More than three hostages believed to be released Saturday, ‘Post’ told • Monday security cabinet meeting ends with no decision on second phase of hostage deal
Katz: IDF to enforce without compromise any Hezbollah violation
The military “will continue to enforce with strength and without compromise against any Hezbollah violation – we are determined to ensure full security for all northern communities.”
The IDF will act forcefully against any Hezbollah violation of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday following the military’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
‘You’re my hope’: Agam Berger thanks Trump in video
In the video, Berger is seen thanking Trump for helping her get released form Hamas captivity and calling for him to get the rest of the hostages released as well.
US President Donald Trump shared a video of released hostage, Agam Berger, on his Truth Social app on Tuesday.
Monday security cabinet meeting ends with no decision on second phase of hostage deal
The meeting of the security cabinet on Monday ended with no vote or decision regarding the second phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
‘Get them out of hell’: Hostage families, public mark 500th day of captivity nationwide
As part of the occasion, freed hostages have been sharing the horrid conditions that they were kept in.
Hostages’ family members and their supporters marked 500 days since the October 7 massacre on Monday at more than 500 locations throughout the country.
There were large protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, including at the Knesset, as freed hostages called for a completion of a deal to release the remaining hostages.
Seventy-three hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Last week, Hamas threatened to stop the releases, and talks on phase two of the deal were delayed.
Freed hostages have been shedding light on the horrid conditions they lived in during their captivity, as well as indications of life from other hostages.
Freed hostage Liri Albag said in an Instagram post on Monday: “500 days where the hostages have no one to ask for help, there is no one hearing their cries. They need one thing: To come home.” She called on the nation to keep fighting to return all those still held captive.
World Bank to release damage assessments for Gaza, Ukraine
The World Bank will release an assessment of damages to infrastructure in Gaza in the coming days, along with an updated assessment of damages in Ukraine on February 25, Anna Bjerde, the bank’s managing director of operations, said on Monday.
Bjerde said the Gaza report, prepared together with the United Nations and European Union, would provide a fuller overview of damage to the Palestinian enclave after an interim report in April showed it suffered $18.5 billion in damages to critical infrastructure in the first four months of the war.
IDF begins withdrawal from Lebanon, forces to triple along border
The Israeli military will maintain five outposts within southern Lebanon near the border, each manned by a company of troops, for an indefinite period.
The IDF has begun to withdraw from southern Lebanon on Tuesday, but it will have around three times as many troops on the defense line of the border compared to before the war.
The military will maintain five outposts within southern Lebanon near the border, each manned by a company of troops, for an indefinite period of time.
Companies often range from 100-150 soldiers, but this is just a small part of the larger forces, which likely will number several thousand, if not 10,000-15,000, depending on various circumstances.
The five outposts were not formally part of the November 27 ceasefire deal. However, Israel convinced the US that the Lebanese Army is not effective enough – at present – to keep Hezbollah from entrenching in southern Lebanon and potentially trying to attack.
Under the ceasefire terms, the Lebanese Army was supposed to take over all potential Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, confiscate Hezbollah weapons, and prevent the terror group from sending fighters back into the area.
Lebanese Armed Forces improving
The IDF said on Monday that the Lebanese Army is doing better than ever before and is surprisingly confronting Hezbollah in some instances, but its performance is still far below where it would need to be to allow the military to withdraw the rest of its forces from southern Lebanon.
IDF sources suggested that a period of two to eight months for the outposts was easily imaginable and that the military could stay there much longer if needed for security reasons.
The five outposts will be located on the Lebanese side of the border, running from west to east near: 1) Labbouneh (near Shlomi on the Israeli side); 2) Ramyeh/Jabal Blat (Shtula); 3) Blida, Bint Jbeil, and Maroun El Ras (Avivim); 4) Wadi Saluki (Margaliot); and 5) Al-Khiyam, Kfar Kila, Ayoun Valley, and Aamra (Metulla).
According to the IDF, there is hope that despite threats from Hezbollah to treat the five outposts as a continued occupation and basis for conflict, they have been limited enough to reduce friction with the broader Lebanese public.
Further, the IDF said it would be crucial to maintain an aggressive posture toward attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon any time it tries to sneak forces into southern Lebanon or smuggle powerful weapons into any part of Lebanese territory.
Military sources acknowledged that it would not be possible to completely prevent every single Hezbollah fighter from returning to southern Lebanon since many of them can return under the guise of being civilian villagers who live there.
However, the IDF said it had enhanced its intelligence collection capabilities to try to better distinguish between legitimate innocent Lebanese villagers and Hezbollah fighters and would work hard on the issue.
In addition, the IDF said that while it would not rely solely on the Lebanese Army and American advisers helping that army, the mechanism for reporting Hezbollah violations, with direct US oversight, was often working.
