Jewish Leaders Welcome News of Hostage Release, Washington Jewish Week
“‘The images of the hostages finally reunited with their loved ones are deeply moving and a much-needed reminder of hope and humanity,’ a statement by the nonprofit organization J Street read.”
Hamas Returns Bodies of Hostages Tamir Nimrodi, Uriel Baruch, Eitan Levy; 4th Body a Gazan, Times of Israel
“Forensic examination confirms fourth body transferred by terror group does not belong to any hostage; return of Nimrodi’s remains is first confirmation he was killed in captivity.”
Trump: Hamas Will Disarm, or ‘We Will Disarm Them’, The Hill
“President Trump said Tuesday he expected Hamas to decommission its weapons as stipulated in the negotiated peace agreement, or the U.S. would step in.”
Hamas Tells Al Jazeera Fourth Body Handed Over to Israel Last Night Belongs to IDF Soldier, Contrary to Israeli Claims, Times of Israel
“A senior source in the ‘resistance,’ the term used for terror groups in Gaza led by Hamas, tells Al Jazeera that ‘the body the enemy claims does not belong to an Israeli is that of a soldier who was captured in a resistance operation.’”
Israel Frees Some Gaza Medical Staff, but a Prominent Hospital Chief Remains Imprisoned, Associated Press
“Under Gaza’s ceasefire deal, Israel freed dozens of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical personnel seized during raids on hospitals. But more than 100 remain in Israeli prisons, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, a hospital director who became the face of the struggle to keep treating patients under Israeli siege and bombardment.”
Aid Trucks Roll Into Gaza as Dispute Over Hostage Bodies Is Paused, Reuters
“Israel had threatened to keep Rafah shut and reduce aid supplies because Hamas was returning bodies too slowly, showing the risks to a truce that has stopped two years of devastating warfare in Gaza and freed all living hostages held by Hamas.”
Hamas Reasserts Control in a Chaotic Gaza, Posing a Risk to the Fragile Ceasefire, Associated Press
“As the Gaza ceasefire holds, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets, clashed with armed groups and killed alleged gangsters in what the militant group says is an attempt to restore law and order in areas where Israeli troops have withdrawn.”
Gaza’s Broken Politics, New Yorker
Mohammed R. Mhawish writes, “Reconstruction that restores roads but not representation will only re-create dependency. The next phase of Gaza’s life must be shaped by those who have lived through its collapse.”
End of Gaza War Could Open Door to Major Diplomatic Shifts in the Middle East, Haaretz
Amos Harel writes, “Netanyahu’s dilemma remains: the tempting prospect of economic and diplomatic gains on one side, and the resentment of his messianic coalition partners on the other. That tension will likely define the coming months. As recent weeks have shown, everything depends on how much pressure Trump decides to exert.”
Mr. Trump, on the Middle East, Please Move Fast and Break Things, New York Times
Thomas Friedman writes, “If Trump wants to translate his 20-point plan into regional peace, he has to start by once and for all breaking the twisted, codependent relationship between Netanyahu and Hamas — who have helped to keep each other politically viable for over two decades.”