J Street Welcomes Release of Three Additional Hostages and Sustainment of Ceasefire Deal, J Street
J Street expressed deep relief at the release of three hostages after nearly 500 days in captivity, emphasizing the emotional impact on Israel and their own community. They urged continued international pressure to sustain the ceasefire, ensure humanitarian aid, and advance negotiations while condemning the prospect of U.S. control over Gaza.
Georgia’s First Jewish Senator Is Losing Jewish Support, The New York Times
“What I see is a Jewish community, both here in Georgia and nationally, that is deeply concerned about hostages and that is also deeply concerned about civilian casualties” among Palestinians, said Emily Kaiman, an Atlanta-based official with J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group, which supports Mr. Ossoff.
Man Charged in Florida Shooting Thought Victims Were Palestinians, Police Say, The Washington Post
Mordechai Brafman, 27, was charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder after allegedly firing 17 rounds at a car in Miami Beach, believing the occupants were Palestinians. The unprovoked attack injured two Israeli men, Ari and Yaron Rabi, and Brafman remains in custody awaiting a pretrial detention hearing.
In Israel, US Senators Dismiss Trump’s Gaza Plan, Say Arab States To Have Viable Alternative, Reuters
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham rejected Donald Trump’s proposal to seize Gaza and force out Palestinians, while Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal anticipated that Arab states would present a viable alternative. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Graham emphasized that the U.S. Senate had no interest in taking control of Gaza, while Blumenthal called the plan a “non-starter” and highlighted ongoing Arab efforts to develop a regional strategy.
Hamas Says It Will Free All Six Living Hostages Remaining in Cease-fire’s Stage 1 on Saturday, Haaretz
Hamas announced it will release all six remaining hostages in the first stage of the cease-fire on Saturday, rather than splitting the releases over two weeks. In response, Israel is allowing the entry of 60,000 mobile structures and 200,000 tents into Gaza, aligning with U.S. coordination and efforts to resolve ongoing negotiations for Stage 2.
Israel and Hamas Make 6th Exchange, Keeping Cease-Fire Intact for Now, The New York Times
Hamas released Alexander Troufanov, Iair Horn, and Sagui Dekel-Chen as Israel freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, extending a fragile cease-fire that was nearly broken. The exchange, the sixth under the cease-fire agreement, underscored Hamas’s continued presence in Gaza despite Israel’s military offensive.
Hamas Ready to Cede Power in Gaza in Step to Extend Ceasefire, Bloomberg
“It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the political and administrative arrangements in the next phase for Gaza, especially if it serves the interests of our people,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasim told Al Arabiya TV. The concession would fulfill one of the Israeli demands for Hamas that would enable a second phase of the truce to start when the ongoing one expires early next month. However, another is for the Palestinian group to disarm, a condition the Iranian-backed faction has shown no sign of meeting.
Egypt Is Developing a Plan To Rebuild Gaza, Countering Trump’s Call To Depopulate the Territory, AP
Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out, countering Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory and have the U.S. take control. The plan, backed by several Arab and European countries, proposes phased reconstruction, the establishment of a Palestinian administration unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, and a temporary relocation of residents within Gaza while infrastructure is restored.
Israel Says It Is Preparing for Hamas To Return Bodies of Four Hostages on Thursday, The Times of Israel
Israel will receive the bodies of four hostages from Hamas on Thursday, February 20, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal, followed by the release of three living hostages on Saturday, February 22, and four more bodies on Thursday, February 27. Between February 22 and March 2, Hamas is expected to release the final three living hostages from phase one.
Biden Envoy Brett McGurk Offers Dangerous Revisionism About Netanyahu and the Hostages, Haaretz
Amir Tibon critiques Biden’s Middle East Envoy Brett McGurk for presenting a revisionist narrative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in hostage negotiations, downplaying Netanyahu’s reluctance to engage. He writes, “Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the powerful far-right politicians who threatened to topple Netanyahu’s government over this very issue, have both said countless times that their threats stopped the prime minister from closing a deal much earlier. They present it as a surrender by Netanyahu to their own demands.”
Israelis and Palestinians Mark 500 Days of War in Gaza With More Uncertainty, AP
AP staff writers write, “Over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza face their own uncertainty as Israel’s government appears to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate them from the war-ravaged territory. Trump has said they would not return. That has created an outcry in the region, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to hear about it during his Middle East visit with stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He met Sunday with Israel’s prime minister.”
The First Time in 484 Days that I Woke Up without Fear, Der Spiegel
Juliane von Mittelstaedt and Thore Schröder interview Hadas Kalderon, ex-wife of Ofer Kalderon, a Hamas hostage released recently “At the beginning, we believed that our government was on our side. But gradually we realized that they didn’t care about us and that our hostages weren’t a priority for them. We realized that we had two opponents: Hamas and our government. I’m convinced that our hostages would still be in the hands of the terrorists if it hadn’t been for the protest movement. It’s possible that many more of them would have been killed.”