Even before it was signed, the Gaza ceasefire forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a tight spot - between a new U.S. president promising peace and far-right allies who want war to resume.
More than 2,400 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to United Nations officials, as attention shifted to rebuilding the enclave devastated during 15 months of intensive Israeli bombardment.
Israel's economy minister said on Wednesday it seeks a peaceful Gaza but has not decided whether to help fund its reconstruction and would not allow the rebuilding of Hamas rule that he said could lead to another cross-border militant attack.
For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims.
The three female hostages were released as part of the phased ceasefire agreement Israel and Hamas reached last week.
It took us a few minutes to accept that this pile of rubble was our home,” said Islam Dahliz, whose family was ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate Rafah in May.
The IDF recently completed a major raid at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, arresting some 240 terrorists. Fox News Digital has learned that hostages were reportedly held there.
Extending the ceasefire depends on even more negotiations meant to begin soon and eventually tackling the tough issue of how Gaza will be governed, with Israel still demanding the elimination of Hamas. Hanging over those talks is the possibility Israel could resume its campaign to destroy the group — even as dozens of hostages remain in its hands.
January 23, 2025; Washington, D.C. — NPR has won a 2025 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for its coverage of the war in Gaza. The prestigious duPont-Columbia Award honors outstanding public service in audio and video reporting.
Even before it was signed, the Gaza ceasefire forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a tight spot: between a new US president pushing for peace and far-right allies who want war to resume.