Israel sends Mossad intelligence agency director to Gaza ceasefire talks

Israel-Gaza war live: Ceasefire deal in ‘final stages’, Qatar’s foreign ministry says, but people should not get ‘over-excited’

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson says ‘It is very important not to raise expectations’ despite significant progress. Here are some of the latest images sent over the news wires from Gaza .. ...

The Guardian - 12m

FirstFT: ‘Breakthrough’ raises hopes for Gaza ceasefire deal

Also in today’s newsletter, special counsel Jack Smith issues report on election interference, and Amazon plans AI ‘brain’ for Alexa

Financial Times - 1h

Israel, Hamas Are Finalizing a Gaza Cease-Fire Agreement

A deal could be announced as soon as Tuesday, Arab and Israeli officials said, raising hopes that some of the hostages held in Gaza will be freed.

The Wall Street Journal - 1h

Israel, Hamas on Verge of Deal for Gaza Cease-Fire

Progress in cease-fire talks has raised hopes a deal could be reached to release some of the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip and pause fighting that has dragged on for 15 months.

The Wall Street Journal - 4h

Israel-Gaza Cease-Fire Talks and Hostage Release Negotiations Gain Momentum: What to Know

President Biden said negotiators appeared to be on “the brink” of an agreement to end the fighting and free the hostages held by Hamas.

The New York Times - 11h

Ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas 'on the brink of coming to fruition,' Biden says

Advances have been made in negotiations to broker a deal that would end Israel's deadly assault on Gaza and see the release of hostages held by Hamas.

NBC News - 18h

Gaza ceasefire talks resuming in Qatar with signs deal is close

Israeli and Hamas negotiators are said to be involved in the first indirect talks in the same building.

BBC News - 4h

Biden says Hamas and Israel 'on the brink' of hostage-release, ceasefire deal

He made the comment in a speech outlining his foreign policy legacy.

ABC News - 13h

Israel-Hamas ‘breakthrough’ raises hopes of Gaza ceasefire deal

Final draft of an agreement sent to both sides as mediators believe they are close to ending war

Financial Times - 15h

Joe Biden says Israel and Hamas on the brink of sealing ceasefire deal

US president says agreement that could pause more than 14 months of fighting matches a proposal he made months ago. Joe Biden has said his administration is on the brink of sealing a ceasefire deal ...

The Guardian - 16h

Israel, Hamas ceasefire close, but not 100 percent: Israeli official

Efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and release hostages are close but not yet finalized, an Israeli official told The Hill on Monday, after Reuters reported Qatar has handed a ...

The Hill - 21h

Biden speaks with Netanyahu as ceasefire talks continue

President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend to discuss the ongoing negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. CBS News foreign ...

CBS News - 22h

What have the main obstacles been to a ceasefire deal in Gaza?

Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect talks for more than a year aimed at ending the war in Gaza and returning the hostages to Israel.

CBS News - 1d

What are the main obstacles to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages?

Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect talks for more than a year aimed at ending the war in Gaza and returning scores of militant-held hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel

ABC News - 1d

Progress made in talks over Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release, officials say

Officials say U.S. and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but a ...

ABC News - 1d

Biden and Netanyahu discuss Gaza ceasefire talks as momentum builds

Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over aspects of a deal.

BBC News - 1d

Biden and Netanyahu discuss the latest in the effort to reach an Israel-Hamas war ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden have spoken in a phone call on the latest efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release in the Israel-Hamas war

ABC News - 1d

Biden speaks with Israel's Netanyahu amid ceasefire negotiations in Qatar

The Biden administration is putting pressure on a deal before the inauguration, which will see President-elect Donald Trump return to the White House.

CBS News - 1d

Sen. Lankford says he’ll vote in favor of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) says he’ll vote yes for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, after she changed her stance on Section 702, an ...

NBC News - 1d

Israel's Netanyahu sends Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar in sign of progress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza

ABC News - 2d

Trump’s Middle East envoy visits Netanyahu in push for Gaza ceasefire

Steve Witkoff meets Israeli PM in renewed efforts to secure hostage release deal with Hamas. The US Middle East envoy chosen by the president-elect, Donald Trump, met the Israeli prime minister, ...

