Hostage Rescue

11:41

An Israeli official has confirmed that the handover of Edan Alexander from Hamas to the Red Cross has begun.

11:36

With Hamas reporting the handover of hostage Edan Alexander to the Red Cross - here's a quick look at how the Israeli side say today's release will unfold:

• It will follow the same procedure as previous hostage returns: Alexander will be handed from Hamas, to the Red Cross, to a special Israeli military unit...

The body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas was not among the four returned by Hamas from Gaza on Thursday, Israel’s military has said, accusing the Palestinian militant group of a “violation of utmost severity” of the precarious ceasefire deal.

Hamas said it will investigate Israel’s claims, insisting that it intends to abide by the terms of the ceasefire deal reached with Israel.

President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and "let all hell break out." 

Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening. 

When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is "Israel’s decision." 

A spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas says the group is postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages, blaming what he says are Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal.

Three hostages held in Gaza are due to be freed on Saturday in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz called the Hamas announcement a "complete violation of the ceasefire agreement".

The IDF and the Shin Bet on Tuesday early afternoon rescued Israeli-Bedouin hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi from southern Gaza, who was held by Hamas since October 7 from Mivtachim in the South.

The operation was led by Division 162, Brigade 401, the Nahal Brigade. Yahalom anti-tunnel special forces, along with the Shayetet 13 naval commandos.

Alkadi, age 52, from Rahat, is a father to 11 children.

Alkadi is healthy and is undergoing further health checks at Soroka Medical Center.

On Tuesday morning the Israeli Defense Forces announced the rescue of a hostage, who was kidnapped from Israel by Iranian backed Hamas terrorists, and taken into the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. 

Four Israeli hostages who were held by Hamas were rescued on Saturday morning in a military operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet and the Israeli police counter terrorism unit, the IDF said in a statement.

Why it matters: The military operation took place as the Biden administration pushes for a deal that will secure the release of hostages and lead to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The four hostages who were rescued are Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Andrei Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says an Israeli raid on a refugee camp - which led to the rescue of four hostages - killed 274 people including children and other civilians.

On Saturday Israel's forces, backed by air strikes, fought intense gun battles with Hamas in and around the Nuseirat refugee camp, freeing the captives.

Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, who were abducted from the Nova music festival on 7 October have been returned to Israel.

Israeli security forces rescued four hostages from Gaza on Saturday morning who had been held hostage for eight months, Israel Defense Forces said. The hostages had been kidnapped from a music festival in Israel during the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.

The rescued hostages were found in good medical condition, Israel said. Among the hostages rescued from central Nuseirat was Noa Argamani, whose kidnapping was captured on camera and shared widely online. A ten-second clip of the kidnapping showed Argamani screaming as she was taken away on the back of a motorcycle.