Hamas

January 20, 2025 12:03 PM

Hamas frees hostages, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners on Day One of ceasefire

Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East. The truce allowed Palestinians to return to bombed-out neighborhoods to begin rebuilding their lives, while relief trucks delivered much-needed aid. Elsewhere in Gaza, crowds cheered Hamas fighters who emerged from hiding. Fireworks were launched in celebration as buses carryin...

January 17, 2025 4:00 PM

Hamas set to release first hostages under Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel says

Hamas is expected to release the first hostages under a Gaza ceasefire deal on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. If successful, the ceasefire would halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanised Gaza, killed over 46,000 people, and displaced most of the tiny enclave's pre-war population of 2.3 million several times over, according to local authorities. The Israeli cabinet will meet to give final approval to the deal with militant group Hamas for a cease...

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators carrying a banner reading 'Gaza' march during a protest against Israeli attacks in Gaza since the announcement of the ceasefire, on January 16, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images

January 17, 2025 11:35 AM

Israel set to approve Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal, Netanyahu’s office says

The Israeli cabinet will meet to give final approval to a deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday. In Gaza itself, Israeli warplanes kept up intense strikes, and Palestinian authorities said late on Thursday that at least 86 people were killed in the day after the truce was unveiled. With longstanding divisions apparent among ministers, Israel delayed meetings expected on ...

January 15, 2025 11:00 PM

Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire agreement meant to end 15-month Gaza war, official says

Negotiators reached a deal on Wednesday for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East. The deal, not yet formally announced, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel, a...

Smoke, rising over the destroyed and heavily damaged residential areas following the Israeli attacks on Gaza, is seen from Sderot, Israel on January 14, 2025. Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

January 15, 2025 5:14 PM

Gaza ceasefire still elusive as negotiators try to hammer out deal

Negotiators were trying to hammer out the final details of a complex, phased ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday after marathon talks in Qatar aiming to end a conflict that has inflicted widespread death and destruction and upended the Middle East. More than eight hours of talks in Doha had fuelled optimism. Officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. as well as Israel and Hamas said on Tuesday that an agreement for a truce in the besieged Palestinian enclave and the release of hostages w...

January 6, 2025 8:54 AM

Hamas and Israel wrangle over talks as Israeli strikes in Gaza intensify

Israel and Hamas wrangled on Sunday over the details of a deal to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip and return hostages home, as Palestinian officials said intensified Israeli bombardments had killed more than 100 people over the weekend. A Hamas official said the group had approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be returned as part of a deal that could eventually lead to a ceasefire. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office swiftly issued a statement saying Hamas had not provided a hos...

December 31, 2024 9:43 AM

Israel, at UN, warns Houthis risk sharing same fate as Hamas, Hezbollah

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations issued on Monday what he called a final warning to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants to halt their missile attacks on Israel, saying they risked the same "miserable fate" as Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria's Bashar al-Assad if they persisted. The ambassador, Danny Danon, also warned Tehran that Israel has the ability to strike any target in the Middle East, including in Iran. He added that Israel would not tolerate attacks by Iranian proxies. But hours l...

December 30, 2024 11:30 AM

IDF eliminates Hamas terrorists involved in October 7 massacre

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced the elimination of six Hamas terrorists directly involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel, during targeted operations in Gaza's Jabaliya and Beit Lahia regions. The joint operations, conducted in collaboration with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), resulted in the deaths of key individuals responsible for the brutal attack. Those neutralized included Mohammed Abd al-Hamid Salah, Zaher Abd Rabbo Mohammed Shahab, Ali Magad Ali Ramadan, and Mohammed Ha...

December 18, 2024 9:03 AM

Hamas is hopeful of ceasefire deal in Gaza after holding positive talks

Hamas has expressed optimism about the prospects of reaching a deal about hostage and ceasefire negotiations with Israel, amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region, CNN reported. In an official statement on Tuesday, Hamas said reaching an agreement was "possible." The report cited a Hamas source calling the talks "positive and optimistic." Top US, Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials have all touted progress in the negotiations in recent days. While officials caution that a deal is n...

December 13, 2024 10:16 AM

Israel kills at least 66 Palestinians in Gaza, strikes post office used as shelter

An Israeli strike killed at least 30 Palestinians and wounded 50 others who were sheltering in a post office in central Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll on Thursday in the enclave to 66. With no sign of let-up in the 14-month-old conflict, the strike hit a postal facility in Nuseirat camp where displaced families had sought refuge and also damaged several nearby houses, medics told Reuters. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nuseirat is one of the ...