Jan. 30: As hostages return, reports shed light on noxious conditions, solidarity among captives

US military says it killed senior member of al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria airstrike

The US military says it killed a senior operative of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in an airstrike in northwest Syria on Thursday.

The airstrike, part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and degrade terrorist groups in the region, resulted in the death of Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir of the Hurras al-Din group, the US Central Command says in a statement.

IDF says troops shot 2 suspects hurling firebombs at West Bank highway

The Israel Defense Forces says that troops opened fire on a pair of suspects in the Palestinian village of al-Khader throwing firebombs toward the West Bank’s main highway.

“The soldiers fired toward the terrorists… and hits were identified,” according to a military statement, who says the suspects were spotted by members of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit who were on a stakeout.

No one was injured by the Molotov cocktails hurled at Route 60, the statement adds.

Palestinians say 2 killed by Israeli fire in Jenin

Two Palestinian men were killed by Israeli fire in Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says.

The two are named by official Palestinian mouthpiece Wafa as Yazam al-Hassan and Amir Abu Hassan. It is not immediately clear if either were affiliated with any terror groups.

The killings raise the death toll from a major Israeli anti-terror offensive in the area to 19, according to Wafa.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces says the reports are being checked.

‘They’re gonna do it, okay’: Trump obdurate on Jordan, Egypt taking in Gazans

US President Donald Trump looks on after delivering remarks at the House Republican Members Conference Dinner at Trump National Doral Miami, in Miami, Florida on January 27, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

US President Donald Trump insists that Jordan and Egypt will support a proposal to resettle Palestinians in their countries rather than in a rebuilt Gaza, despite flat refusals from both countries to consider the move.

“They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,” Trump says when asked about the proposal during a photo op in the Oval Office.

Both Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah explicitly rejected the proposal on Wednesday.

“Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Palestinians, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security,” Sissi said.

Trump said earlier this week that the issue would be discussed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington next week.

Former hostage Albag refused freedom without fellow captive Berger, was tricked into leaving — report

Freed hostages (L-R) Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev watch at the Rabin Medical Center as their IDF surveillance soldier colleague Agam Berger is released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on January 30, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Hebrew media reports purport to offer insight into how some hostages were treated in Gaza, apparently based on testimony of recently released female troops, the last of whom were freed earlier today.

According to Channel 12 news, Liri Albag, who was freed on Saturday, tried to scuttle her planned release due to the fact that Agam Berger was not being let go as well. Eventually Albag’s captors “relented” and told her they were taking her to film a propaganda video. Instead, they took her to the Red Cross for release. Berger was freed earlier today.

The channel reports that Albag and Berger also refused their captors’ orders to move into the tunnels, and were instead held above ground, though conditions were still very poor. The two were forced to cook for their captors, but not allowed to eat the food, and were moved to different locales at least 10 times.

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen on a stage in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The reports, which are also carried by Ynet and elsewhere, indicate that experiences varied, with some having had sporadic access to radio and television, and others completely cut off. While many hostages were held in pairs or groups, others, like Arbel Yehoud, who was released today, were held by themselves. Showers could be a once-per-month affair, and even when allowed to rinse off, hostages were only allowed to use freezing water.

Some hostages reportedly attempted to fast on Yom Kippur and avoid eating bread during Passover.

The hostage that is a source of the information says Gazans they met seemed okay, and sometimes even pleased, with the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but did regret and mourn the loss of previous Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to the reports. Both Sinwar and Haniyeh were killed by Israel.

‘Nothing left’ in Gaza, rebuilding could take 15 years, Trump envoy Witkoff says

Displaced Palestinians make their way back to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip via Salah a-Din Road on January 28, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

There is “almost nothing left” of Gaza and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff tells Axios as he wraps up a trip to the region.

“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 tells the news website after visiting Gaza.

His assessment comes days after Trump floated the idea that some Arab nations should get involved with and build “housing at a different location where [Gazans] can maybe live in peace for a change,” an idea flatly rejected by the Arab and Muslim world.

Witkoff tells Axios he has not discussed the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza with Trump.

A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.

“There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But it’s impossible. This is a 10 to 15-year rebuilding plan,” Witkoff says.

“There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting,” he adds.

Freed terror chief Zubeidi treated to hero’s welcome in Ramallah

Crowd greets Palestinian prisoners after being released from Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)

In Ramallah, former al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades chief Zakaria Zubeidi is met with cheers as he arrives at a community center, where hundreds of Palestinians are gathered to greet security prisoners being released to the West Bank.

Crowds chant “Zakaria” as he is hoisted up on the shoulders of celebrants and brought inside a gym.

Crowds cheer freed prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi in Ramallah on January 30, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

He continues to beam as he works his way through the crowds, kissing babies, shaking hands and looking elated, even with his grey prison tracksuit still on.

Wrapping himself in a Palestinian checkered keffiyeh and surrounded by whistling and cheering crowds, Zubeidi weeps as he pulls his relatives into hugs.

New York City names street ‘Yad Vashem Way’ to mark Holocaust remembrance

Yad Vashem Way in New York City, January 30, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

A street in New York City is named “Yad Vashem Way,” after Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum.

The street naming takes place as part of this week’s events for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The street is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on 67th Street, between 3rd Avenue and 2nd Avenue, near Park East Synagogue.

Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan, Israel Consul General Ofir Akunis and local leaders including New York Congressional Rep. Jerry Nadler are in attendance.

Park East’s head rabbi, Holocaust survivor Arthur Schneier, calls the street naming “a very personal and emotional moment.”

“I could have been one of the one and a half million children who never made it,” he says. “People will walk by and see this sign, Yad Vashem Way. I hope they will learn more by going to Jerusalem,” where the Yad Vashem museum and memorial is located.

Hospital says Arbel Yehoud not in need of urgent medical care

Tel Hashomer Hospital Director Dr. Yael Frankel-Nir says that the physical condition of released hostage Arbel Yehoud is good enough to allow her to focus on reuniting with family members.

“For the hospital staff, treating the released hostages is not only a professional responsibility, it is a national mission,” she says.

In a statement, Yehoud’s family says they face a long recovery ahead of them and ask for privacy.

Red Cross calls for ‘safe, dignified’ hostage transfers after chaotic Gaza handover

Gazans crowd around a Red Cross convoy as Islamic Jihad and Hamas gunmen prepare to hand over Israeli and Thai hostages in Khan Younis on January 30, 2025 (Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

After a hostage release turned chaotic in Khan Younis earlier today, the International Committee of the Red Cross urges such handovers be carried out “in a safe and dignified manner.”

“We are relieved that more people have been safely returned home,” says ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric in a statement. “However, today’s conditions underscore the importance of all parties upholding their agreements and ensuring operations take place in a safe and dignified manner. The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge for improvements in the future.”

During the transfer, thousands of angry Palestinians mobbed vans carrying the hostages, turning a short walk to waiting Red Cross vehicles into a fraught ordeal for hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, as well as five Thai nationals kidnapped on October 7, 2023. A fuming Israel responded by delaying the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners for several hours until it could secure a guarantee that such scenes would not be repeated.

In keeping with the agency’s position of neutrality, the ICRC does not place blame on any party or side for the situation.

“Ahead of every transfer, the ICRC emphasizes to the parties the importance of ensuring the safety of all those involved, particularly those being released,” the organization says. “The ICRC does not control the time of the release, the place, or the surrounding environment. The details and logistics are determined by the parties themselves.”

Hamas official claims group continuing to rule Gaza, not going anywhere

A senior Hamas official says the group will continue to govern the Gaza Strip until a Palestinian alternative is found, underscoring its survival after 15 months of devastating war.

Speaking to The Associated Press in Cairo on Thursday, Taher Nounou says the 12-day-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas means that “practically, we can say that the war is over.”

But, he says, the end must be confirmed by reaching an agreement on the truce’s second phase, which would see the return of remaining living hostages and a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.

Nounou says the group is determined to make the second phase of its ceasefire with Israel a success, but holds out the possibility that Israel could break off talks and resume fighting in Gaza.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the ceasefire’s second phase are due to begin by Monday, but the two sides remain far apart.

“We’re determined — along with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators — to make this stage a success,” he says.

Asked if Hamas believes it won the war, Nounou says, “The Palestinian people were not defeated… The enemy did not achieve its goals.”

Israel had sought to eliminate Hamas’s ability to govern or constitute a military threat, and to recover its hostages.

Nounou says Hamas agreed to an Egyptian proposal that it hand over the running of Gaza to a “community support committee” made up of independent technocrats. It also accepts the creation of a national consensus government that would govern both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he says, while claiming that both ideas were rejected by Fatah, which dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

“Until one of the two options is adopted, there will be no vacuum. The current [Hamas-led] administration will bear its responsibility towards our people. And this is what is happening right now,” he said.

