willingness to do what is possible so that they can re-embrace their loved ones safe and sound or at least get back the bodies of those who were killed, so that they may be worthily buried". This was said by the Vatican Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin, to the Vatican media, regarding the Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas. "It has unfortunately already been two years," he emphasises, "some of them are dead, others have been released after long negotiations. The images of these people held captive in the tunnels and reduced to starvation deeply affect and grieve me. We cannot and must not forget them. I recall that Pope Francis in the last year and a half of his life made no less than 21 public appeals calling for the release of the hostages and met some of their families. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, continued to make these appeals'. On the Hamas attack of 7 October, Parolin reiterates: "The terrorist attack carried out by Hamas and other militias against thousands of Israelis and resident migrants, many of them civilians, who were about to celebrate the day of Simchat Torah, at the end of the week of the Feast of Sukkot, was inhuman and unjustifiable. The brutal violence perpetrated against children, women, young people, the elderly, cannot have any justification. It was an unworthy and - I repeat - inhuman massacre. The Holy See immediately expressed its total and firm condemnation, calling for the immediate release of the hostages and expressing its closeness to the families affected during the terrorist attack".

The complaints presented by the Italian activists and parliamentarians who were on board the Global Sumud Flotilla ships, detained in recent days near the Gaza coast by Israeli forces and then repatriated, are being investigated by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office. It is not excluded, according to what is learnt, that the prosecutors, coordinated by prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi, once they have assessed the documents presented, also with regard to competence, may hear the participants in the mission as persons with information on the facts.

Greta Thunberg is also among the 171 activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla who were expelled today from Israel to Greece after being arrested while bringing aid to the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip. This was announced by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in a post on X. "Another 171 provocateurs from the Hamas-Sumud flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, were expelled today from Israel to Greece and Slovakia," the Israeli ministry explained, explaining that the expelled activists were citizens of several countries, including Greece, Italy, France and the United States. The Swedish activist is among some 450 activists arrested by Israel after the IDF intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla heading towards the Gaza Strip last week.

Turkey has made contact with two groups of Hamas militiamen who are holding Israeli citizens hostage in the Gaza Strip and with whom there has been no communication so far. The Jerusalem Post writes this, citing its own Turkish source on the day when indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the peace plan drawn up by US President Donald Trump kicked off in Egypt.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has agreed to act as a humanitarian intermediary in the exchange of hostages in Gaza and detainees in Israel. Since October 2023, the organisation has already facilitated the release of 148 hostages and 1,931 detainees, as well as the return of the bodies, writes BBC. "A lasting ceasefire is essential to save lives and break the cycle of death and destruction," said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, adding that they were "also ready to bring aid to Gaza and safely distribute it to civilians who desperately need it".

"I find it outrageous that in Italy there are events celebrating the 7 October massacre: rapes, mutilations, summary executions, people burnt alive and kidnappings of innocent civilians committed by Hamas. Crimes against humanity that have no justification whatsoever. We expect the Italian authorities to firmly oppose these initiatives. We trust that Italy will prevent demonstrations that exalt terrorism and betray the values of our democratic civilisation'. Israel's ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, wrote this on X.

Israel's delegation arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss the Gaza plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. This was reported by Al-Arabiya, pointing out that the delegation includes officials from the spy agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy advisor Ophir Falk, and hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch. According to three officials also quoted by Al-Arabiya, the chief Israeli negotiator, i.e. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, is expected to join the group later this week.

According to Gaza sources, the IDF is continuing to bombard in different areas of the Strip, not only in Gaza City, despite US President Donald Trump's request to stop the raids. The Ansa writes.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that 28 Spaniards from the Global Sumud Flotilla, detained in Israel after being intercepted and arrested last Wednesday in international waters,""will return to Spain today, if there are no last-minute changes. This is the idea and this is what Israel has officially confirmed to us," Albares said in statements to Catalunya Radio, However, the minister appealed for "prudence" until "they are all seated in the plane and the plane is in the air". The Iberian diplomatic chief assured that he had informed the families of the 28 activists of the repatriation, after the return to Spain on Sunday evening of the first group of 21 people from the total of 49 Spaniards who took part in the humanitarian mission to Gaza.

