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Dear A.,
Three Israelis and five Thai nationals, all kidnapped on October 7, are set to be
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released by Hamas tomorrow.
Hamas named all three Israelis earlier today:
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Arbel Yehoud , 29,
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Agam Berger , 19, and
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Gadi Moses , 80. Gadi will be the first male hostage to be released under the current agreement, which stipulated that all living female hostages should be released first.
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The five Thai nationals are among 10 non-Israelis still held hostage in Gaza: eight Thai, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian. Two of the Thai nationals and the Tanzanian have been declared dead.
Last night, freed hostage Amit Soussana, released in the first hostage deal in November 2023, gave a
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harrowing interview about her time in Hamas captivity.
In the interview, she credited Liri Albag, who was one of the four female soldiers released on Saturday, with saving her life. The terrorists had tied Amit's arms and legs together, beating her with a stick and threatening her with a sharp metal object, demanding that she admit to being in the military.
She said the captors brought other hostages, including Liri, to ask her to come clean. A guard pointed a gun at her head and told her: "You have 40 minutes to tell us the truth, or else I kill you."
Liri talked to the guards and convinced them that Amit wasn’t in the military. "I told her when she came back: 'I don’t know if they would have killed me or not; as far as I’m concerned, you saved my life,'" Amit recalled.
You can watch the interview below.
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90 hostages, including seven Americans, remain in Hamas captivity.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to ensure the terror group fully adheres to the agreement and releases the hostages.
Witkoff meets Netanyahu in Jerusalem; Hegseth and Katz speak by phone
White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel today, following meetings in Saudi Arabia yesterday.
Witkoff
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met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in his office in Jerusalem.
Prior to the visit to Jerusalem, Witkoff
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toured the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, making him the first U.S. official to enter Gaza in nearly 15 years.
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Also today, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
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spoke by phone with his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for the first time since the latter was recently sworn in.
Katz congratulated Hegseth on the role and "thanked him for the U.S.’s commitment and efforts to work for the release of all the hostages," according to an Israeli readout.
He also thanked Hegseth for releasing shipments of arms that were held up by the previous administration.
"The two discussed the strengthening of security cooperation between the countries and advancing common interests, in light of Israel’s achievements in the campaign against Iran and its proxies," the readout says.
Secretary of State Rubio speaks with Egyptian foreign minister
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss the latest developments in Gaza.
According to a U.S.
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readout , Rubio "reinforced the importance of holding Hamas accountable" and ensuring that "Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again."
Meanwhile, IDF forces
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last night thwarted a smuggling attempt from Egypt into Israel. A drone carrying 13 weapons and ammunition was spotted and shot down by the IDF.
Qatar and Turkey host Hamas terrorists
Qatar and Turkey will host convicted Palestinian terrorists who were released as part of the ongoing hostage deal, according to
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reports .
As part of the hostage deal negotiations, Israel demanded that Palestinian terrorists convicted of the most serious crimes, 70 of whom were released last week, not be released into Gaza or the West Bank.
Turkey has agreed to take in around 15 and Qatar is expected to take the rest, and possibly more in the future.
Qatar and Turkey have long been key sponsors and supporters of Hamas, both before and after the October 7 attack. A number of senior Hamas terrorists live in Qatar, and Turkey has previously hosted Hamas terrorists as well.
Today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (below, center)
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publicly welcomed and met with a Hamas delegation, including Khaled Meshaal.
Meshaal, who resides principally in Qatar, was
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indicted by the Department of Justice in September 2024 for his role in "planning, supporting, and perpetrating the terrorist atrocities that Hamas committed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 (the October 7 Hamas Massacres), involving the murders and kidnappings of countless innocent civilians, including American citizens."
Two AIPAC-endorsed candidates win Florida primary races
Yesterday, two AIPAC-endorsed candidates won their Republican special primary elections for the congressional seats vacated by former Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz. Both are considered safe Republican districts, making the primary election determinative.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis won his primary in the 1st district, and Florida State Senator Randy Fine won in the 6th district.
AIPAC congratulates both on their primary victories and looks forward to working with them to continue to strengthen bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress.
Other notable headlines
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Romi Gonen’s father: Long road ahead for recovery, family not pushing her to share
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IDF drone strikes terror cell in northern West Bank, army says
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Emirati state weapons contractor invests in Israeli defense supplier
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New Zealand requires Israelis to disclose IDF service details as condition for entry
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
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Support our work to keep Israel safe.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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