Israel News for 1-17-2025
News Update
The government is meeting at this time to approve the ceasefire and hostage release agreement. The Security Cabinet has advised the government to approve the deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu informed the Security Cabinet that both the Biden and Trump administrations have provided unequivocal assurances of full support for intensified military action in Gaza if Hamas violates the ceasefire. These guarantees include backing should negotiations over Phase 2 fail and Hamas refuse Israel’s security demands. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against the deal.
The following 33 individuals are included in the first phase of the emerging hostage deal framework. This group includes both civilians and soldiers, as well as two individuals held in Gaza since before October 7 – Avraham (Avera) Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed Shaaban. Sources indicate 25 of these 33 hostages are confirmed alive, though specific status of which individuals remains undisclosed.
1. Albag, Liri
2. Arayev, Karina
3. Ben-Ami, Ohad
4. Berger, Agam
5. Bibas, Ariel
6. Bibas, Kfir
7. Bibas, Yarden
8. Bibas-Silverman, Shiri
9. Calderon, Ofer
10. Cohen, Elia
11. Damari, Emily
12. Dekel-Chen, Sagi
13. Elgarat, Yitzhak (Itzik)
14. Gonen, Romi
15. Gilboa, Daniela
16. Horn, Yair
17. Idan, Tzachi
18. Levi, Naama
19. Levi, Or
20. Lifshitz, Oded
21. Mansour, Shlomo
22. Mengistu, Avraham (Avera)
23. Moses, Gad Moshe
24. Shaaban, Hisham al-Sayed
25. Shem-Tov, Omer
26. Sherrabi, Eliyahu
27. Shoham, Tal
28. Siegel, Keith Samuel
29. Steinbrecher, Doron
30. Troponov, Alexander
31. Vankert, Omer
32. Yahalomi, Ohad
33. Yehud, Arbel
Hamas plans to release the hostages over 42 days (six weeks), with at least three hostages freed weekly. Living hostages will be released before the deceased. Under the terms of the deal, women will be released first in two stages: three women on the first day and four on the seventh day. Israel aims to begin implementing the agreement on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
