Author: David Leibermann

TEL AVIV — The mood at Tel Aviv’s upscale Gindi Fashion Mall was divided between anticipation and disbelief on Thursday afternoon, in the wake of news of a hostage deal that could end the Gaza war and bring the remaining hostages home. At a kiosk across from a Chanel boutique, fruit vendor Amit Bonen said […]

When the news broke in Tel Aviv that Israel and Hamas had, at long last, reached a deal that would return their sons, Einav Zangauker and Michael Ilouz embraced. Then Ilouz picked Zangauker up and danced, his unbridled joy commanding his body. It was one of dozens of displays of jubilation captured on video of […]

For anyone who has been living in a state of suspended animation since the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas took hundreds of hostages from Israel, the timing of the announcement on Wednesday that a deal had been reached for their release at the two-year mark could not have been more resonant. But the timing has […]

Dozens of Israeli hostages held for two years in Gaza, including 20 who remain alive, are set to be released imminently following an agreement between Israel and Hamas that could lead to a permanent ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the deal on Wednesday evening, saying that both sides had signed off on a “first […]

On the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre, Israelis grappled with how to mark the date which overlapped with the first day of Sukkot, when Jewish tradition requires festivity. The government postponed official remembrances until the day after the Simchat Torah holiday that bookends Sukkot rather than the Gregorian anniversary. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came […]

One week after President Donald Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, announced a breakthrough in efforts to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, there is still no ceasefire. But negotiators representing both sides are reconvening in Cairo for talks that are anticipated to be urgent and swift, amid ongoing pressure from […]

Two years after the Oct. 7 massacre, Israelis are moving into kibbutzim in numbers not seen for years, part of a deliberate effort to repopulate and rehabilitate communities devastated in the Hamas-led attack. The push is most visible along the Gaza border, but it extends to the north as well, where Hezbollah fire kept communities […]

Hamas says it is prepared to release all Israeli hostages to bring about an end to the war in Gaza. The group made the offer in its response to a proposal made on Monday by President Donald Trump and agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is not clear whether Hamas’ position will […]

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has hired another American firm to run influence operations in the United States, with plans to spend as much as $4.1 million on a marketing campaign aimed at Christians across the Western part of the country, according to newly filed federal disclosures. The documents, filed last week under the Foreign Agents Registration […]