Nounou is a member of Hamas’ political bureau and media adviser to the group’s leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya. Both men are based in Doha, Qatar.

IDF confirms killing two Hamas fighters who attacked base, abducted surveillance troops

A man identified by the IDF as Haytham Hazem Hijazi Rajab seen during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, at the Nahal Oz post. (Israel Defense Forces)

Two Hamas terrorists who participated in the killing and abduction of female surveillance soldiers at the Nahal Oz post on October 7, 2023 were eliminated by troops before the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took effect, the IDF says.

An airstrike last month killed Haytham Hazem Hijazi Rajab, a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force in the terror group’s Shejaiya Battalion, according to the army.

Rajab had participated in the attack on the Nahal Oz post, and was involved in numerous more attacks on troops in Gaza amid the war, the IDF says.

The military also confirms that it took out Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Aseed in a September strike; it cleared a report on his killing earlier Thursday.

Screen capture from video of Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Aseed celebrates as he abducts IDF soldier Naama Levy on October 7, 2023. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Abu Aseed was killed alongside other members of the terror group, the army says.

A member of Hamas’s Shati Battalion, the terrorist was involved in the attack on the Nahal Oz post and was seen abducting surveillance soldier Naama Levy, who was released last week.

The IDF waited until all seven abducted surveillance soldiers returned to Israel before publishing information about the strikes.

Footage shows Thai hostages returning to Israel

People line a street outside Shamir Medical Center waving Israeli and Thai flags as ambulances and police vans transporting five newly-released Thai hostages arrive on January 30, 2025. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Video published by Israeli authorities shows the arrival of five Thai hostages who were freed from captivity in Gaza earlier today.

Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau are greeted at an IDF facility just outside Gaza by Thai Ambassador to Israel Pannabha Chandraramya and other embassy officials.

They are seen being brought via helicopter to Shamir Medical Center near Rishon Lezion, where they are greeted by staffers waving Thai flags.

The five released captives, who were working as agricultural laborers in Israel when they were kidnapped on October 7, are expected to be treated for at least a week before flying home to reunite with their families.

Thai hostages being brought back to Israel from Gaza on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Talking tough, IDF says Khan Younis tumult risked hostages’ lives

A crowd surrounds Red Cross cars as they arrive at the site for the handover of Thai and Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025.(AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says Israel will not accept danger to the hostages being released by Hamas, after the chaotic scenes in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis today.

“The difficult scenes seen in Gaza today posed a threat to the lives of Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes,” he says.

“Hamas is responsible for this. And as we clarified, we will not allow such a danger to the hostages. We will not allow Hamas to violate the deal,” Hagari says.

He says the IDF is preparing for the next release of hostages on Saturday.

Six months later, Hamas admits terror chief Deif killed by Israel

An undated photo released by the Israel Defense Forces on January 6, 2024, shows Muhammad Deif (R), the commander of the Hamas terror group's military wing. (Israel Defense Forces)

Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida confirms in a video statement that Muhammad Deif, the once-elusive commander of the terror group’s military wing, was killed in an Israeli strike over the summer.

Until now, Hamas had denied that Deif was killed in the July 13 strike.

Israel in the past had repeatedly targeted Deif, and even believed for a time that he had been killed, but only managed to badly cripple the terror chief.

Palestinians inspect the damage at a site hit by an Israeli operation targeting Hamas’s shadowy military commander Mohammad Deif in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Israel had targeted Deif and Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade chief Rafa’a Salameh in a July 13 airstrike on a Hamas compound, killing dozens in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. The IDF confirmed Salameh’s death a day later, and Deif’s on August 1.

According to a November report, Hamas was initially unable to confirm Deif’s death due to issues communicating with him, and later due to the state of his badly disfigured remains.

Soldier killed in Jenin gunbattle amid West Bank crackdown

Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, killed in the Jenin camp in the West Bank, on January 30, 2025. (Courtesy)

An Israeli soldier was killed and five were wounded during an exchange of fire with Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank earlier today, the military announces.

Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, 20, of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit, from Rosh Haayin, was killed amid a major Israeli anti-terror operation in the northern West Bank launched last week.

Among the five wounded troops, one is listed in serious condition, three are moderately hurt, and one is in good condition, the army adds.

According to an initial IDF probe, the Haruv troops exchanged fire with several gunmen after entering a building in the Jenin camp.

PM fetes return of Israeli hostages, fumes over Khan Younis chaos

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes home the three Israeli hostages freed earlier today, and reiterates his outrage at the angry mob which engulfed them during a handover in Khan Younis.

“Agam, Arbel, Gadi — welcome home!” he says in a video message. “The entire nation of Israel is embracing you, as are my wife Sara and I.”

Netanyahu says their release was secured “due to our heroic soldiers, and also through the firm and determined stance we led throughout the negotiations.”

The prime minister adds that “we will not accept violations of the deal. During the release of our hostages today, we all saw horrifying sites. We made it clear to the mediators that we won’t accept any danger to our hostages. I repeat: Whoever dares to harm our hostages — will pay.”

Netanyahu does not make any mention of the five Thai hostages who were also freed from captivity today — outside the framework of the ceasefire deal.

Israel confirms prisoners released as Palestinians celebrate

The Israel Prison Service confirms that it released 110 Palestinian prisoners.

It says inmates being sent to the West Bank and East Jerusalem were released from Ofir prison near Ramallah, while other prisoners were freed from Ketziot prison in southern Israel and brought to the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, which also sits near the Egyptian border.

“Prison service troops are operating to release terrorists in line with the diplomatic deal for the return of the hostages, while in full coordination with all security services,” it says in a statement.

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are released in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank to a welcoming crowd in the third round of the prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel pic.twitter.com/7mfrnc6YtE

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) January 30, 2025

In Ramallah, massive crowds greet the dozens of former inmates brought to a community center, lifting them on their shoulders in celebrations. At least one former prisoner is seen sporting a Hamas headband.

New Zealand denies barring Israelis over army service

New Zealand’s border control agency says it has not made any changes to its policies for processing visitor visa applications from Israeli or Palestinian nationals, responding to a report that Wellington was requiring Israelis to disclose IDF service details as a condition for entry.

“To be clear, military service is not grounds alone to decline visa applications,” Immigration New Zealand says in a statement.

Earlier this week, The Times of Israel reported that New Zealand had begun to require Israelis applying for a visa to report details of their military service as a condition for entry, with at least one person denied admission after doing so.

The immigration authority says it assesses visa applications against numerous factors, and sometimes requires applicants to fill out a 12-page document detailing their relationships, education, employment, political experience and military service.

It says Israeli applicants denied visas were rejected because they did not meet the necessary requirements, “such as providing proof of ties to their home country, reasons for their stay, or evidence of their travel plans.”

“Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started, INZ has put in place processes to ensure consistency and priority allocation for any applications received for people living in these locations,” the authority adds.

Israel and New Zealand have a visa waiver agreement, meaning only visitors planning on staying beyond three months must apply for a visa.

“This has not changed,” Immigration New Zealand says.

Anti-Israel activists in New Zealand and Australia have focused recently on pressuring their governments to block IDF soldiers and reservists from entering, or to have them arrested on war crimes allegations. Earlier this week, New Zealand’s Palestinian Solidarity Network launched a telephone hotline for citizens to inform on IDF soldiers spotted abroad.

Palestinians in Ramallah await arrival of freed convicts, including terror chief Zubeidi

Palestinians wave flags as they await released prisoners in Ramallah on January 30, 2025. (Charlies Summers/Times of Israel)

Hundreds of Palestinians awaiting the arrival of the security prisoners slated for release to the West Bank are gathered outside a community center in Ramallah.

Some 30 former prisoners headed for the West Bank are expected at the community center. The gathering is organized by the Ramallah and al-Bireh municipalities.

Jubilant crowds wave Palestinian flags, as well as the symbols of Fatah and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

“Today is a historic day for the Palestinian people,” an elderly man sporting a keffiyeh says to cheers.

Zakaria Zubeidi (C) who escaped out of Israel’s high-security Gilboa prison, surrounded by prison guards as he arrives for a court hearing in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, May 22, 2022 (Oren Ziv/POOL)

Many attendees hold signs with the names and faces of the prisoners to be freed, most prominent among them former al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades chief Zakaria Zubeidi.

Zubeidi could be seen earlier flashing a victory sign to crowds from inside the bus as it made its way out of Ofer Prison and through a group of Palestinian youths clashing with Israeli forces. A windshield on the bus is damaged by a stone.

