Video released by the Israel Defense Forces of the reunion shows Sagui Dekel-Chen becoming emotional after he learned the name of the baby he never met. American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen spent “the vast majority” of his almost 500 days in captivity not knowing that his family had survived Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack or that his wife had given birth to their third child while he was held in Gaza, his father told NBC News. The 36-year old was released from Hamas captivity Saturday along with two other hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. He is the second U.S. citizen after Keith Siegel, 65, to be freed in phase one of the ceasefire and hostage release deal. His father, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, said in an interview Monday that his son, who was wounded in his right shoulder and his left leg when he was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, “was given minimal medical treatment once he got to Gaza.” “There was no follow-up treatment, and so there’s considerable damage,” he said. “He was in the tunnels for the vast majority of the time. Even in the short period that he was aboveground, there was no sunlight whatsoever,” he added. On the morning of the attack, Dekel-Chen put his wife, Avital Dekel-Chen, 34, and their two daughters, Bar, 7, and Gali, 3, into the safe room of their home. He then went out to confront the militants storming their kibbutz and was taken captive. He was one of around 250 people taken hostage on a day that also saw 1,200 killed, according to Israeli tallies. Avital Dekel-Chen was seven months pregnant when her husband was kidnapped and gave birth to their third daughter two months later. Dekel-Chen spent most of his 498 days in Gaza unsure whether his wife and daughters were still alive, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. “In the tunnels, they’re in a complete information vacuum,” he said. “And so Sagui only began to piece together a partial picture two days before he was released.” Only then was he able to pick up “bits of information here and there, which led him to believe that his wife and two older daughters survived,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, but “he still didn’t know whether his third daughter had survived, if she was ever born.” During the pregnancy, Dekel-Chen jokingly referred to the unborn baby as Mazal, an old-fashioned name meaning “luck” in Hebrew, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. Moments after Dekel-Chen was reunited with his wife in southern Israel on Saturday, she told him she had named their daughter, Shachar Mazal. Shachar is the Hebrew word for “dawn.” Video released by the Israel Defense Forces of the reunion shows Dekel-Chen becoming emotional after he learned the name of the baby he never met. “Wow, perfect,” he whispered in response. “What a name.” Later, he held the year-old Shachar for the first time at Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, where he also reunited with Bar and Gali. “There are not words in the English language or any other language that I know that can truly express the power of that moment, of his reunion with his little girls.” Jonathan Dekel-Chen said. In the lead up to Saturday’s exchange, which also saw Sasha Alexander Troufanov, 29, and Yair Horn, 46, freed by Hamas, the militant group had threatened to indefinitely delay the release of the hostages, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire by not allowing temporary shelters and heavy digging equipment into the Gaza Strip. That sparked a furious reaction from both Israel and President Donald Trump, who warned that unless they were freed, “all hell is going to break loose” in Gaza, where health officials say more than 48,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign Oct. 7, 2023. The first phase of the agreement — which calls for the release of 33 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire and the release of around 1,900 prisoners and detainees — is due to expire March 2. Negotiations are underway to try to reach the second phase of the agreement, which would see the release of all living hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and detainees, a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Ultimately, ahead of Dekel-Chen’s release, both sides backed down and reverted to the original terms of the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and 369 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for the three men. The days of uncertainty were “brutal” as they waited to see if the ceasefire would collapse, Jonathan Dekel-Chen said, adding, “honestly, it was terrifying, not just for us but for the families of all of the remaining hostages.”