Also, the IDF said that since the September 30 invasion, it had succeeded in mostly clearing the five-to-six-kilometer area of southern Lebanon near the border of Hezbollah weapons.
The IDF said it hoped many northern residents would return to their homes as of March 2, given improvements for defending them as well as progress in some areas in rebuilding infrastructure and houses destroyed by around 14 months of Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.
Military sources said the buffer zone in Syria is also reaping rewards in protecting Israel, and the military is working with local villagers so they will not only not feel oppressed by the IDF presence but will even feel some benefits.
Israel prepares to receive most likely four bodies of hostages on Thursday
Hamas will hand over the names of the hostages who were killed in captivity in the morning on Thursday.
Israel expects to receive the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, people familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Hamas intends to announce the names of the victims on Thursday morning, and their bodies will be taken to the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv, where tests will be conducted to verify their identities, the sources said.
In return, Israel will release all female Palestinian prisoners and anyone under the age of 19 who were arrested during the October 7 massacre and the days that followed. Israel will also allow mobile homes to enter the Gaza Strip.
The news about the caravans is surprising because last week, the defense establishment and the Prime Minister’s Office denied reports by Hamas that caravans would be brought into the enclave for Gazans whose homes were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also issued a statement denying the video.
“Contrary to reports in Arab media, there are no caravans about to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing,” Netanyahu’s spokesperson Omer Dostri wrote.
More than three hostages believed to be released Saturday, ‘Post’ learns
There are reportedly attempts on Israel’s part to bring forward the release of six living hostages to the Saturday exchange.
More than the three previously agreed to hostages are believed to be released on Saturday, Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Hamas is still holding six living hostages who are supposed to be released in the first phase. Israeli officials are trying to extend phase one to include more hostages.
On Monday, the security cabinet met to discuss phase two of the deal. Only then will a decision be made on whether an Israeli delegation will meet with Qatari and Egyptian officials to discuss phase two.
The Post also discovered on Monday that four bodies of Israeli hostages will be released on Thursday.
Experts grow concerned about Gaza hostages as conditions are revealed
The severe starvation images and reports from returning hostages about the horrific conditions of Hamas captivity have experts worried about heart muscle damage that could lead to cardiac arrest.
Health professionals have become increasingly concerned that hostages held captive by Hamas may suffer sudden cardiac arrest, as testimony from returned hostages revealed extreme conditions such as prolonged starvation, extreme malnutrition, lack of movement, and constant fear.
The heart is a muscle that requires a continuous energy supply to function. During prolonged starvation, the body enters a state of protein tissue breakdown for energy, causing heart muscle depletion and weakened function. When the calorie and protein supply remains low over time, starvation-dependent cardiomyopathy develops, leading to severe cardiac dysfunction and heart failure.
The heart relies on a delicate balance of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus to maintain normal electrical activity. When the body suffers from a deficiency in these essential electrolytes, it can even lead to ventricular fibrillation, a severe rhythm disorder causing immediate sudden cardiac arrest.
Potassium deficiency, for example, causes the heart rate to slow down and disrupt its electrical activity. Magnesium deficiency increases the risk of “Torsades de pointes” rhythm disturbances, which can lead to cardiac arrest. Severe phosphorus deficiency, typical in extreme starvation conditions, also causes heart failure. Calcium is essential for muscle contraction and cardiac electrical conduction, and its deficiency leads to heart failure.
Vitamin deficiencies also increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. For instance, vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, which is given to hostages immediately upon return, causes wet beriberi syndrome, characterized by heart failure, ventricular enlargement, and dangerous fluid accumulation.
Former Hamas hostage Emily Damari returns to Western Wall
After 471 days in captivity, Emily Damari revisits the sacred site that gave her hope through a stolen radio moment on Yom Kippur.
Former Gaza hostage Emily Damari visited the Western Wall 500 days after she was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
“In the darkness and isolation, I had one moment of light,” Emily said.
“On the eve of Yom Kippur, I managed to listen to the radio. I was moved to hear the Selichot prayers broadcast from the Western Wall plaza and the prayers they offered for us. It gave me strength. It gave me hope.”
Emily, who was released nearly one month ago after 471 days in captivity, recited the ‘Birkat HaGomel’ blessing and Psalm 100 (“A Psalm of Thanksgiving”) to express her gratitude.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation presented Emily with a necklace featuring a Western Wall pendant to symbolize the “unbreakable connection between the Jewish people, the Wall, and faith.”
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza.
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 at the Re’im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities.
- 73 hostages remain in Gaza.
- 49 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says.
- The IDF launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30.
- The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire came into effect on November 27 at 4:00 a.m.
- Netanyahu confirmed the first phase of the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire on January 17, 2025
- 735 terrorists will be released as part of the hostage deal