The Palestinian Red Crescent says that three Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in the confrontations outside Ofer prison. It said Israeli forces used gunfire and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. There is no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Freed hostages reunite with family in pictures, video; Gadi Mozes: ‘I’ll do everything I can to rehabilitate Nir Oz’

Freed hostage Gadi Mozes, second right, with his children Oded, Moran and Yair at Ichilov hospital on January 30, 2025. (Courtesy)

Photos and video shows freed hostage Gadi Mozes, 80, reuniting with his family at an IDF facility near Re’im.

Mozes cries as he is embraced by his three tearful children, Yair, Moran and Oded. Yair refused to shave his beard for 482 days until his father was returned.

“I’ll do everything I can to rehabilitate Nir Oz,” he says in a video.

Freed hostage Gadi Mozes returning to Israeli hands on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

He says that while in captivity he heard his ex-wife Margalit, who was also kidnapped but released in November 2023, when she would speak to the media.

“I heard a bit from your mother, talking on the radio,” he says.

Mozes’s longtime partner, Efrat Katz, was killed on October 7.

Other pictures sent out by authorities show fellow freed hostage Arbel Yehoud locked in a tight hug with her family at an IDF facility near Gaza, and joking around with them while on an IDF helicopter.

Former hostage Arbel Yehoud reuniting with her family ????️

???? IDF Spokesperson’s Unit pic.twitter.com/uVv87q9Sm0

— Government Press Office ???????? (@GPOIsrael) January 30, 2025

Israel deploys preemptive crackdown on celebrations as Palestinians await freed prisoners

The IDF says troops are operating in the West Bank to prevent parades for the Palestinian prisoners being released now in the hostage deal with Hamas.

Troops have been carrying out “preemptive arrests” and dropping leaflets calling on Palestinians not to participate in the parades, the army says.

Soldiers also seized flags of terror groups and other objects that would have been used in parades, the IDF adds.

Footage from Ramallah shows crowds of families gathered to await the two buses of prisoners that departed from Ofir prison less than an hour ago, with scads of journalists on the scene and police in bright vests keeping public order.

LIVE: Buses with Palestinian prisoners arrive in Ramallah https://t.co/5SYjOJIUkt

— TRT World (@trtworld) January 30, 2025

Earlier, clashes were reported between Palestinians and Border Police forces at the Beitunia checkpoint adjacent to Ofer Prison, just outside Ramallah.

In exchange for the three Israeli hostages released earlier today, Israel is freeing 110 Palestinian security prisoners, including 33 serving life sentences. Many of the prisoners are being released to the West Bank.

Israeli cops kill Palestinian terror suspect in Nablus raid

Police say members of its Yamam anti-terror unit killed a wanted Palestinian in the West Bank city of Nablus a short while ago.

The IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet in a joint statement say that Qasim Aklik was involved in “planning and advancing terror attacks against Israeli targets.”

Aklik, who was armed with a handgun, attempted to flee when the Yamam officers tried to arrest him, police say. The officers then opened fire, killing him.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry says it was informed of Aklik’s death, meaning his body is being held by Israeli authorities.

Buses, apparently loaded with inmates, leave West Bank prison

Two coach buses are seen leaving Ofer Prison in the West Bank, apparently loaded with some 110 Palestinian terror convicts being let go as part of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The windows of the bus are tinted black, which Israel reportedly requested to avoid inmates celebrating and flashing victory signs to cameras, as in previous releases.

Israel had held up the release of the prisoners to protest bedlam amid heaving crowds during a transfer of two Israeli and five Thai hostages earlier in the day, demanding mediators guarantee it not happen again before going ahead with the prisoner transfer.

Israel does not confirm that it has begun releasing the prisoners.

Siblings envelop freed soldier in tearful hospital reunion

Freed hostage Agam Berger embraces her sisters as they reunite in the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva on January 30, 2025. (Haim Zach/GPO)

Photos and video show an emotional reunion between released hostage Agam Berger and her siblings in Rabin Medical Center.

Carrying an Israeli flag, Berger is engulfed by her two sisters and her brother as they all embrace and sob, reuniting following her 482 days in captivity in Gaza.

“How are you so tall!” she exclaims to her younger brother. “You’re as tall as Dad.”

Released hostage Agam Berger is reunited with her siblings at Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (Itai Biton/ GPO)

The Health Ministry says the seven other hostages are set to be received at other hospitals around the Tel Aviv area: The five Thai hostages will be treated at Shamir Medical Center; Gadi Mozes will be treated at Ichilov hospital, and Arbel Yehoud will be treated at Sheba Medical Center.

The ministry reminds the public that these are “sensitive times” for the returned captives and their families and urges respect for their privacy, which is “essential for their transition from captivity toward recovery and rehabilitation.”

Israel readying to start negotiating second stage of ceasefire deal, hostage czar says

Gal Hirsch, the government's point man on missing and kidnapped citizens, arrives for a meeting with families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas, in Herzliya, December 5, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Government hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch says Israel is preparing for talks on the second stage of the ceasefire and is determined to bring every hostage home.

“We are at this very moment in preparations for the continuation of negotiations toward the second stage” of the ceasefire-hostage release deal, says Hirsch in a video statement distributed by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The second stage of the three-part deal is supposed to result in the release of all remaining living hostages not included in the first stage — mainly men of fighting age — but the sides must still hash out the number and identities of Palestinian prisoners to be let go as part of the deal.

The talks on the next stage are slated to begin no later than February 3, which is 16 days after the deal went into effect. Netanyahu and Trump are scheduled to meet in the White House on February 4.

“The prime minister’s visit to President Trump and meetings with the US administration will take place simultaneously with the start of negotiations for the second phase of the deal,” Hirsch says. “This is of central importance.”

He expresses “deep sorrow” that it took so long to bring the hostages released today home, promising that “the mission is to return everyone.”

Following a delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners, Hirsch confirms that “the release of the terrorists is being carried out by the Israel Prison Service, Shin Bet and Israel Police in accordance with the agreement and government orders.”

An Israeli official said earlier that the transfers were slated to start at 5 p.m.

Thailand says freed hostages expected home within 10 days

Five Thai hostages freed Thursday after being held in Gaza for over a year should be home by mid-February, the foreign ministry in Bangkok says.

“Though they seem to be in good health, they have been in captivity for 15 months…  I would think they should be able to return within 10 days,” ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura tells reporters.

Three Thai nationals are believed to remain in Gaza after Thursday’s release, though two are thought dead.

“Thailand calls for the release of all the remaining hostages including a Thai national soonest, so they can safely return to their homeland and to their beloved families,” the foreign ministry says.

Freed soldier Berger holds tearful reunion with previously released comrades

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger, right, meets Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag, fellow soldiers also freed from Hamas captivity, at Rabin Medical Center, January 30, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The military releases footage showing released hostage soldier Agam Berger meeting her four comrades who were freed from Hamas captivity last week.

Berger was brought to Rabin Medical Center, where Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag are staying following their release.

The video shows Berger embracing the four other surveillance soldiers.

Newly freed hostage Agam Berger meets comrades freed from Hamas captivity last week: Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag (IDF)

Seven surveillance soldiers were kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 onslaught. All have now been returned to Israel – six alive, and one murdered in captivity in Gaza.

Hostages making way to hospitals from Gaza border — IDF

Released hostages Gadi Mozes and Thai nationals Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau have been airlifted to hospitals in central Israel from an army facility near the Gaza border, the IDF says.

Mozes will meet with his family at the hospital. The Thai nationals, set to recover at Shamir Medical Center near Rishon Lezion, will be met by Thai officials at the hospital.

Arbel Yehoud, who met her family at the IDF facility, is also being taken to a hospital in central Israel, the military says.

Netanyahu’s office says Israel received guarantees on avoiding mobs in future releases

Palestinian terrorists surround Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud to hand her over to a Red Cross team in Khan Younis on January 30, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israel says it has received a guarantee from mediators that scenes of chaos at a handover of hostages in Khan Younis earlier today will not be repeated in future releases, after reports indicated that it had okayed a Palestinian prisoner release held up due to the mayhem.

“Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s demand, the mediators made a commitment that our hostages will be guaranteed safe passageway in the next releases,” reads a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Israel insists that lessons will be learned and that the next rounds will have greater care in ensuring the safe return of our hostages,” it adds.

The message does not directly address the delay in releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners, which was held up following Israeli anger at the unruly mob that surrounded hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau as they were being handed over to the Red Cross.

Hebrew media reports cited Israeli officials saying that the delayed release of the prisoners was expected to start around 5 p.m. today.

Freed hostage Agam Berger credits ‘faith,’ in message from chopper

Released hostage Agam Berger and her parents Merav, left, and Shlomi aboard a helicopter on the way to Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

New footage shows freed hostage Agam Berger and her parents in a helicopter on their way to Rabin Medical Center earlier today.

Berger holds up a sign on a dry-erase board reading “I chose a path of faith and I returned through a path of faith.”