The bodies of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the two youngest captives seized in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, were confirmed to be among those released as part of a ceasefire deal. Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages Thursday, parading four black caskets on a stage against a backdrop of propaganda slogans and behind white missiles spattered with red paint bearing the phrase "they were killed by USA bombs." In what is likely to be one of the defining images of the war in the Gaza Strip, the four caskets sat on a raised platform in front of smiling illustrations of three members of the Bibas family and 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz. Among the bodies believed to be handed over by Hamas were those of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the two youngest captives seized in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack that triggered Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The bodies of the two children were later confirmed to be those of Kfir and Ariel Bibas — but the body that was believed to be that of their mother, Shiri, was not in fact her, the Israel Defense Forces said. "This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is required by the agreement to return four dead abductees," the IDF said. "We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all of our abductees." The bodies handed over were the first to be returned under the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Lifshitz's family said Thursday that his body had been identified. Each casket also carried a small photograph of one of the four hostages. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those in Hamas captivity, had earlier said that the body of Shiri Bibas was handed over, along with the bodies of her two children and that of Lifshitz. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that "We are horrified and devastated by the news that their mother, Shiri, was not returned — despite the agreement and our desperate hopes." The IDF said that Ariel and Kfir Bibas "were brutally murdered in captivity in November 2023, by terrorists," the month after the family were taken from their kibbutz, Nir Oz. Kfir was just shy of 9 months old and Ariel was 4 at the time of the abduction. The IDF said that the identification process determined the other body was not Shiri Bibas, and "no match was found for any other abductee. It is an anonymous body without identification." The handover took place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where large crowds gathered and armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms patrolled the area. The caskets were displayed in front of a large banner that showed a caricature replicating antisemitic tropes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with vampiric teeth and blood running down his face. Netanyahu reacted to the release of the deceased hostages in a post on X later Thursday, saying that "we bow our heads for the heavy loss of our four hostages." "We are all in pain, a pain that is mixed with rage," he said, adding that he planned to return the remaining hostages, "destroy the murderers and eliminate Hamas." After representatives from Hamas and the Red Cross signed paperwork on a table with a camouflage cover and two Palestinian flags, the caskets were carried into white Red Cross vehicles that then drove them away to be transferred to the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency. The children's father, Yarden Bibas, 35, was released Feb. 1 under the first phase of the ceasefire deal. He had been held in a different part of Gaza from his wife and children, according to hostages who were with him in captivity and have since been freed. While all other child hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a one-week ceasefire in November 2023, the Bibas family never emerged from Gaza. On one of the final days of the brief pause in fighting, Hamas released a statement claiming that Shiri Bibas and the children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, although Israel’s military said the claim could not be confirmed before later acknowledging its fears for the family. The Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced Tuesday that the bodies of Shiri Bibas and the two children would be among those returned this week. He also announced that four of the remaining living captives would be released Saturday, in addition to two others who have been held in Gaza for about a decade. The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed it had reached an agreement on the releases during negotiations held in Cairo last week, but refrained from naming any of the hostages. On Tuesday, the Bibas family said it was “in turmoil” over the Hamas leader’s announcement of the return of Shiri Bibas and the children. “Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over,” the family said in a statement. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum also named the six living hostages slated for release Saturday: Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu. Cohen, 27, Shem Tov, 22, and Wenkert, 23, were abducted from the Nova music festival, where an estimated 364 people were killed. Shoham, 40, was taken from the community of kibbutz Beeri, according to the group. Civilians Al-Sayed and Mengistu have been separately held in Gaza for about a decade after they were kidnapped while crossing the border in 2015 and 2014, respectively. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were captured in the Oct. 7 terror attack, according to Israeli officials. Israel's ensuing military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the local Hamas-run Health Ministry, and forcibly displaced most of its 2.3 million population. Saturday’s handover, if successful, will mean that four hostages, all presumed dead, are left in Gaza from the group of 33 scheduled for release under the first phase of the ceasefire deal in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians prisoners and detainees in Israel. Negotiations over the second stage of the ceasefire deal, originally slated to begin Feb. 4, will work to secure the release of the remaining 64 hostages and oversee the administration of post-war Gaza. Talks are expected to get underway in the coming days.

