KOENIG

(photos: Reuters)

Israel has received US guarantees that it will be allowed to take military action in response to any violations of the hostage and ceasefire deal that endanger its security.

According to Israeli and American diplomatic officials, the understanding is that if Hamas, or any of the other terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, seriously breaches a key principle of the Trump plan in a way that poses a security threat, Israel will be able to respond militarily, with US support.

This understanding constitutes a side agreement between Jerusalem and Washington that aligns with the Trump plan's framework. Both the mediators and Hamas have been informed of this agreement. According to the officials, the participation and signatures of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the Sharm el-Sheikh negotiations are significant, as it will be harder for Hamas to shift blame to "rogue factions."

(photo: Flash90)

Israel and Hamas negotiators on Thursday signed a deal in Egypt to secure the return of all 48 hostages held by terror groups in Gaza, of whom some 20 are believed to be alive, in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and a ceasefire.

“The final draft of phase one was signed this morning in Egypt by all parties to release all of the hostages,” said a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

The security cabinet convened around 6:30 p.m., after an unexplained hour-and-a-half delay, for a briefing about the deal, to be followed by a full cabinet vote. The deal is expected to handily pass, despite some opposition from the far right.

The Finnish Presidential office clarified that the talks will focus on bilateral relations between Finland and the United States, trade and economic cooperation, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to make the announcement: "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!

This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"

Two hundred and fifty of the remaining 303 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails will be released, along with 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The leaders of the so-called change bloc met Wednesday and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, rallying behind Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s offer of a political “safety net” to ensure Israeli backing.

The bloc is an alliance of right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties that seek to oust Netanyahu and his hard-right coalition, and have been working on creating a mechanism for coordinating their efforts to show the public that they can provide a workable alternative.

It comprises Lapid, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor Liberman, “Yashar! With Eisenkot” chief Gadi Eisenkot, and The Democrats head Yair Golan. Bennett and Gantz had stayed away from a previous meeting last month.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani will head to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Wednesday morning to join the ongoing indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on US President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the war in Gaza.

Al Thani’s participation “comes at a critical stage of the talks, reaffirming the determination of the mediators to reach an agreement that would bring an end to the catastrophic war in the Gaza Strip,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says in a statement.

Separately, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reports that a Turkish delegation led by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will also join the negotiations tomorrow.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 told the CIA he would "strongly prefer" an intelligence report documenting Ukrainian officials’ concerns with his family’s ties to "corrupt" business deals in the country "not be disseminated" — and so it wasn’t, according to a newly declassified email and records made public by the agency. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe declassified the heavily redacted records, which he said he believes is an example of "politicization of intelligence."

Fox News Digital obtained the declassified documents, which were discovered during a CIA review of historical agency records.

Delegations from Hamas and Israel on Monday began indirect talks in Egypt on US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, Egyptian state-linked media reported, as officials said mutual distrust could complicate the negotiations.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to state intelligence, said the delegations in the Sinai resort town of Sharm el Sheikh “are discussing preparing ground conditions for the release” of the remaining 48 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including 250 life-term terrorists.

“Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to establish a mechanism” for the exchange, the network reported, as officials indicated Hamas was wary of giving up its leverage by freeing the hostages early.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been placed on their highest level of readiness ahead of the Sukkot holiday, following directives from Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who convened a high-level security assessment on Monday morning.

Zamir met with members of the General Staff Forum to evaluate the current situation across all fronts.

At the conclusion of the meeting, he instructed the military to raise its alert level to the maximum and to prioritize defensive measures throughout the holiday period. 

The move comes as Israel braces for potential security challenges while large public gatherings are expected nationwide.

The plan, formulated by a team associated with Blair's office and American-Israeli circles close to the Trump administration, proposes an international governmental framework that would operate in Gaza for 3 to 5 years, until control is transferred to a "reformed" Palestinian authority.

The document, titled "Gaza International Transitional Authority" (GITA), details the proposed governmental structure, identifies the key figures expected to fill senior positions, and outlines the accompanying economic and security plan.

At the heart of the plan stands the establishment of an international board of directors comprising 7 to 10 members, including businesspeople, diplomats, and economic experts. Tony Blair would head the board as general coordinator or executive president, and it would be responsible for making all central decisions regarding policy, security, and economy in the Strip.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sunday that if Hamas refuses to release the 48 hostages from Gaza immediately, the Israel Defense Forces “will once again step up the intensity of fire.”