Iran has no plans "at this stage" to resume negotiations with European countries on its nuclear programme. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai emphasised that the E3's approach to the nuclear issue has altered the course of future talks and that Iran has no plans to start negotiations with them.

Some schools occupied this morning in Florence and Pisa by students demonstrating for Gaza and Palestine and classes suspended. In Florence, occupation in two high schools, the classical Michelangiolo in via della Colonna, where a Palestinian flag was hung from a window, and the Machiavelli-Capponi in via Santo Spirito. Occupied since last week is the university complex in Via Laura where students have been asking the University of Florence to break agreements with Israeli universities and institutions. In Pisa, Cobas Scuola notes that four schools have been occupied, again by students, Buonarroti, Dini, Galilei-Pacinotti, Carducci.

"It is encouraging that, thanks to President Trump's peace plan and the efforts of mediators Qatar and Egypt, a ceasefire is now within reach. The Netherlands has called on all parties to implement the peace plan so that a ceasefire can be reached, humanitarian aid can reach the suffering population of Gaza and Hamas can release all hostages." Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote this on X after the Red Line for Palestine demonstration that gathered 250,000 people in Amsterdam yesterday. "The government is constantly assessing how the Netherlands can act most effectively, alone or together with international partners, both on the front line and behind the scenes," the outgoing Dutch prime minister stressed. "The immense suffering in Gaza is unacceptable and indefensible," he added, saying he understood the "anger, concern and sense of helplessness" of the people demonstrating. "The appalling humanitarian situation and this war must end. The government has strongly supported a change of course for the Netanyahu government and has gradually increased the pressure to do so," he added.

Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya will meet mediators from Egypt and Qatar in Cairo this morning ahead of indirect talks with Israel in Sharm El-Sheikh, a senior Hamas official told Afp. The talks will seek to "determine the date of a temporary truce", as well as to create the conditions for a first phase of the peace plan, in which 47 hostages held in Gaza will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees, the official says

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will be deported from Israel today on a flight to Greece, the Global Sumud Flotilla announced on social media. Thunberg will be among more than 70 people of different nationalities leaving Israel today after being seized on board the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla. Among those leaving Israel are 28 French nationals, 27 Greeks, 15 Italians and nine Swedes. Twenty-one Spaniards returned separately to Spain on Sunday from Israel. The release still leaves several foreigners in Israeli custody, including 28 Spanish citizens.

Despite the pause in offensive activity by Israeli forces, clashes continue in Gaza, the Israel Defence Forces say, reporting a series of airstrikes in response to Hamas attacks yesterday. The army says an attack was carried out by Israeli Air Force fighters against a cell of fighters armed with mortars and explosive devices, killing them. According to the IDF, "the group had planned to carry out terrorist attacks against operational troops in Gaza City". Another attack - the army reports - targeted a cell that was firing mortar shells at soldiers in Gaza City, one of which slightly wounded a soldier. The IDF says the soldier was taken to hospital for medical treatment and his family was notified. The fighters hit and killed the officers who had launched the mortars. In a third incident, the army states that Hamas operatives fired rocket-propelled grenades at engineer vehicles used in Gaza City by the 98th Division, without causing injuries. According to the IDF, the fighters hit the building from which the shells were launched.

- The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) informed Adalah's lawyers of its intention to expel some 170 participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla tomorrow, without giving details such as names, nationalities or destinations. This was announced by the international legal team assisting the activists detained in Israel. "This follows the expulsion of some 170 participants yesterday and today," Adalah's lawyers add, "most of whom were transferred by plane to Istanbul, while smaller groups were taken to Italy and Spain.

Iran will support any initiative that leads to the end of the war in Palestine and the achievement of the Palestinian people's legitimate right to self-determination, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. "Iran has consistently supported all initiatives aimed not only at stopping the ethnic cleansing and war crimes in Gaza, but also at enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate right to self-determination," a statement released on Telegram read.