JERUSALEM — Israel is preparing to receive six hostages Saturday, in addition to a number of captives' bodies to be delivered from Gaza on Thursday, a source briefed on the talks told NBC News on Monday. Talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt are ongoing, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, and would involve Israel sending in a number of temporary housing structures into the besieged Palestinian enclave. That would be more than the number of Israeli hostages that have been released every Saturday since the ceasefire was agreed on Jan. 19. So far, Hamas has sent the names of those to be released on the Friday before the exchange, which has also involved the freeing of dozens of Palestinian detainees and prisoners. The source said there were also discussions about handing over the bodies of deceased hostages on Thursday. Six live hostages and eight dead ones remain out of the 33 due to be released in the first phase of the three-part ceasefire deal Hamas and Israel agreed to on Jan. 19. Israel’s security cabinet earlier met to discuss the second phase of ceasefire, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for President Donald Trump's controversial plan to take over Gaza. Following a call with Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, Netanyahu instructed Israel’s negotiating team to depart for the Egyptian capital of Cairo to discuss the “continuation of the implementation” of the first stage of the deal, the Israeli leader’s office said in a statement Sunday. Netanyahu’s office said the negotiating team would receive “instructions for the continuation of negotiations on Phase B issues” after the Israeli security cabinet’s discussion on the matter. The prime minister's office also pushed back on reports suggesting Israel had dispatched the negotiating team under U.S. pressure. Recommended

Israel's security Cabinet was due to meet ahead of the expected beginning of second phase negotiations as part of the government's ceasefire deal with Hamas. Israel's security Cabinet was set to meet Monday to discuss the second phase of the government's ceasefire deal with Hamas, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for President Donald Trump's plan to take over the Gaza Strip. Following a call with Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, Netanyahu instructed Israel's negotiating team to depart for the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday to discuss the "continuation of the implementation" of the first stage of the deal that has brought a pause to deadly fighting in Gaza, the Israeli leader's office said in a statement Sunday. Netanyahu's office said the negotiating team would receive "instructions for the continuation of negotiations on Phase B issues" after the Israeli security Cabinet's discussion on the matter as it pushed back on reports suggesting Israel had dispatched the negotiating team under U.S. pressure. Branding those reports "fake news," Netanyahu's office said in a statement there had been "no American pressure to send a delegation to negotiate Phase 2." Still, plans for further negotiations come after Netanyahu said Sunday following a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel and the Trump administration had formed a "joint strategy" to ensure that the "gates of hell will open" if Hamas does not eventually release all of the hostages who remain held captive in Gaza — a key requirement of the current ceasefire deal. He also said Israel was "committed" to Trump's widely condemned plan to take over Gaza, where tens of thousands of people have been killed and much of the infrastructure destroyed during Israel's offensive in the enclave. That campaign began after around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, with 251 people taken hostage into Gaza in an assault that marked a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials, though researchers estimate the death toll could be significantly higher. At least 60% of the territory’s infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, has been destroyed, according to estimates from the United Nations. Hailing Trump's proposal to take over Gaza as a "revolutionary vision," Netanyahu said the U.S. and Israel had also come up with a "joint strategy" to see it through and bring about a "completely different Gaza." In a meeting Sunday with a U.S. Senate delegation led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz further said he believed Trump's plan for Gaza was "the only one that can guarantee security for the residents of the south and the state of Israel, in light of the lessons learned from the events of Oct. 7." Hamas on Sunday accused Netanyahu of looking to “return to aggression” in Gaza as it accused Israel of “hesitation in starting the second phase of negotiations.” The militant group also accused Israeli forces of carrying out a bombing east of Rafah city in southern Gaza, which it said killed three police officers. Video captured by NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza on Sunday appeared to show people mourning over their bodies after they were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that troops had “operated to distance several suspects who approached them” and were perceived as posing a threat. It added that forces on Sunday had fired to distance “suspicious vehicles” that were advancing north from central Gaza along a route unauthorized for passage under the ceasefire agreement and that the trucks had not been inspected, which it said violated the terms of the truce. That came as concerns grew over the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now said in a news release Sunday that Israel had issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler housing units that could significantly expand the population of the Efrat settlement in the territory. The organization warned that such a development would also risk further blocking the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East war, building and expanding Jewish settlements there that are widely considered illegal by the international community, a charge Israel rejects. The West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem would form the internationally recognized future state Palestinians seek — and the expansion of settlements, as well as Trump's plan to take over Gaza, presents major obstacles to that effort.

Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli pullout under the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting with Hezbollah. Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon near the border after Tuesday’s deadline for their full withdrawal, an Israeli official said Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli pullout under the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting with the Hezbollah militant group. There was no immediate comment from Lebanese or Hezbollah officials. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli strike in Lebanon killed a senior Hamas leader. The news came as Israelis were marking the 500th day since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip and rippled across the region, eventually setting off a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah. The war in Gaza was paused last month when a fragile ceasefire took hold. The first phase of the truce is set to end in early March, and it’s unclear whether it will be extended to allow the release of dozens more hostages, or if Israel will renew its military offensive against Hamas with U.S. support. Separately, an anti-settlement watchdog said Monday that Israel has issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank. Peace Now says the development of 974 new housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40% and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Hagit Ofran, who leads the group’s settlement monitoring, said construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government. Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace, a position with wide international support. Settlement expansion President Donald Trump lent unprecedented support to the settlements during his previous term. Israel has also steadily expanded settlements during Democratic administrations, which were more critical but rarely took any action to curb them. Israel has built well over 100 settlements across the West Bank, ranging from hilltop outposts to fully developed suburban communities, with apartment blocks, malls and parks. Over 500,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank, which is home to some 3 million Palestinians. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while Palestinians live under military rule with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers. The Israeli government views the West Bank as the historical and biblical heartland of the Jewish people and is opposed to Palestinian statehood, while human rights groups have accused Israel of discrimination against and oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank. Peace Now, which favors a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of pressing ahead with settlement construction while dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack languish in captivity in the Gaza Strip. “The Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the ground that will destroy the chance for peace and compromise,” it said in a statement. 500 days Israelis held protests across the country on Monday calling for the ceasefire to be extended so that more hostages can be released. Demonstrators blocked a main intersection in Tel Aviv, and some protesters planned to fast for 500 minutes in a show of solidarity with the captives. “All I care about, all I want, is for my friends to return. There were six of us living in unbearable conditions, in a six-square-meter (65-square-foot) space. I got out, but they are still there,” Ohad Ben Ami, a hostage who was released a week and a half ago, told Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday. He added that hostages don’t count days while in captivity, they count minutes and seconds. Hamas is set to continue the gradual release of 33 hostages during the current phase of the truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have pulled back from most parts of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid. But the two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas would release more than 70 remaining hostages — around half of whom are believed to be dead — in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Netanyahu and the Trump administration have given conflicting signals over whether they want to continue the ceasefire or renew the war. Both they say are committed to the eradication of Hamas and the return of all the hostages, but those goals are widely seen as incompatible. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and abducted around 250. More than half of the hostages have been returned in agreements with Hamas or other deals, while just eight have been rescued in military operations. The militant group, though weakened, remains in full control of the territory. Hamas has said it is willing to relinquish power to other Palestinians but will not accept any occupying force. Israel’s air and ground war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The war destroyed vast areas of Gaza and at its height had displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million. Trump has called for Gaza’s population to be permanently relocated to other countries and for the United States to take ownership of the territory and rebuild it for others. Israel has welcomed the plan, while Palestinians and Arab nations have universally rejected the idea. Rights groups and experts say the proposal, if implemented, would likely violate international law. The proposal has meanwhile cast further doubt over the future of the ceasefire. Hamas may be unwilling to release the remaining captives — its only bargaining chips — it if believes Israel is going to resume the war with the goal of expelling the Palestinian population. Hamas official killed An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon, the deepest strike since the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in November. Israel said it targeted Muhammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas’ operations in Lebanon. Footage circulating online showed a car engulfed in flames. The strike occurred near a Lebanese army checkpoint and Sidon’s municipal sports stadium. The original withdrawal deadline was in late January, but under pressure from Israel, Lebanon agreed to extend it to Feb. 18. It remains unclear whether Israeli troops will complete their withdrawal by Tuesday. Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it is targeting military sites containing missiles and combat equipment. Each side has accused the other of violating the truce.