Released hostage Agam Berger and her parents Merav and Shlomi aboard a helicopter on the way to Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

“Thank you to all the people of Israel and its heroic IDF soldiers!” adds Berger, a surveillance soldier kidnapped with several other female troops on October 7. “There’s nobody like you in the world!”

Her mother, Merav Berger, notes that four comrades released on Saturday chose to stay in the hospital until her release so that they could be reunited.

Army says West Bank bombers among 10 killed in drone strike last night

The IDF says 10 Palestinians killed in a drone strike in the West Bank town of Tamun last night were all terror operatives, including two behind a deadly bombing attack.

According to the military, Omar Basharat and Muntaser Ali Muhammad Bani Odeh detonated a bomb in Tamun on January 20, which killed Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda and injured several others.

צה״ל ושב״כ חיסלו באמצעות כלי טיס של חיל-האוויר כעשרה מחבלים, ביניהם שני המחבלים שהיו מעורבים בפיצוץ המטען בו נפל רס״ל (במיל׳) אביתר בן יהודה ז״ל ונפצעו שלושה לוחמים נוספים

בפעילות משותפת של צה"ל ושב"כ אמש, כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר תקף ריכוז מחבלים חמושים במרחב טמון שבחטיבת מנשה,… pic.twitter.com/XO6crZaa4q

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) January 30, 2025

The pair were also behind additional shooting and bombing attacks in the West Bank, the army says. It does not detail allegations against the other eight.

Hamas says five of those killed in the drone strike were members of the terror group.

Deal said reached on releasing Palestinian prisoners today

Unsourced reports in Hebrew language media claim that understandings have been reached between Israel and Hamas regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners today, after Israel held up the transfer until it received assurances regarding the safety of hostages being freed from Gaza.

According to Channel 12 news, inmates will be released from Ofir prison in the West Bank starting at 5 p.m.

Reuters reports that Hamas was informed by the Red Cross that the transfer of the inmates will take place later Thursday, citing a Palestinian source.

There is no official confirmation of the reports.

Israel had halted the planned release of 110 security prisoners after the handover of two Israelis and five Thai hostages to the Red Cross took place in the midst of an uncontrolled, threatening crowd in Khan Younis, raising concerns for their safety.

Israel tells Bangkok that Thai hostages are in good condition

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar tells his Thai counterpart that the five Thai hostages freed today are in good condition.

Sa’ar speaks by phone with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, telling him that an initial medical check of the five freed captives shows that they are “in good condition,” and they will soon be brought by helicopter to a hospital for further treatment, his office says.

Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau were freed today during a chaotic handover in Khan Younis after almost 16 months of captivity in Gaza.

Sangiampongsa is slated to arrive in Israel this weekend for a diplomatic visit, the Foreign Ministry says, during which he will meet with Sa’ar.

Thai hostages, Thaenna Pongsak , Sathian Suwannakhan, Sriaoun Watchara , Saethao Bannawat , Rumnao Surasak, released from captivity in Gaza

Majdi Fathi/ TPS pic.twitter.com/zuq6qr2d3z

— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) January 30, 2025

Norway says sending $24 million to UNRWA after Israel ban

Protesters outisde the UNRWA offices in Jerusalem. January 30, 2025.(Aron Leib Abrams/Flash90)

The Norwegian government says that it will contribute $24 million to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the same day that Israel banned the group from operating on Israeli territory.

“Gaza is in ruins, and UNRWA’s help is more necessary than ever,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says in a statement. “It is extremely dramatic for Palestine that Israeli laws come into force that in practice can prevent UNRWA from working.”

Starting Thursday, UNRWA is banned from operating on Israeli soil and contact between it and Israeli officials is forbidden. Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the ban late Wednesday.

Israeli officials have repeatedly accused UNRWA of being a cover for terror groups and undermining the country’s security. The hostility intensified in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with accusations that a number of UNRWA employees participated in the assault.

Israel says it’s holding up release of Palestinian prisoners until safety of future releases can be guaranteed

Islamic Jihad and Hamas gunmen as they prepare to hand over Israeli and Thai hostage to a Red Cross team in Khan Yunis on January 30, 2025 (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Israel confirms that it has delayed a slated release of Palestinian prisoners in protest of the chaotic scenes at the handover of several hostages in Khan Younis earlier today.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, ordered a delay in the release of terrorists slated to be freed today — until the safe passage of our hostages can be guaranteed in the next releases,” Netanyahu’s office says in a statement.

“Israel demands that the mediators achieve this,” the statement adds.

The release today of three Israeli hostages comes in response to an Israeli demand following the failure of Hamas to free civilian Arbel Yehoud on Saturday. Israel held up the opening of a road to northern Gaza until today’s release was announced.

Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead

A boat works the scene near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials say.

Officials said they were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest US air crash in nearly 24 years.

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found.

Released hostages reach IDF base, will meet family members, Thai officials

Israelis celebrate the release of hostages from Hamas captivity in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Released hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and Thai nationals Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau have arrived at an IDF facility near the Gaza border community of Re’im, the military says, after 482 days in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad captivity.

The seven will undergo an initial medical checkup at the facility. Yehoud and Mozes will meet with their family members there, while the five Thai nationals will meet Thai officials.

In meeting with Herzog, Thai ambassador celebrates release of hostages

Thai Ambassador Panba Chandraramiya (left) meets with President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on January 30, 2025. (Yossi Zamir)

Thai Ambassador to Israel Panba Chandraramiya tells President Isaac Herzog that today is “one of the happiest in my life” with the release of five Thai hostages from Gaza.

“Today is one of the most happiest days in my life for two reasons,” Chandraramiya says, both the ability to meet Herzog and the fact that “five hostages will be released today — that is good news for me and for my country and for everyone involved.”

Chandraramiya thanks “the Israeli side for all the preparation for the hostages to be released today,” noting that there is still another Thai citizen believed to be held captive alive in Gaza.

Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau were freed today, while Pinta Nattapong is still believed to be held hostage and the bodies of Sudthisak Rinthalak and Sonthaya Oakkharasri are also being held.

Herzog tells the Thai ambassador that “we are very moved and excited to see the Thai brothers coming out of the terrible situation, being hostage and captive in Gaza, that’s why we’re so excited that they’re coming out, and we pray for all others.” The president adds: “I hope that they will recover soon and be able to go back home.”

Report: Israel has halted release of Palestinian security prisoners to protest Gaza release chaos

Arbel Yahoud is escorted by Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israel has halted the release of Palestinian security prisoners set to be freed after the return on Israeli hostages in protests against the scenes of chaos surrounding the release of Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals Channel 12 reports.

The report says the prisoners were on the buses ready to be released when they ordered off.

Tears of joy for Thai hostage freed in Gaza

Wiwwaeo Sriaoun, the mother of Thai farm worker Watchara Sriaoun held hostage in Gaza, watches the news as five Thais are set to be freed along with three Israelis held by Hamas (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

The family of a Thai farm worker held for over a year in Gaza weeps with relief as he was freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Five Thais were freed along with three Israelis held by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, 31 Thais were abducted, with 23 released by the end of 2023 and two confirmed dead in May.

“It is confirmed everyone, my son did not die. Thank you God,” Wiwwaeo Sriaoun says as she hears the confirmation that her son Watchara Sriaoun was among those freed.

“I will hug him when I see him. I want to see if his health is ok, I am worried about his health,” she adds between sobs.

“Thank you, thank you God he did not died. We trust in God.”

Around 10 family members had gathered to support Wiwwaeo as she waiting for news at the modest house on the family rubber farm in the northeast Udon Thani region.

Trump envoy Witkoff says a US hostage slated to be released ‘tomorrow’

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff tells reporters in Tel Aviv that an American hostage is slated to be released “tomorrow.”

Asked about efforts to ensure the US hostages are returned, Witkoff says “we’re on top of it all — one is coming out tomorrow.”

It was not immediately clear if Witkoff meant to say that a hostage with US citizenship would be released on Friday, or if he instead meant Saturday, when three more hostages are slated to be freed.

US media reports had indicated that American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel was going to be freed today along with Agam Berger and Arbel Yehoud, but instead Gadi Mozes has been released.

The other hostages with US citizenship who are believed to still be alive are Edan Alexander — who is not slated for release in the first stage — and Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is expected to be freed in the coming weeks.

Released hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals cross back into Israel

People react as they watch a broadcast of the release of the hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Released hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and Thai nationals Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak, have crossed the border into Israel, the IDF says.

The seven were escorted out of the Gaza Strip by Israeli special forces, after being handed over to them by the Red Cross.

The IDF is bringing them to a facility near the border for an initial checkup.

Yehoud and Mozes will meet with their family members at the IDF facility, while the five Thai nationals will meet Thai officials.

