Oren Levi

American Airlines announced Monday that it will resume direct flights to Israel in March 2026, nearly two and a half years after suspending its New York (JFK) to Tel Aviv route following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked a prolonged conflict in Gaza.

An Egyptian convoy of vehicles and heavy construction machinery entered the Gaza Strip overnight from Saturday to Sunday to assist in the search for the bodies of Israeli hostages killed by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has come under fire for remarks made Thursday, stating that Israel should reject any normalization deal with Saudi Arabia if it is conditioned on the creation of a Palestinian state, according to a report by Haaretz.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday in Tel Aviv with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, amid renewed tensions in Gaza that have strained the fragile ceasefire in place since October 10.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that a ceasefire in Gaza had resumed after an attack that killed two of its soldiers and prompted a wave of airstrikes that killed 26 people, in the most serious test yet of this month's U.S.-brokered truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Saturday that the war in Gaza will not come to a final end until Hamas is disarmed and the Palestinian territory is fully demilitarized , a key requirement of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement currently under discussion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his government’s determination to secure the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza, stating Thursday that "the fight is not over" for Israel, two years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

The Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, held Monday, marked a major diplomatic milestone with the signing of a joint document by leaders of the mediating countries in support of the October 9 agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

In a forceful address to the Israeli Knesset Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Palestinian people to “turn forever from the path of terrorism and violence” and to reject the influence of “malign forces of hatred” within their ranks.

The release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza is expected to begin early Monday morning, according to Shosh Bedrosian, spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Emotions ran high Saturday night at a massive rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families and supporters gathered to celebrate the breakthrough ceasefire deal that will see the return of dozens of hostages from Gaza.