Australian lawmakers and experts say there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. With homes vandalized, synagogues on fire and residents on edge, Australia is grappling with a surge in antisemitic attacks that has prompted dozens of arrests across the country in what its leaders say is a “national crisis.” Australian lawmakers and experts say there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Between the start of the war and September 2024, there were more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents in Australia, three times the figure for the same period a year earlier, according to a report in December by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Australian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress. Over the past 16 months, Jewish Australians have faced “an unprecedented rise in antisemitism across the country,” according to a parliamentary inquiry report tabled Wednesday. Homes, cars and schools have been set on fire or spray-painted with anti-Israel messages, and there have been arson attacks against a synagogue in Melbourne and a child care center in Sydney. Last month, police said they had disrupted a potential antisemitic attack after they discovered a caravan containing explosives in a Sydney suburb. This week, two nurses in a Sydney hospital were suspended for saying they would kill Jewish patients or refuse to treat them in a video chat with a TikTok user who told them he was from Israel. The Australian government’s response to the antisemitic incidents has been criticized by Jewish groups as well as Israel. “The epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on the social media platform X last month. “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease!” Last week, Australian lawmakers almost unanimously passed tough hate crime laws that include mandatory jail time for giving a Nazi salute in public. “We want people who are engaged in antisemitic activities to be caught, to be charged and to be put in the clink,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. Opposition leader Peter Dutton agreed. “This is a time of national crisis,” he said. The laws have been welcomed by Jewish communities. “Prison sentences and fines are called for if there is to be any hope of stamping out this hateful behavior,” the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said in a statement last week. A home formerly owned by the group’s co-chief executive was among those targeted. The attacks have been concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s most populous cities and home to 85% of the country’s Jewish population. Most of them have been “small-scale, low-technology attacks,” said Julian Droogan, head of the Department of Security Studies at Macquarie University in Sydney. An exception was the trailer laden with explosives, which Droogan said “was quite remarkable and almost without precedent in recent years.” While police have arrested dozens of Australians in connection with the arson, they have also said they are investigating whether the attacks could be part of a large-scale concerted effort by foreign actors paying criminals for hire. “So part of our inquiries include: Who is paying those criminals, where those people are, whether they are in Australia or offshore, and what their motivation is,” Australia Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said last month. Local police are enhancing their efforts as well. This month, police in New South Wales, the Australian state that includes Sydney, said they had doubled to 40 the number of investigators on a task force formed to investigate antisemitic crimes and patrol schools and places of worship. “Children shouldn’t feel scared to go to school, people shouldn’t feel afraid to go to prayer or practice their religion,” Commissioner Karen Webb said in a statement. The Israel-Hamas war and protests around it have been a sensitive issue in Australia, where some rallies have devolved into clashes between protesters and police officers. In October, police in New South Wales cited security risks and policing costs in trying to ban a pro-Palestinian rally marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, which has killed about 1,200 people in Israel and more than 46,000 people in the Gaza Strip. “We often look at Australia as geographically detached, and it is. But we forget to mention that the rest of the world is represented within Australia in microcosm,” Droogan said. “So conflicts and disputes in the world regularly manifest in the Australian community.” The tensions have extended to Australian schools, with multiple universities urging pro-Palestinian protesters to shut down encampments similar to those set up on campuses in the United States. There have been increased reports at universities of antisemitic graffiti, protests and chants, according to the parliamentary inquiry report, which urged universities to adjust their definition of antisemitism to more closely align with one that Palestinians and some civil rights groups say mutes criticism of Israel. Some Jewish groups say that in an attempt to address growing antisemitism, lawmakers and university campuses have instead politicized the issue and worsened prejudice against Palestinians and other groups. “To address antisemitism on campus, we must also address the racism faced by other racialized groups, including First Nations, Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and Asian staff and students,” Sarah Schwartz, executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, said in a statement Friday.

The secretary of state said Iran, which has long funded militant groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, threatens Middle East stability. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran remains the “single greatest source of instability” in the Middle East and threw his full support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A meeting between the two in Jerusalem came as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — a militant group backed by Iran — lasted into a second month despite being tested to its limit this week. Despite the fragile truce, Rubio said Hamas must be “eradicated” and praised President Donald Trump’s “bold” plans to take control of Gaza and displace Palestinians to other countries. While hostage and prisoner exchanges, the future of the ceasefire, and the possibility of lasting peace have dominated recent discussions between the nations, Netanyahu told members of the press after the meeting that no issue was “more important than Iran.” Rubio said in Jerusalem that Iran was “behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence” and “behind everything that threatens peace and stability.” Iran has long funded militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Yemeni-based Houthi militants, though it is not behind other groups in the region such as Islamic State. Its proxies have fueled conflicts across the region, while the nation is simultaneously advancing its missile program. Its leadership opposes Israel and the U.S. While Iran has not yet pursued building a nuclear bomb, a 2023 report released by watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency also found the country had begun enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels. “We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons, and we also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back,” said Netanyahu, adding that Israel had “dealt a mighty blow” to Iran in the past year and a half. In a string of setbacks for the country, Iran’s proxy forces in Lebanon and Gaza have been weakened by fighting Israel, while the swift collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime — which Tehran also supported — also represented a devastating defeat. Netanyahu said that with U.S. support, “we can and will finish the job,” without elaborating