A Republican senator and the Qatari ambassador to the U.S. argued back and forth on social media Monday, with the U.S. lawmaker criticizing the Gulf country for hosting Hamas while at the same time negotiating for the release of hostages held by the group in the Gaza Strip. Sen. Ted Budd (N.C.) wrote on X,…
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday progress was being made on the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu did not provide further details. His office said that "in light of developments in the matter of the release of our hostages," he would convene his war cabinet at 6 p.m (1600 GMT), his broader security cabinet at 7 p.m.(1700 GMT) and the full cabinet at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
DUBAI (Reuters) -A Qatar-mediated agreement between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages and a multi-day pause in hostilities is in its "final stages" and is "closer than it has ever been," a source briefed on the talks told Reuters on Tuesday. The deal brokers the release of around 50 civilian hostages by Hamas and the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli custody, the source briefed on the talks said. Hamas took about 240 hostages during its rampage into Israel, which Israeli authorities say killed 1,200 people.