“We now expect the first phase [of the Trump peace plan] to be carried out in the near future, including the immediate release of all the hostages,” Katz said during a ceremony marking the 52nd anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

“The IDF is in the heart of Gaza City and is ready for any possibility,” he continued. “If Hamas refuses to free the hostages, the IDF will once again step up the intensity of fire until its defeat and all captives are freed.”

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) clarified in a Sunday press briefing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an agreement with the U.S. administration, has limited the duration of talks “to a few days maximum, with no tolerance” for delays by Hamas.

Within two to three days from the start of negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, it will become clear whether a hostage deal is in the making, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

“[US President Donald] Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are not coming to play games,” the official said. “We’ll know very quickly – by the end of the week – whether Hamas is heading toward a deal or not.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Sunday with bereaved families from the Gvoura Forum, setting a firm condition for implementing Donald Trump’s Gaza plan: all other steps, including the plan’s 21 articles, will only proceed after the release of all hostages, living and dead, without exception. 

“As long as the last hostage has not returned, we will not move forward on any other point,” Netanyahu said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he was hopeful Israel would see the return of all the hostages held in Gaza “in the coming days,” expressing cautious optimism ahead of imminent negotiations on their release under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the Strip.

Israel is “on the brink of a very big achievement,” Netanyahu declared in a brief Hebrew-language video statement updating Israelis on the progress of the US plan, which Trump hours before described as the premier’s “chance for victory,” saying Netanyahu had “no choice” but to go along with it.

“It’s still not final. We are working hard on it,” Netanyahu said of the proposal, adding: “I hope that, with God’s help, in the coming days, even during the Sukkot holiday, we will be able to announce the return of all the hostages — the living and the slain, in one go, with the IDF still deployed deep in Gaza,” referring to the weeklong Jewish festival that begins Monday night.

Israel is preparing to implement the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which includes “the immediate release of all hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced overnight Friday.

“We will continue to work in full cooperation with the U.S. president and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with President Trump’s vision,” the statement added.

The decision followed Hamas’s response earlier on Friday to the American proposal. The Palestinian terrorist group said it “appreciates the Arab, Islamic and international efforts” behind the peace plan Trump unveiled on Sept. 29.

US President Donald Trump reasserted on Saturday afternoon that Hamas must release the hostages within the 72-hour deadline outlined in his 20-point plan "or else."

Writing on Truth Social that he appreciated Israel's temporary suspension of bombing "in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed," he asserted that "Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off.

Hamas on Friday announced it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, as part of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace proposal.

Leaders also indicated they were prepared to enter mediated negotiations to finalize the deal, according to a Hamas statement shared by Trump on Truth Social.

"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East."

US President Donald Trump has given Hamas until Sunday at 6 p.m. DC time to agree to his proposal to end the Gaza war, he announced in a Friday Truth Social post. 

Trump threatened that unless Hamas agrees, "all HELL like no one has ever seen before, will break out," against the terror group. 

"Hamas has been a ruthless and violent threat for many years in the Middle East!" he added.

The Israel Defense Forces on Friday struck a site used to coordinate Hezbollah’s fire and defense network in the Beaufort Ridge area of Southern Lebanon.

The military said the attack targeted weapons and underground terrorist infrastructure.

The IDF on Thursday eliminated two Hezbollah terrorists in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Reman. According to a military statement, the men served as engineering operatives and were involved in rebuilding the Iranian-backed terror group’s assets in the residential areas of Mount Dov and Khiam.

(photo: Getty Images via AFP)

U.S. President Donald Trump will draw a “red line” on how long Hamas has to accept his 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, the White House said Thursday, as signs emerged that the militant group’s leaders are divided and leaning toward rejecting the proposal.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News... that the administration is engaged in “sensitive conversations” led by Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Trump unveiled the plan earlier this week, saying Israel had already agreed to the terms.

The framework calls for: The release of all hostages within 72 hours in exchange for 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the creation of a transitional governing authority backed by an international stabilization force.

(photo: Getty Images)

Two people were killed on Thursday in a terrorist attack at an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England.

The terrorist rammed his car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Middleton Road before exiting the vehicle and stabbing others on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. The attack took place at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

Three additional people were seriously wounded.

Police later confirmed that the terrorist had been killed, although it remains unclear whether he was carrying an explosive device.

The White House on Wednesday published an executive order from US President Donald Trump instructing the government to view any armed attack on Qatar as “a threat to the peace and security of the United States.”

The order, a notable American commitment to ensure the security of an Arab state, came some three weeks after an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha prompted criticism from Trump and outrage from the Qataris.