Israel identifies five Thai hostages released by Hamas

Wiwwaeo Sriaoun (C), the mother of Thai farm worker Watchara Sriaoun held hostage in Gaza, watches the news with relatives as she waits for the confirmation of his release, at her home in Udon Thani province, Thailand's rural northeast on January 30, 2025. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Israel names the five Thai hostages who have been handed over from the Red Cross to the IDF along with Israelis Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes.

The five Thai civilians, who were kidnapped on October 7, 2023, while working as agricultural laborers, are named as Pongsak Thenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnau, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

There is one other Thai hostage considered by Israel to be alive still in captivity: Pinta Nattapong. Two other Thai hostages, Sudthisak Rinthalak and Sonthaya Oakkharasri, have been declared by Israel to be dead, with their bodies held captive.

‘Moved to tears’: Herzog welcomes return of eight hostages to Israel

Gazans crowd around a Red Cross convoy as Islamic Jihad and Hamas gunmen prepare to hand over Israeli and Thai hostages in Khan Younis on January 30, 2025 (Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

President Isaac Herzog welcomes the return of eight hostages to Israel and slams the scenes of chaos seen during the handover.

“We are moved to tears by the return from captivity of Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, together with five Thai citizens,” says Herzog in a statement.

“The scenes of the moments of horror during their transfer to the Red Cross were nerve-wracking and unacceptable,” he adds.

“From an 80-year-old man to a 20-year-old soldier,” Herzog says, referring to Mozes and Berger, “they went through hell with supreme heroism and are now finally reunited with their amazing families and all their loved ones.”

Friends in tears as they watch traumatic Arbel Yehoud release

Israelis watch the release of hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

A group of friends Arbel Yehoud watch in tears and worried silence as the Israeli hostage appeared to be freed, surrounded by a large crowd of Palestinians.

The friends sat in anxious silence at a private home in southern Israel as they watched a TV showing the large crowd of Palestinians gathered at the release point in Gaza. Some cried, others had their hands over their eyes or mouths.

When a news anchor said the situation appeared dangerous, one yells at her to “shut up.”

People began crying when Yehoud was seen walking through the hostile crowd, escorted by gunmen, followed by reports that she had been turned over to the Red Cross.

Most of the 20 or so people were survivors of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack, including three former hostages released in a November 2023 ceasefire.

Health Ministry says it’s ready to receive released hostage Agam Berger

Israelis watch the release of hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Health Ministry says that medical teams and professionals at Rabin Medical Center are “fully prepared” to receive Agam Berger and provide her with “comprehensive medical care, including psychological support.”

The ministry reminds the public that these are “sensitive times” for the returned captives and their families and urges everyone to respect their privacy, which is “essential for their transition from captivity toward recovery and rehabilitation.

Freed soldier hostages arrange warm welcome for comrade Agam Berger

Freed hostage Liri Albag decorates the door of her comrade, Agam Berger, ahead of her release from Gaza, at the Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Freed hostages Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev make posters preparing for the arrival of their friend and comrade, Agam Berger, at the Rabin Medical Center.

The four young women write “hero,” “queen” and “we’ve been waiting for you” on the posters they use to decorate the door of Berger’s hospital room.

“Agami, it’s so great that you are home,” reads another.

Freed hostages (L to R) Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy make posters to welcome Agam Berger to the Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes and five Thai hostages in hands of IDF inside Gaza

Former hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals are now in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad handed over the seven hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, and they were then taken to Israeli forces in the Netzarim Corridor area.

They will be brought out of Gaza to an army facility near the border community of Re’im for an initial checkup.

Chanel 12 quotes Israeli sources as saying Yehoud and Mozes are in “good health” after the chaotic transfer.

‘We’ll never leave you again’: Video shows emotional reunion of Agam Berger with parents

Freed hostage Agam Berger embraces her parents Shlomi and Merav at an IDF facility next to the Gaza border on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Video shows the emotional reunion of freed hostage Agam Berger with her parents at an IDF facility along the border with Gaza following her return to Israel.

Her mother, Merav, embraces the sobbing Agam, promising “it will be good, it will be good.”

“We’re here and we’ll never leave you again — forever,” Merav adds. “That’s a mother’s promise.”

Agam is also seen smiling and crying while video chatting with other relatives.

Netanyahu slams ‘shocking’ chaos of hostage handover, demands mediators ensure no repeat

Crowds surround a Palestinian Islamic Jihad vehicle apparently carrying hostages to be handed over to the Red Cross in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the chaotic release in Khan Younis of seven hostages, who were pushed and shoved by an angry mob as they were handed over to the Red Cross, is unacceptable.

“I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu says in a statement. “This is further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization.”

Netanyahu says he “demands the negotiators ensure that such horrific scenes do not occur again, and to guarantee the safety of our hostages.”

The prime minister says that “whoever dares to harm our hostages — will pay.”

Israeli civilians Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehoud were handed over to the Red Cross amid a screaming mob that appeared to delay their release. Five Thai civilians were also handed over in Khan Younis.

Ben Gvir says chaotic scenes in Gaza represent failure of deal with Hamas

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the return of three Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity while also condemning the deal that led to their release.

“We are happy and excited about the return of our beloved Agam, Arbel and Gadi, but the horrific images from Gaza make it clear: This is not a complete victory – this is a complete failure, in a reckless deal like no other,” the far right politician declares.

“The government could have kept humanitarian aid from reaching the bloodthirsty crowd that is now trying to lynch our hostages — fuel, electricity and water — and crushed them militarily until they themselves begged to return our hostages, but it decided to choose the path of surrender to human monsters. It is not too late for it to come to its senses!”

Ben Gvir quit the government to protest the deal, which he voted against.

Red Cross tells IDF it also has Gadi Mozes, five Thai hostages amid handover mayhem

Crowds surround a Red Cross vehicle carrying released hostage Gadi Mozes in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

The IDF says that the Red Cross has notified the military that hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals were handed over to them.

The Red Cross is now bringing them to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside Gaza to then be escorted out of the Strip, the military adds.

Mozes could not clearly be seen in the handover amid the chaotic scenes.

His transfer took place after a long, unexplained delay.

Israel said to send protest to mediators over scenes of chaos in Gaza hostage transfer

Crowds surround a Red Cross vehicle apparently released hostage Arbel Yehoud in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Israel has reportedly sent a message of protest to negotiators following the chaotic handover of hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes to the Red Cross inside Gaza.

The two civilian hostages were surrounded by a screaming and shoving mob in Khan Younis as they were transferred from Palestinian Islamic Jihad to the Red Cross.

There was no immediate comment from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff arrives at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square; meets freed hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv during his visit to Israel and Gaza during the ceasefire.

Asked about his meeting earlier today with four freed captive soldiers in the Rabin Medical Center, Witkoff says “it was good.”

Witkoff tells Army Radio that “it’s a great day for the State of Israel.” Asked about the later stages of the deal, he says, “I think the prime minister is committed to do everything to get the hostages home safely.”

Witkoff meets with released hostage Yocheved Lifshitz in the square. She gives him a cactus pin signifying the struggle to free her husband, Oded, who grows catuses at Kibbutz Nir Oz, from Hamas captivity. Witkoff pins it to his jacket.

וויטקוף, השליח של טראמפ, עם יוכבד ליפשיץ בכיכר החטופים. המשפחה העניקה לו את סיכת המאבק לשחרורו מהשבי של בעלה עודד – בצורת קקטוס, כמו אלה שהוא מגדל בגינה בניר עוז pic.twitter.com/TPJQGyQWpl

— אורי סלע Uri Sela (@uri_sela) January 30, 2025

Hundreds of Israelis are gathered in the square to watch and celebrate the expected return today of eight hostages — three Israelis and five Thai nationals. One of them, Agam Berger, has already arrived back in Israel.

ברגעים אלו ממש, שליח ארצות הברית למזרח התיכון, סטיב ויטקוף, הגיע לביקור בכיכר החטופים????️???????????????? pic.twitter.com/0tQkbFqtqp

— מטה המשפחות להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים (@BringThemHome23) January 30, 2025

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger being helicoptered to hospital in central Israel

Freed IDF soldier Agam Berger is met by an IDF medical officer in the Netzarim Corridor on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger is being airlifted by an Israeli Air Force helicopter with her family to Rabin Medical Center in central Israel.

She will meet the rest of her family members there and receive medical care, following an initial checkup at an army facility near the Gaza border.

Footage shows visibly frightened Arbel Yehoud being handed over to Red Cross amid Gaza chaos

Footage shows hostage Arbel Yehoud being handed over to the Red Cross by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis a short while ago.

Arbel is seen being led through a large crowd of Palestinians and terror operatives, outside the ruins of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s home.