on what that would mean in practice. The pair also released a joint statement after the meeting insisting that Israel and the United States had a “shared strategy” regarding the future of Gaza, “including when the gates of hell will open.” Hamas and the Iranian government did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, although Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told NBC News in an interview Tuesday that the militant group was committed to the ceasefire deal, to which “it adheres fully and not selectively as the Israeli side does.” Responding to Trump’s earlier threat, Qassem added that Gaza was already “living in a state of hell.” The comments appeared to reference Trump’s warning last week that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release “all” the remaining hostages on Saturday. As Hamas released three hostages on Saturday, he wrote on Truth Social that “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” adding that “the United States will back the decision they make!” While Israel has maintained the ceasefire despite Trump’s deadline, the meeting in Jerusalem offered no clear messaging around the future of the deal or further conflict in Gaza. Rubio said that Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force,” adding that the hostages “need to come home” without mentioning the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire, negotiations for which were meant to begin earlier this month.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Alexander Troufanov and Iair Horn will be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Hamas will free three hostages — Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Alexander Troufanov and Iair Horn — on Saturday, a spokesperson for the militant group said Friday. Abu Obaida, a spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing Al Qassam Brigades, told NBC News on Friday that Hamas will release the three hostages according to the terms of the ceasefire deal it brokered with Israel on Jan. 19. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had “received” the list of names from Hamas in an official statement Friday. Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, is an American Israeli who refurbished old buses into mobile tech classrooms for underserved children. He was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz, where was living with his wife and their two daughters. Iair Horn, 46, is an Argentine Israeli who was also kidnapped from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz along with his brother Eitan Horn, 38, who remains in captivity. Sasha Alexander Troufanov, 29, is a Russian Israeli who was abducted along with his family in kibbutz Nir Oz. His father was murdered in captivity, while his female relatives were released last November. Troufanov will be freed separately by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, the group said Friday. Hamas' announcement comes after it reversed a warning issued Thursday that it would indefinitely postpone hostage-prisoner swaps over Israeli violations of the truce, after holding talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Wednesday. Under the first phase of the deal, due to last 42 days, Hamas has incrementally released 16 of 33 hostages. During the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed and 251 captured, according to Israeli officials. The ensuing military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and forcibly displaced most of its 2.3 million population.

The militant organization reversed its earlier pledge to postpone the next hostage-prisoner swap after it accused Israel of violating the terms of their fragile ceasefire. Israel promised to mass forces inside and around Gaza and reiterated that “intense fighting” would resume if Hamas did not release three hostages by noon Saturday. “We’re talking about these Israeli hostages arriving back in Israel,” David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said Thursday. “If that does not happen by Saturday, noon, the ceasefire will end and the IDF will resume intense military operations until Hamas is fully defeated.” Earlier, Hamas said it would release hostages according to a schedule outlined in the ceasefire agreement, a reversal of its previous warning that it would indefinitely postpone hostage-prisoner swaps over Israeli violations of the truce. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told NBC News on Thursday that there were “positive signs of an agreement” after a Hamas-led delegation held talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday. The hard-won truce looked close to collapse earlier this week after Hamas accused Israel of shooting at civilians, blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid and inhibiting Palestinians’ passage into northern Gaza. Negotiators are hashing out the second phase of the agreement's three-stages. Tensions also surged as President Donald Trump said that Palestinians should be displaced from the Gaza Strip so the area could be redeveloped. Hamas said this week that Israel had violated the terms of the ceasefire by shooting at civilians, blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid into the enclave and inhibiting Palestinians’ passage to northern Gaza. Trump also threatened to let “all hell break out” in Gaza if the hostages were not released as planned. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would resume “intense fighting.” Repeating Netanyahu's warning, Mencer said that under the existing ceasefire deal, Israel expected three live hostages to be released Saturday and not all, as Trump suggested. But Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz kept up his country’s response to the week’s back-and-forth briefings, saying in a statement late Wednesday that “the gates of hell will open upon” Hamas if it did not free any more captives. The hostage crisis erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants seized 251 people during the worst terrorist attack in Israel's history. Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, due to last 42 days, Hamas has incrementally released 16 of 33 hostages. The ensuing military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and forcibly displaced most of its 2.3 million population. Katz’s remarks are characteristic of those across Israel’s hard right, which has representatives in the country’s coalition government and has in recent days been buoyed by Trump’s plan to eject Palestinians from Gaza and threats against Hamas. Arab leaders have this week stepped up efforts to mediate the standoff and curb Trump’s plan to resettle almost 2 million Palestinians in neighboring Jordan and Egypt and redevelop the war-torn Gaza Strip into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Egypt plans to host an emergency Arab summit on Feb. 27 after Trump extended an open invitation to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to discuss the matter at the White House. In a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, the country said it would work with Trump to “achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region by reaching a just settlement of the Palestinian cause.”