The Guardian - 2d

Israel is sending the Mossad director to Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Qatar in a sign of progress in talks

ABC News - 2d

Trump’s envoy pushes for Gaza ceasefire before inauguration

Steve Witkoff to meet Benjamin Netanyahu as president-elect warns of ‘hell to pay’ if hostages are not released

Financial Times - 2d

Syrian intelligence agency says it thwarted a planned Islamic State attack on a Shiite shrine

Intelligence officials in Syria’s new de facto government say they have thwarted a plan by the Islamic State group to set off a bomb at a Shiite shrine in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab

ABC News - 3d

Biden aides express optimism about Gaza ceasefire negotiations

President Joe Biden aides are once again expressing hope that Israel and Hamas could be close to reaching a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by the terrorist group.

NBC News - 5d

Will Trump's presidency help ceasefire negotiations and humanitarian crisis in Gaza?

The bodies of two Israeli hostages, believed to be a father and son, have been found, though officials are still working to confirm their identities. The discovery comes as families of hostages in ...

NBC News - 5d

Hostage Is Found Dead in Gaza Tunnel, Israel Says

The hostage, Youssef Ziyadne, an Arab Bedouin, was seized along with three grown children on Oct. 7, 2023. Two of them were released, but there is “serious concern” about the fate of the third.

The New York Times - 5d

Blinken says Gaza ceasefire may be ‘very close’

Speaking at a press conference in Paris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hoped a deal could be finalized before the end of President Biden’s time in office.

NBC News - 5d

Hostages in Gaza endure another winter as their families plead for a ceasefire

As winter deepens, so does the suffering of dozens of hostages in Gaza, and their families are pressing for a ceasefire that will secure their release

ABC News - 6d

Blinken says Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are in homestretch

Israel has vowed to catch the perpetrators after gunmen killed three people and wounded seven others in an attack on a bus carrying Israelis in the West Bank. It comes as outgoing U.S. Secretary of ...

CBS News - Jan. 6

A Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks? The US is hopeful

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story A Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks? The US is hopeful The ...

The Hill - Jan. 7

Hurdles remain as Israel and Hamas once again inch toward a ceasefire deal

Israel and Hamas are once again struggling to reach a ceasefire that could wind down the 15-month war in Gaza and bring home dozens of Israelis held hostage

ABC News - Jan. 6

Reports of optimism about Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal

US secretary of state says he is confident agreement can be reached in renewed push before Donald Trump takes office. Israel and Hamas appear to be edging closer towards a ceasefire and hostage ...

The Guardian - Jan. 6

US hoping for Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks: Blinken

The Biden administration says it is still hoping to secure a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in its final two weeks in the White House, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday. ...

The Hill - Jan. 6

Blinken expresses confidence that Gaza ceasefire talks are in homestretch

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is once again showing optimism that a deal is on the horizon to secure the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza. CBS News foreign correspondent Ramy ...

CBS News - Jan. 6

Social order in Gaza will collapse if Israel ends cooperation with UN aid agency, official says

Unrwa senior officer describes 60,000 people sheltering in school buildings sharing 12 bathrooms, but says without aid things will get worse. Social order in Gaza is likely to collapse further if ...

The Guardian - Jan. 5

Biden plans to send $8bn arms shipment to Israel

The weapons consignment, which needs approval from House and Senate committees, includes air-to-air missiles.

BBC News - Jan. 4

State Dept. Tells Congress It Plans to Send $8 Billion in Arms to Israel

The arms transfer could be the final one the Biden administration provides to Israel. President Biden has largely ignored critics of Israel’s war in Gaza who have urged a halt to weapons aid.

The New York Times - Jan. 4

At least 30 people killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza as stalled ceasefire talks set to resume

Hospital staff say at least 30 people, including children, were killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes overnight and Friday morning, as air sirens sounded across Israel and stalled ceasefire talks were ...

ABC News - Jan. 3

Israel sends Mossad intelligence agency director to Gaza ceasefire talks

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