J Street Urges Further Momentum As More Hostages Freed, Palestinians Return Home, J Street
The implementation of this ceasefire is vitally important and is bringing not just the scenes of families reunited with those held hostage but also scenes of thousands of Palestinian families finally able to return to their communities in northern Gaza and the continued delivery of aid and medical assistance. “After seeing the benefits of the first phase of the ceasefire, it is beyond clear how important it is for President Trump, his team and the other mediators to use all possible leverage to keep the deal on track and to move to the second phase,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami.
Trump Middle East Envoy Says Rebuilding Gaza Could Take 10 to 15 Years, Axios
U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, after inspecting Gaza’s devastation in his recent trip, emphasized that reconstruction could take 10-15 years, with the first phase of the ceasefire deal progressing as planned. “People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave … there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there,” Witkoff said.
Hamas Names 3 Hostages It Says Will Be Freed This Weekend, The New York Times
Hamas spokesman, Abu Obeida, named Yarden Bibas, 35, Ofer Kalderon, 54, and Keith Siegel, 65, as the next Israeli hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal. In return, Israel is slated to release about 90 Palestinian prisoners this weekend in exchange for the three men.
EU Restarts Rafah Border Crossing Mission, Says Foreign Policy Chief Kallas, Reuters
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas announced that The European Union has resumed its civilian mission at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, responding to requests from both Palestinians and Israelis. The mission will assist Palestinian border personnel and facilitate the transfer of individuals, including those in need of medical care, out of Gaza.
Talks for Stage 2 of Cease-fire Expected to Begin as Netanyahu to Meet Trump, Haaretz
According to the ceasefire agreement, this Monday – the 16th day since the deal began – negotiations between Israel and Hamas on Stage 2 of the agreement are set to begin. The agreement stipulates that discussions on the second stage must conclude before the end of the fifth week of the deal, around February 22.
Israel Frees Palestinian Prisoners After Chaotic Hostage Handover, The New York Times
Yesterday, international mediators had to work with Hamas to guarantee that there would be a safe exit of hostages in the next rounds of releases after the latest hostages released faced chaotic crowds of Palestinians gathered to see them. The disorder during the release of Israeli hostages angered Prime Minister Netanyahu and almost led him to suspend the planned release of over 100 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Minister Calls on Netanyahu to Reissue Work Permits to Palestinian Workers, Haaretz
Israel’s Interior Minister Moshe Arbel advocated for allowing Palestinians to work in Israel while ensuring national security, emphasizing the need for economic opportunities and hope. Speaking at a conference yesterday, he called for stronger Jewish-Arab partnerships in social, economic, and governmental spheres, stressing the importance of eradicating inequality and discrimination.
The Battle for Washington, The Times of Israel
Nimrod Novik writes, “Concurrently, a one-sided battle is taking place in Washington. For weeks, a minority advocating West Bank annexation and the permanent occupation of Gaza has been zealously preaching their ideology to senior Trump administration officials. Emboldened by the belief that Trump’s return to the White House, and his appointment of pro-settlement advocates to senior positions represent a divine intervention on behalf of their messianic vision, their message has been ‘our moment has arrived.’”