Earlier in the day, Abdullah told Trump he could take in 2,000 Palestinian children from Gaza who are very sick or have cancer. WASHINGTON — Jordan’s King Abdullah II said he reiterated Tuesday during a meeting with President Donald Trump his country's and the region's "steadfast opposition" to the president's plan to resettle millions of Palestinians out of Gaza. “I stressed that my foremost commitment is to Jordan, to its stability and to the well-being of Jordanians,” he said on X. “I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position.” Earlier in the day, Abdullah told Trump he could take in 2,000 Palestinian children from Gaza who are very sick or have cancer. But the king later confirmed his longstanding position against displacing millions of Palestinians from their homes as Trump has suggested. Trump said during their meeting Tuesday that he expected progress toward his plan and believed “99%” that something could be worked out with Egypt, another regional partner that had bristled at the president's surprise. "We'll have some others helping," Trump added. Seated with Trump in the Oval Office, Abdullah said they must ensure a plan that satisfies all parties, a not insignificant obstacle as questions remain about how each country might move to relocate a swell of people who have suffered months of devastation, and which some fear will further undermine efforts to create a Palestinian state. More than 1 million Palestinians remain without homes, and the king declined to say whether he would be willing to take in refugees in larger numbers. "We have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of Jordan," he said. Questioned further by reporters about Trump’s ideas, the king said he would refrain from saying much until Egypt had a chance to weigh in. His statement following the meeting with Trump made clear that the sides remain far apart. “Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he said on X. “Achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability.” There are already over 2 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which says that most of them have citizenship. Jordan's Queen Rania and her family were Palestinian refugees who fled Kuwait. Trump’s proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and relocate its residents has stirred opposition from the U.S.’s Arab partners and from world leaders across the globe who largely favor a two-state solution. However, Trump has not ceded the proposal and continued in the days since to press his ideas to take over and develop the territory after first announcing it last week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House. In an interview with Fox News that aired Monday night, Trump said that those leaving Gaza would not have a right to return and named Egypt and Jordan as two countries that he expects to take in Palestinians. Trump said it’s a project he wants to start “almost immediately.” He has referred to the territory as a demolition site. On Tuesday, he billed it as a step toward bringing “peace to the Middle East” and said it would become a driver of new jobs in the region. “We’re going to run it very properly,” Trump told reporters and reiterated his ideas for a development plan for the territory that includes hotels and other investments. Seated to the president's left were top advisers and officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, chief of staff Susie Wiles and national security adviser Mike Waltz. “It’s a death trap,” Trump said of Gaza as he mused about the possibilities. He said that it's a place where no one would want to stay, and “they are living in hell.” Asked if he would consider withholding U.S. aid, Trump suggested he had moved on from the idea, telling reporters, “I do think we’re above that.” "We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both, but I don’t have to threaten that," Trump said, seeming to walk back the suggestion that he was open to it. A reliable U.S. partner, Abdullah now finds himself weighing a tentative path forward after America’s Arab partners, including Jordan and Egypt, rejected Trump’s proposal last week. On the eve of his meeting with Trump, the U.S. president threatened to cut off aid to Jordan, an annual sum of more than $1 billion. American foreign aid is currently paused as part of a sweeping halt by the Trump administration. A senior Jordanian official told NBC News last week there was no way that Jordan could accept more refugees after harboring large refugee populations for decades from Syria and other countries in the region. But Jordan relies heavily on U.S. aid — and additional U.S. spending in Jordan goes to defend U.S. interests supporting Syrian Defense Force allies guarding ISIS prisoners in Syria — and preventing a resurgence of ISIS in Syria. Trump's plan is also a nonstarter with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman — a key U.S. partner who rejected it within an hour of Trump’s initial comments last week. Jordan, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Monday, would resettle Palestinians from Gaza, as would other surrounding countries, because they have “good hearts.” He said his administration had spoken to Palestinians who “would love to leave Gaza if they could find a place to be,” as well as leaders in the region whom he said were working to find a solution to the devastation caused by more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel. “They were very positive about providing land,” Trump said. “What we need is land, and if we could build a nice place for people to live safely, everybody in Gaza would do it.” He added: “They would love to get out of Gaza, but until now, they’ve never had an alternative. Now they have an alternative.” A fragile ceasefire has paused the fighting in Gaza, but the conflict risks reigniting as Hamas said it will postpone the release of more hostages. Trump has warned Hamas to release all remaining hostages by Saturday, but warned Tuesday that he believes they could blow past it. Netanyahu said Tuesday in a video statement posted to X that Israel is prepared to terminate the ceasefire agreement if Hamas does not return all the remaining hostages by Saturday.