Yehoud appears visibly frightened as she and the gunmen are shoved and jostled by the large crowds and fight their way to the waiting Red Cross vehicle.

Her family asks Israeli media not to show the clip.

Images show released hostage Agam Berger being handed over to IDF, meeting parents

Freed hostage Agam Berger (right) reunites with her parents Shlomi and Merav at an IDF facility next to the Gaza border on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

First images emerge of freed hostage Agam Berger reuniting with her family at an IDF facility inside Israel after being freed from captivity.

Agam embraces her parents, Shlomi and Merav, after arriving in Israel from Gaza following her handover from the Red Cross to IDF troops.

In video of that handover, Agam is seen emerging from a Red Cross vehicle, no longer wearing the fake military uniform she was forced by Hamas to don for the handover. She embraces an IDF medical officer before getting into another vehicle to exit the Strip.

???? The moment Agam was reunited with the IDF after 482 days of being surrounded by terrorists: pic.twitter.com/V7tAtJJkxC

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 30, 2025

Agam will undergo an initial medical check before being brought to Rabin Medical Center, where she will meet the rest of her family and reunite with the four other observation soldiers freed on Saturday.

Freed IDF soldier Agam Berger is met by an IDF medical officer in the Netzarim Corridor on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Arbel Yehoud handed over to Red Cross after walk through seething mob

Crowds surround a Red Cross vehicle apparently carrying hostage Arbel Yehoud in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Israeli hostage Arbel Yehoud is handed over to the Red Cross amid scenes of anarchy.

She is forced to walk from an Islamic Jihad vehicle to the Red Cross vehicle through a heaving mob of jeering onlookers.

Arbel Yehoud is walked by armed gunmen to a Red Cross vehicle amid a mob of Gazans in Khan Younis, January 30, 2025 (Youtube screenshot)

It is not immediately clear if Gadi Mozes is also in the Red Cross vehicle.

The hostages cannot be seen, surrounded by dozens of gunmen who force their way through the crowd of people pushing toward them, many trying to take pictures.

The handover takes place outside the ruins of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s home.

Five Thai hostages are also set to be released soon.

Five Thai workers to be handed over at same time as Israeli hostages – report

Chaotic scenes in Khan Younis as hostages set to be handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip town, January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Channel 12 reports that Israel has been informed that the five Thai workers will be freed alongside Israeli hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes.

The hostages are expected to be released in southern Gaza, where large crowds have gathered.

Chaotic scenes ahead of release of Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes in southern Gaza

Crowds surround a Palestinian Islamic Jihad vehicle apparently carrying hostages to be handed over to the Red Cross in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

There are chaotic scenes in southern Gaza ahead of the release of hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes

The vehicle that appears to be carrying the hostages struggles to inch its way through the large crowd of onlookers as sirens wail.

Hundreds of heavily armed, masked gunmen also surround the vehicles, pushing away the onlookers.

The handover is set to take place among the ruins of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s home, Arab media reports.

IDF says it downed Hezbollah surveillance drone

The IDF says it intercepted a Hezbollah surveillance drone that was launched from Lebanon at Israel a short while ago.

No sirens sounded amid the incident, “according to protocol,” the military says.

Red Cross vehicles arrive at site of Yehoud, Mozes release

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles arrive for the handover of hostages in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles has arrived at a location in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis for the handover of hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

The hostage handover location was set up outside the ruins of the home of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to Palestinian media.

Agam Berger reunites with her parents

Shlomi and Merav Berger watch the release of their daughter Agam Berger, at a military facility near Re'im on January 30, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

The parents of Agam Berger are seen cheering and celebrating as they watch their daughter being handed over to the Red Cross inside Gaza earlier this morning.

Photo and video released by the Prime Minister’s Office shows Shlomi and Merav Berger rejoicing at the moment of her release.

Her parents were waiting at an IDF facility near the Gaza border, where they are currently reuniting with their daughter after her 482 days in captivity.

In a statement distributed by the Hostage Families Forum, Berger’s family offers “thanks to God for getting to this moment — Agam our hero has returned to us after 482 days in enemy hands.”

The family says that “our daughter is strong, brave and full of faith.” They express thanks to security forces and “all of Israel for their support and prayers. Now we and Agam can begin the process of recovery, but recovery won’t be complete until all of the hostages return home.”

Supporters at Hostage Square braid their hair in tribute to released hostage Agam Berger

People react as they watch broadcast of the release of Israeli soldier Agam Berger, one of eight hostages set to be released today as part of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 30, 2025. A number of women braided their hair in a show of support for Berger (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Many gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to watch the release of the captives have braided their hair in a show of solidarity with Agam Berger, the hostage soldier set free by Hamas in Gaza a short time ago, Channel 12 news reports.

Berger braided the hair of fellow female hostages, including children released in a weeklong truce with Hamas in November 2023.

The 20-year-old was said to have created the elaborate hairstyles as a way of sending a message to her loved ones that she was alive.

Released hostage Agam Berger arrives at IDF base where she will meet her parents

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger has arrived at an IDF facility near the Gaza border community of Re’im after 482 days in Hamas captivity.

She will undergo an initial medical checkup and meet her family at the army site, before being taken to a hospital in central Israel.

US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Smotrich, Deri and Dermer in Jerusalem

From left, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, US President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meet in Jerusalem on January 30 2025. (Religious Zionism party spokesman)

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meet with US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff in Jerusalem.

Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the premier’s Jerusalem office yesterday, where Witkoff told Netanyahu and Dermer that the US is committed to work with the other mediators to ensure that the deal with Hamas is completed.

The meeting with Smotrich is seen as significant. The far-right minister is opposed to the ceasefire deal and was boycotted by the previous administration.

On Tuesday, before meeting Netanyahu, Witkoff met with Hussein Al-Sheikh, a top aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in Saudi Arabia.

Red Cross says heading to location of Yehoud, Mozes handover

Large convoy of Palestinian Islamic Jihad vehicles in southern Gaza's Khan Younis for the handover of Israeli hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes to the Red Cross, January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

The Red Cross has now received a location in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis where the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is set to hand over hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes.

Red Cross vehicles are heading to the site.

The IDF is preparing for the Red Cross to bring the two hostages to troops, as well as five Thai hostages in the coming hours.

IDF reveals it killed Hamas terrorist who was seen taking soldier Naama Levy hostage

Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Aseed who was filmed kidnapping Israeli surveillance soldier Naama Levy on October 7, 2023, was eliminated in an Israeli drone strike some four months ago.

The news of Abu Aseed’s targeting was not permitted for publication until the return of all seven surveillance soldiers kidnapped by the terror group during the October 7 onslaught.

The image of Levy, bound with bloody pants, being pushed into a jeep, was one of the most horrific images in the days after the Oct. 7 , 2023 Hamas assault.

Levy was released by Hamas last week, along with Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag. This morning, Agam Berger was released.

One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was rescued alive in October 2023, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity in November 2023.

Naama Levy was displayed like a prize by Gazan terrorists— hands bound, Achilles tendons slit, enduring unimaginable trauma. Her bloody pants became a haunting symbol of their cruelty.

Tomorrow, God willing, she will finally be coming home.

Pray hard for her and her family. ????️ pic.twitter.com/GbYi2lhuGT

— Jews Fight Back ???????????????? (@JewsFightBack) January 24, 2025

Freed soldier hostages watch release of comrade Agam Berger

Freed hostages (L-R) Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev watch at the Rabin Medical Center as their IDF surveillance soldier colleague Agam Berger is released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on January 30, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Freed hostages Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa watch as their friend and comrade Agam Berger is released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

A photo of the four released hostages was published by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Dr. Lena Koren Feldman, director of Rabin Medical Center, says that when the four watched Berger being released “there were screams of joy and great excitement.”

“Her return marks an essential step in their collective healing,” Feldman says.

Berger is slated to be brought to the same hospital where the four other soldiers are being treated, to be reunited after they were separated a week ago.

Large Islamic Jihad convoy seen heading to release site in southern Gaza

A crowd greets Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror operatives as they arrive for the handover of hostages to the Red Cross in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025 (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A large convoy of Palestinian Islamic Jihad vehicles has arrived at a location in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis for the handover of Israeli hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes to the Red Cross.

Dozens of armed and masked gunmen ride on the back of the vehicles. Other vehicles have heavy machine guns on them.

Reports say Yehoud and Mozes are also in vehicles in the convoy.

The vehicles move slowly through large crowds that are gathered at the site outside the destroyed home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, where the release is expected to take place.

Many are waving Hamas and Islamic Jihad flags in the air.

This is the first hostage release to take place in southern Gaza.

Fighters from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups before the handover of hostages to the Red Cross in the south Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger is back in Israel after 482 days in Hamas captivity

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is escorted onto a stage in northern Gaza's Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger has crossed the border into Israel, the IDF says.