"I only say not to get your hopes up, because too many times we have been close and nothing has happened. And because this is an ambitious plan: not just a ceasefire, but a path that could also lead to a Palestinian state. And Netanyahu does not want this: he is a reluctant negotiator who changes the cards on the table'. This was stated in an interview with the daily newspaper La Repubblica by the Israeli writer Etgar Keret, emphasising that 'here it never ends. How many times have we thought we had reached the end of the line?" he wonders. 'It has always been an illusion. But if the war were to end, the country would be 'relieved', because '80 per cent of Israelis don't want this war, but 99 per cent of the people in Gaza don't want it either, not to mention 100 per cent of the world.

But if it really ends, the future remains to be seen'. Netanyahu "will look for a new enemy," Keret observes. "For years he told the country that he was protecting it from Hamas... except then he let it kill 1,200 people. Now he says he destroyed Hamas, so he needs another bogeyman. At the moment I would say he has identified it in anti-Semitism: our prime minister constantly tries to confuse the idea of being Jewish with what this Israeli government does. As if criticising the government necessarily meant being anti-Semitic. Abroad,' he adds, 'he shouts about rampant anti-Semitism, inside the country he says 'if you are Jewish, you cannot join those who criticise the IDF, because they are anti-Semites. You have to take a stand: are you with the anti-Semites or with your country?'". On the possibility of leaving he says: "I will not. The madness is not only in Israel: here it is perhaps more extreme, but also the rest of the world in my opinion is not so good. We are all going into free fall: we are probably two floors below the others. As for me, as long as I can talk, I will stay'.

"A climate of hope is perceived. Even the local media here are hopeful, but with measure. The fact is that there are so many difficulties, so many question marks. There is still so much to do. A lot. But this is a possibility that has never been seen before'. Thus the Cardinal Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. The Patriarch emphasises that 'it is a path full of pitfalls, as always. On the one hand,' he says, 'there is also a lot of tiredness, in everyone, a tiredness that cannot be completely ignored. And on the other hand we see strong international pressure that opens up a minimum of possibilities. A chink has opened up that is unprecedented. We must enter it and try in every way to widen it'. On the possibility of a prospect of peace, Pizzaballa observes that 'it is a demanding word, it takes time. The end of this horrible war,' he explains, 'would not be the end of the conflict, a ceasefire is not peace. But it is a first step, the necessary premise to begin a new, different path'. The greatest danger is 'the inability to find a compromise. It is clear that all parties must give up something for the greater good, and I see a certain difficulty in this. Then there are also issues of reputation, of consistency with the line taken. Certainly these are decisions that require courage and must be supported by the mediators and the international community'. On the defacement of Wojtyla's statue in Rome, the cardinal observes: "Idiots are always there, but they do not represent the beauty of the vast majority of the population. I see a transversal mobilisation, and I believe this is an important aspect to take into consideration'.

The purpose of the Flotilla 'was certainly not to bring aid. It was a big, unfortunate and sad farce. A political provocation against us. I want to express all the indignation of the State of Israel at the way the Flotilla initiative was presented. Now we all know that it was not a humanitarian mission but only an action orchestrated to undermine Israel's legitimacy and to further the propaganda of extremist groups'. The Israeli ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, tells Il Giornale, explaining that the activists who took part in the mission in Gaza are not terrorists, "we never said so. I think many of them ignore a lot of information and do not know that the flotilla was organised and financed by Hamas, or by associations close to Hamas". As for the alleged mistreatment "it is false. There is no evidence of mistreatment. None. They were treated according to the law. They were visited by their embassy officials, and those who agreed to return home were released within two days. What do they say: that they were not put up in five-star hotels? Well, we didn't do that. Those who did not want to leave Israel are still detained. Evidently the treatment is quite different from what they are telling. Greta Tumberg I think was manipulated by someone, to accuse us. I'm sorry, she had made important battles for the environment, she had fascinated many people, and now she is playing into the hands of Hamas'. Regarding the pro-Pal demonstrations in Italy, the ambassador adds: 'I saw a lot of violence. They are demonstrations against the government. I think I have little to do with Palestine. I want to express my solidarity with the Italian security forces who have behaved efficiently and exemplarily'. But as for peace, he says he is 'hopeful. I hope that problems can be resolved in the coming months. Two years have passed since the 7 October massacre. Now we must end this conflict and find political, and diplomatic, solutions that allow Israelis to live in peace and security And we must also think about improving the lives of Palestinians. We must work for the interests of all. Hamas works against everyone's interests. There is a common interest, between us, Europe, America and the Arab world: to defeat Hamas. Then we can work together for a future of reconstruction, peace and reconciliation'.

