Netanyahu says he hopes to announce hostage release in the 'coming days'

In a post on X the Israel Defense Forces said it had issued an order "to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of the Trump plan for the release of the hostages". The reality is that the obstacles that prevented earlier deals essentially remain the same, including Hamas' demand for a full Israeli withdrawal and a guarantee that Israel will not resume the war after the hostages are freed. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 66 people had been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza in the past 24 hours, bringing the total since the war began to 67,074. International journalists have been banned by Israel from entering the Gaza Strip independently since the start of the war nearly two years ago, making verifying claims from both sides difficult.