She was escorted out of the Gaza Strip by Israeli special forces, after being handed over to them by the Red Cross.

The IDF is bringing her to a facility near the border for an initial checkup and to meet with her parents for the first time after 482 days in Hamas captivity.

Berger is an IDF surveillance soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nahal Oz post during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Netanyahu’s office says Agam Berger in Israeli hands, pledges to bring all hostages home

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen on a stage in northern Gaza's Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The Prime Minister’s Office confirms that Agam Berger has been handed over to Israeli forces in Gaza.

The PMO says her family has been updated and that “the government and all of the security establishment will accompany her and her family.”

The government reiterates its commitment to bring home “all the hostages and the missing.”

Family members cheer, rejoice as Agam Berger released

Israelis gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to watch the release of israeli hostages in Gaza, on January 30, 2025 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Family members and friends gather at the home of Agam Berger, cheering, rejoicing and singing as images show her being released by Hamas.

“This is the happiest moment of my life,” one of the relatives tells Channel 12. “Now we can breathe again.”

“She is a hero,” says another as images show her being paraded on a stage in Jabalia. “She is on her feet walking.”

Many wave Israeli flags. A Torah scroll is brought into the home and people begin dancing and singing with it, giving praise for her release.

Hundreds also cheer in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where people have gathered ahead of the releases.

Released hostage Agam Berger in hands of IDF troops in Gaza

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen on a stage in northern Gaza's Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Released hostage soldier Agam Berger is now in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

Hamas handed her over to the Red Cross in Jabalia, and she was then taken to Israeli forces in the Netzarim Corridor area.

Berger will be brought out of Gaza to an army facility near the border community of Re’im for an initial checkup.

Red Cross informs IDF it has hostage soldier Agam Berger

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen on a stage in northern Gaza's Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The IDF says that the Red Cross has notified the military that hostage soldier Agam Berger was handed over to it.

The Red Cross is now bringing her to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside Gaza after which she will be escorted out of the Strip, the military adds.

Hostage Agam Berger handed over to Red Cross after being paraded on Gaza stage

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen waving on a stage in northern Gaza's Jabalia, surrounded by Hamas gunmen, before she is handed over to the Red Cross on January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/YouTube)

Hostage soldier Agam Berger is seen being led by Hamas operatives to a stage in northern Gaza’s Jabalia to be handed over to the Red Cross.

Berger is dressed in olive green clothes meant to look like IDF fatigues. She is surrounded by armed, masked Hamas operatives.

She gives a small smile and waves before she is taken off the stage to a Red Cross vehicle.

She appears in relatively good physical health.

Video of the moment Agam Berger was released #Hamas #Israel pic.twitter.com/zJdzpDf5Eg

— Agencia AJN (@AgenciaAJN) January 30, 2025

In a few moments, she will be brought to IDF troops in Gaza, after 482 days in Hamas captivity, and be escorted out of the Strip.

Red Cross signs documents for release of hostage Agam Berger

Red Cross representatives are seen on a stage set up by Hamas in northern Gaza's Jabalia to sign documents for the release of hostage soldier Agam Berger on January 30, 2025 (Screen grab/Al Jazeera)

Red Cross representatives are seen on a stage set up by Hamas in northern Gaza’s Jabalia to sign documents for the release of hostage soldier Agam Berger.

Large crowds gather in southern Gaza to view Islamic Jihad hostage release

Crowds gather in southern Gaza ahead of the release of hostages held by Islamic Jihad on on January 30, 2025 (Screencapture/YouTube)

In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, a large crowd of Palestinians is seen gathered for the release of hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, who have been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

Red Cross convoy arrives in northern Gaza site for Agam Berger release

Red Cross vehicles seen at the site of a hostage handover in northern Gaza on January 30, 2025 (Screencapture/YouTube)

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles has arrived at a stage set up by Hamas in northern Gaza’s Jabalia for the handover of hostage soldier Agam Berger.

Mother of Thai hostage Surasak Lamnao informed he’s about to be freed

Khammee Lamnao, the mother of Thai hostage Surasak Lamnao, said the Thai embassy in Israel had called her Wednesday to let her know her son was one of the five who were to be released.

“I cannot wait to see my son,” the 53-year-old said. “I’ve been waiting for him for a year and five months.”

Surasak had been working in the agricultural sector in Israel for 15 months when he was taken hostage during the October 2023 attack.

Thirty-one Thai nationals are believed to have been taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Of those, 23 have been released, two have been confirmed to have died and six more are believed to be still in Hamas captivity.

Five are due to be released today, and it is not clear at the moment what the status of the sixth person is.

Red Cross given location of Agam Berger release

A mural of hostage Agam Berger by artist Benzi Brofman, in her hometown of Holon, completed January 22, 2025 (Courtesy Holon Municipality)

The Red Cross has now received the location of where Hamas is set to hand over hostage soldier Agam Berger.

The IDF is preparing for the Red Cross to bring Berger, as well as additional hostages, to troops in the coming hours.

Hamas set up a stage in northern Gaza’s Jabalia for the release of Berger.

Islamic Jihad releases video of Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes embracing ahead of release

Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group issues a propaganda video showing civilian hostages Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehoud embracing ahead of their release on January 30, 2025 (screencapture/X)

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has issued a propaganda video showing civilian hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes embracing ahead of this morning’s release.

It is unclear when exactly the video was filmed.

Yehoud and Mozes have been held in Islamic Jihad captivity for 482 days.

They are set to be freed by Islamic Jihad shortly, and Hamas is set to release surveillance soldier Agam Berger and five Thai nationals abducted by the terror group on October 7, 2023.

#شاهد | سـ.ــرايا القدس تنشر: الأسرى الصـ.ــهاينة "أربيل يهود" و"جادي موزيس" المحتجزين لدى سرايا القدس خلال الإجراءات النهائية لعملية التسليم pic.twitter.com/5MJVRdu5jP

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) January 30, 2025

IDF says it destroyed home of terrorist in West Bank

Overnight, the IDF says troops operated in the West Bank city of Qalqilya and demolished the home of a Palestinian terrorist involved in a deadly shooting attack.

Jamal Abu Haniyeh was a member of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell, who according to the IDF, shot dead Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar in a terror attack in Qalqilya on June 22.

Abu Haniyeh was killed in a drone strike near Tulkarem in August, along with eight other operatives.

כחלק מהמבצע לסיכול טרור בצפון השומרון, כוחות צה"ל, שב״כ ומג״ב פעלו הלילה בקלקיליה שבחטיבת אפרים והרסו את ביתו של המחבל ג׳מאל אבו הניה.

המחבל ביצע, יחד עם מחבלים נוספים, בתאריך 22 ביוני 2024 פיגוע טרור בעיר קלקיליה בו נרצח אמנון מוכתר ז"ל pic.twitter.com/fpA8tcFtQm

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 30, 2025

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Iran’s foreign minister to visit Qatar, meet Hamas officials

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a joint press briefing with his Syrian counterpart Bassam Sabbagh, in Tehran, Tuesday, November 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi/File)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Qatar today to meet with senior Hamas officials, the Iranian foreign ministry says.

Islamic Jihad says it has completed preparations to hand over hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group says it has completed its preparations to hand over civilian hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes to the Red Cross.

Palestinian media report that the handover will take place outside the ruins of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s home in Khan Younis.

Meanwhile, Hamas is set to hand over surveillance soldier Agam Berger to the Red Cross in northern Gaza’s Jabalia. The terror group set up a stage in the area.

It is unclear where the five Thai hostages will be handed over.

Gaza this morning ???????? https://t.co/3MwKv5iyKU pic.twitter.com/7HzH86QJbe

— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) January 30, 2025

Hamas setting up separate hostage release area outside home of slain leader Sinwar in southern Gaza

In addition to a stage set up in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, Hamas has also made preparations outside the home of the former leader of the terror group Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis for the release of some of the hostages this morning.

عاجل| تغطية صحفية.. كتائب القـــسام تنتشر في محيط منزل قائد حركة حمـــاس الشـــهيد المشتبك يحيى السنـــوار في خانيونس جنوب قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/7slbtMM3Is

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 30, 2025

The IDF had prepared for separate releases of the three Israeli and five Thai hostages, in different areas of Gaza.

Rocket warning sirens sounding in northern towns; IDF says false alarm

Rocket sirens are sounding in the northern border towns of Ghajar and Metula.

The IDF later says the sirens in the northern border towns of Ghajar and Metula a short while ago were false alarms.