Hamas will demand the release of some of the most notorious Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the hostages still in the Gaza Strip. Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reports this, citing Hamas sources. Among the names that Hamas will mention in the talks starting tomorrow in Egypt are those of Marwan Barghouti, head of Fatah Tanzim, imprisoned for multiple murders committed during the Second Intifada, Ahmad Sa'adat, secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ibrahim Hamed, sentenced to 45 life sentences for orchestrating the killing of numerous Israelis as Hamas commander in the West Bank during the Second Intifada; Abbas al-Sayed, who orchestrated the 2002 attack on the Park Hotel in Netanya, in which 39 Israelis died; and Hassan Salameh of Hamas, sentenced to 48 life sentences for multiple suicide bombings. Channel 12 quotes a Hamas source as saying that the group "will not give up" on securing the release of these and other prisoners sentenced to life in prison, "even at the cost of compromising the agreement". Israel had vetoed these names in previous agreements. There are currently 303 parolees serving life sentences in Israel. Channel 12 also reports that the Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya will also simultaneously negotiate with a Palestinian National Authority team in an attempt to ensure that the 'next day' mechanism in Gaza includes the PNA.

"They hit us, dragged us to the ground, tied our hands and feet, put us in a cage, insulted us, prevented us from sleeping, denied us medical assistance". This was denounced by some of the 21 Spanish activists who arrived this evening on a flight from Tel Aviv after being expelled to Spain, in a live TV interview on X, telling of being "mistreated" and "humiliated" by the Israeli security forces, after their arrest on Wednesday, and from the moment they were disembarked in the Israeli port of Ashdod. According to the testimonies, during their detention in Israel they had "no access to drinking water". They complained that they were given "expired food" and went "48 hours without eating". "This is torture," said one of the young Flotilla members. "Israel wanted to subject us to exemplary treatment," he added. "In the men's module, they entered several times with weapons and pointed them at vital parts, such as the head or the heart," denounced another of the activists. And he assured that he feared for his life: "There was a moment when I thought: they are going to kill me here". However, they assured that what they experienced "has nothing to do with the suffering experienced by our brothers in Palestine, Gaza and Israel" They recalled that "over 200 people" among the members of the Global Sumud Flotilla expedition "continue to be detained, over half of them on hunger strike". And they called for 'popular mobilisation' to 'continue to be as intense as so far' in Spain for an 'end to the genocide in Gaza'.

Greta Thunberg will leave Israel tomorrow on a flight financed by Greece. Ynet reports. The 22-year-old Swede along with hundreds of other activists took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla mission to Gaza. The plane will take off from Ramon airport in southern Israel and land in Athens.

"There have been very positive discussions with Hamas and countries around the world (Arabs, Muslims and all others) this weekend, to free the hostages, end the war in Gaza and, most importantly, finally achieve the much desired peace in the Middle East. These talks have been very fruitful and are progressing rapidly. The technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to review and clarify the final details,' Donald Trump writes in Truth.

"There have been very positive discussions with Hamas and countries around the world (Arabs, Muslims and all others) this weekend, to free the hostages, end the war in Gaza and, most importantly, finally achieve the much desired peace in the Middle East. These talks have been very fruitful and are progressing rapidly. The technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to review and clarify the final details,' Donald Trump writes in Truth.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, the Ministry of Defence published updated figures on the country's dead security personnel. Since the outbreak of the war, 1,152 military personnel have been killed, including IDF soldiers, Israeli police officers, Shin Bet and prison service personnel, as well as members of local security teams serving in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. Approximately 42% of those killed were under the age of 21, most of whom were young men in compulsory military service, and 141 were over 40, highlighting the wide age range of those who lost their lives. This was reported in the Times of Israel.

The conflict added more than 6,500 family members to the bereaved group in Israel, including 1,973 parents, 351 widows, 885 orphans and 3,481 siblings. The department implemented an $18 million reform of family care and support services, provided targeted assistance through special committees, and established a network of financial volunteers to support bereaved families.