The fragile truce between Israel and Hamas has officially broken down, setting the stage for a radical escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, Hamas launched its first salvo of rockets in months into Israel, launching missiles at Tel Aviv in an act of sheer bravado. Though no casualties were reported—thanks to the
Early Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces launched an intense barrage of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, a dramatic escalation and the first broad military operation since a cease-fire had taken hold. The renewed onslaught is a response to increased tensions as hostage negotiations have stalled and ceasefire violations have persisted, Israeli officials stated. “Tonight, we
The White House has confirmed direct talks between US officials and Hamas as the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire hangs in the balance. This represents the first direct communication between the US and Hamas since the group was designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department in 1997. The US has long avoided direct contact with
Israel had received three hostages on February 15 who were held captive by Hamas in Gaza for nearly 500 days. The freed hostages—U.S. citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Alexander Sasha Troufanov, 29, and Iair Horn, 46—were released as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal under the ceasefire truce that began on January 19, 2025. However, Horn’s
Hamas-led militants on Saturday freed three frail and visibly emaciated Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners in a deal related to an ongoing ceasefire, as a temporary truce has stalled the 16-month-long war in Gaza. The freeing of the Israeli hostages—Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or