???? Rocket Alert [08:35:40] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Ghajar

Population: 2,600 pic.twitter.com/Ycvwc38zfI

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) January 30, 2025

IDF gearing up for possibility of hostage releases in more than one location

An Israeli military helicopter lands at a staging area in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, ahead of the release of four Israeli female soldiers held hostage by Hamas, Jan. 25, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The IDF is preparing for Hamas to hand over the hostages to the Red Cross from around 9 a.m., though there could be delays.

The IDF has prepared for the scenario where the hostages are released in more than one location in Gaza, including in the Strip’s south, as well as the possibility that the separate releases could be at different hours.

The hostages being freed today after 482 days in captivity are surveillance soldier Agam Berger, Israeli civilians Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes, and five Thai nationals.

All eight hostages will be escorted out of the Gaza Strip by the IDF, and taken to a facility near Re’im for an initial medical checkup.

The families of the three Israeli hostages will be waiting for them at the army facility.

All eight will then be taken to hospitals in central Israel.

If any of the hostages require urgent medical care, the IDF will airlift them straight from Gaza to a hospital in southern Israel.

Hamas setting up stage in northern Gaza’s Jabalia ahead of hostage release

Hamas has been setting up a stage in northern Gaza’s Jabalia for this morning’s hostage release, Palestinian media report.

The hostages being freed in the coming hours are surveillance soldier Agam Berger and civilians Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes. Another five Thai nationals abducted by terrorists on October 7, 2023, are also to be freed.

Berger is held by Hamas, and will likely be paraded on the stage in Jabalia, similar to last week’s hostage release of four other surveillance soldiers.

Yehoud and Mozes are being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

It is unclear if the two Israeli civilians and five Thai nationals will be handed over to the Red Cross at the same location.

#صور | ???? "جباليا قبر جفعاتي"… كتائب القسام في شمال غزة تستعد لتسليم دفعة جديدة من أسرى الاحتلال الإسرائيلي. pic.twitter.com/KANqt5T0Ja

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) January 30, 2025

At least 18 bodies said recovered after Washington plane crash

Emergency equipment stages at Gravelly Point, north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, along the Potomac River, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

At least 18 bodies have been recovered after a midair collision between a regional passenger jet and a helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, CBS News reports, citing a police official.

Authorities are still conducting a search-and-rescue operation in an attempt to find survivors in the water and around the crash site.

The US Army says the helicopter that collided with the passenger jet was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A crew of three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official says. The helicopter was on a training flight.

Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah engineering equipment in south Lebanon that violated ceasefire

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike last night in southern Lebanon on engineering equipment being used by Hezbollah to rebuild its “terror infrastructure,” in violation of the ceasefire deal.

The military also vows “to continue acting in accordance with the understandings between Israel and Lebanon despite Hezbollah’s attempts to return to the southern Lebanon region, and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens.”

American Airlines says 60 passengers, 4 crew members were aboard jet that crashed

American Airlines says 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the commercial jet that crashed into the Potomac River late Wednesday after colliding with a military helicopter in mid-air outside Washington.

“American Eagle Flight 5342 en route from Wichita, Kansas (ICT), to Washington, D.C. (DCA) was involved in an accident at DCA,” the airline says in a statement. “There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft.”

Three US Army soldiers were onboard the BlackHawk helicopter that collided with the passenger jet, a US official says.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the status of the soldiers is unknown, but adds that no senior officials were on the helicopter.

Regional passenger jet collides with US Army helicopter near Washington airport

An American Airlines regional passenger jet was involved in a mid-air collision on Wednesday night with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, officials say.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas says on social media that “we know there are fatalities,” though he does not say how many.

The US Federal Aviation Administration says a PSA Airlines regional jet collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Reagan. A US Army official confirms that one of its helicopters was involved in the crash.

PSA was operating Flight 5342 for American Airlines, which had departed from Wichita, Kansas, according to the FAA. According to American Airlines’ website, the jet can carry up to 65 passengers.

Police say multiple agencies were involved in a search and rescue operation in the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

Columbia anti-Israel protesters post ‘anonymous’ video of activists blocking campus sewage lines

Anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University in New York City post a video of activists vandalizing the campus by spraying red paint on a building and blocking campus sewage lines.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups led by the campus branches of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, posts the video showing a vandal dousing Columbia’s Kravis Hall with red paint.

The video also shows what appears to be a row of blocked toilets. Text accompanying the post says the bathroom is at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

“We attacked two targets at Columbia University,” the post says.

“We cemented the sewage lines of the entire building, forcing them to shut down business-as-usual,” it says.

The post calls the video an “anonymous submission.” Columbia University Apartheid Divest shared the video on Telegram and Instagram. Within two minutes of the student group sharing the post on Telegram, Unity of Fields, an anti-Israel group that backs vandalism of Israel-affiliated institutions, posted the same video.

Anonymous submission from Columbia:

"Im so scared. Please come." One year ago today, these were Hind's last words as she called for an ambulance, while Israeli forces unleashed 355 bullets murdering her as she hid in a car. One year ago, the world failed Hind. But today and… pic.twitter.com/sMen5k0u6C

— Unity of Fields (@unityoffields) January 30, 2025

The Columbia protesters said earlier today they were holding a “vigil for Hind Rajab,” a Palestinian girl killed during the war in Gaza. Graffiti posted in the video says “Hind called we must answer.”

The protesters forcibly occupied Columbia’s Hamilton Hall last year, and after the takeover, christened the building “Hind’s Hall.”

Earlier today, Jewish students at Columbia held a rally in support of the Bibas family, Israelis held hostage in Gaza.

Australia hit with more antisemitic graffiti after revelation about discovery of explosives

MELBOURNE, Australia — Three more incidents of antisemitic graffiti have been found across Sydney on Thursday morning, leading Australian political leaders to warn of an escalation in hatred and decry as terrorism explosives found earlier in a trailer on the city’s outskirts.

Law enforcement earlier this month found a list of Jewish targets together with a cache of Powergel — an explosive used in the mining industry — in Sydney’s outer suburb of Dural, state police said Wednesday. The amount uncovered could create a bomb with a blast zone of around 40 meters (130 feet), officers said.

“This represents, undeniably, an escalation in race hatred, race-filled hatred and potential violence in New South Wales,” the state’s Premier Chris Minns tells reporters on Thursday.

News of the discovery — which police chiefs said was leaked to a newspaper, compromising a clandestine investigation — followed months of antisemitic arson, window-smashing and graffiti in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s most populous cities, concentrated in the areas where many Jewish people live. Thursday’s target included a Jewish school.

“It is utterly appalling and shameful,” Minns says. A police investigation into months of such crimes has prompted 10 arrests and Minns expects more.

Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit with Trump over Jan. 6 suspension

This combination of pictures shows Mark Zuckerberg (L), CEO of Meta, on January 31, 2024, and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on September 17, 2024 (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS and JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP)

WASHINGTON — Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump against the company after it suspended his accounts following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to three people familiar with the matter.

It’s the latest instance of a large corporation settling litigation with the president, who has threatened retribution on his critics and rivals, and comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, have joined other large technology companies in trying to ingratiate themselves with the new Trump administration.

The people familiar with the matter speak on the condition of anonymity Wednesday to discuss the agreement. Two people say that terms of the agreement include $22 million going to the nonprofit that will become Trump’s future presidential library and the balance going to legal fees and other litigants.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the settlement.

Man killed, another seriously injured in car crash in Haifa

A man has been killed and another has been seriously injured in a car crash in Haifa.

The crash occurred when the pair’s car hit a pole and overturned.

Police are investigating.

Shas walks back threat to topple government if draft exemption bill not passed soon

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri attends a vote at the assembly hall of Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 31, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party backs down from a threat to topple the government unless it passes a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service.

Speaking with Channel 12, Shas spokesman Asher Medina states that his party “will not topple the right-wing government. There is no threat and no ultimatum.”

Speaking with ultra-Orthodox radio station Kol Berama yesterday, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two months to resolve the status of yeshiva students, warning that if the matter is “not resolved, we’ll go to elections.”

Following Deri’s statement, Shas MK Erez Malul said in an interview with Kan radio on Tuesday evening that without his party, Netanyahu does not have the votes to pass a budget.

“United Torah Judaism will not vote in favor of the budget, Ben Gvir is in the opposition. How will this pass? This is not a threat, this is an ultimatum,” he said.

The 2025 state budget must be passed by the end of March or the government will automatically fall, triggering early elections.

While the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction of the United Torah Judaism party has previously also linked threats to the budget to the draft issue, the party’s non-Hasidic Degel HaTorah faction appeared to reject such a move today.

Addressing a conference in the southern city of Eilat this afternoon, Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev stated that the government is “stable” and will not fall because “there is no other alternative.”

According to the pro-government Channel 14, Netanyahu warned the leaders of the coalition’s ultra-Orthodox parties that “this is not the time for threats or inflammatory rhetoric.”